Clouds Without Rain

For Friday, September 7, 2007
Proverbs 25:14

Like clouds and wind without rain
is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give.

The day is hot, as it has been for weeks. There has been no rain. A breeze picks up; you look into the sky and see clouds coming, dark clouds. Finally, rain is on the way. The clouds are now overhead; already it feels cooler and you can smell the moisture. But the clouds pass on, the sun returns, and your hopes are dashed. So is the feeling when someone makes a promise that he does not keep. It would be better to make no promises.

What kind of cloud are you? When you say that you will provide help to someone, do you follow through? When you promise to make an event, can you be depended upon to keep your word? When you boast of what you can give or do, are you boasting of what you really have or capable of doing?

What will you be today? Will you bring rain to a thirsty soul? Will you say the kind word needed? Will you bring a gift that lifts a sad spirit? Will you be the rain cloud that the Lord sends which does bring the needed rain, or will you pass over leaving hopes unrealized?

We all have our different gifts. Some can give more than others. But if we promise only what we do have, and if we carry through on our promise, then we can all be the refreshing rain that our neighbors need.

Faithful Messenger

For Thursday, September 6, 2007
Proverbs 25:13

Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest
is a faithful messenger to those who send him;
he refreshes the soul of his masters.

Here the key term is "faithful." The messenger is faithful in delivering a true rendering of the message, and in representing his masters favorably. A poor messenger distorts the message by either through inaccuracy of what he conveys or through his presentation, dishonors those he represents.

How good of a messenger are you for your Lord? Do you faithfully impart his message? Do you use Scripture well in its context or do you distort it by poor interpretation or application? To both believer and unbeliever, are you conscientious in conveying what Scripture says and only says?

How well do you represent your Lord? Do you convey Scripture accurately, only to distort it by your careless behavior? When you speak of the love of God, do you also convey that love by your life? When you deliver the message that God is holy, do you demonstrate your own concern to be holy?

You are a messenger. That you cannot escape being if you are a disciple of Christ. Pray that you will be one who is faithful in word and deed, one who blesses your Lord as the cold of snow refreshes the soul.

A Listening Ear

For Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Proverbs 25:12

Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold
is a wise reprover to a listening ear.

The key term here is "listening." Let the reprover be wise, but if the listener is not listening, then it will be to no avail, except in the future to serve as a reproach for not heeding. Most of us, most of the time, do not listen well to reproof. For receiving reproof as gold, we are offended by it. We quickly judge the reprover to be mean or ignorant, certainly not sensitive to our feelings.

Response to reproof shows the condition of our heart. For if we desire above all else to be pleasing to God and to be following his will, then we will welcome any reproof that alerts us to our error and puts us back on the right track. If our destination was one city, but we were heading in the wrong direction, and someone yelled to us we were going the wrong way, we would thank him for saving us from a great inconvenience. How then should we react when someone points out a moral or spiritual error?

But how stubborn we can be. We will reject the reproof of person after person, even elder after elder, claiming all the while we are right before God. We alone know what God is saying. Be aware. Some day we must appear before God, and he will ask where are the gold rings and ornaments he graciously sent to us through our brothers and sisters. Learn now to listen and to value wise reproof.

Fitly Spoken

For Monday, September 3, 2007
Proverbs 25:11

A word fitly spoken
is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.

The key term is "fitly." A word can be spoken with the intent to bless but ends up being like a curse. One can speak with the intent to heal, but instead wounds. One can say a word for peace and produce turmoil.

The word must be "fitly" spoken. It matters what word is chosen. It also matters how the word is spoken - whether softly or harshly. It must be spoken at the right time - either immediately or delayed. How then does one know what or how or when? The way that anyone applies his craft - through observation. What does a medical doctor do when you come in with a complaint? He examines you. He listens to you explain your symptoms. Then he determines the treatment. The same is true of the car mechanic and the new coach of the football team and the salesperson. If they are good in what they do, they listen and observe well, before they act.

So it is necessary for the person speaking a word fitly. He listens and observes the person and the circumstances surrounding the person, and then he speaks the word needed that becomes like apples of gold in a setting of silver. Its value and beauty are understood. How fitting will your words be today?