Proverbs in a Year

A daily devotional in Proverbs

[kellenanderson]

December 31 - Proverbs 31:28-31

28 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 29 “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” 30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. 31 Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

We’ve all been there. Someone charms his way into your life, only to find out down the road that the person is a total fraud. It could have been someone you thought was a friend. It could have been someone that you thought was selling you a good product, only to be selling you pure junk. It could have been a Christian who said and did all the right things, earning a place of respect in the church, only to find that he was only that person for the one hour every week that he entered inside the four walls of the church. Charm is surely deceptive (v30a), and most of us are capable of using it to our benefit. The question you need to ask yourself is  this: who are you trying to impress? Whose thoughts matter most to you? People who want to impress other people can charm their way through any myriad of things. You could easily, if you wanted to badly enough, make anyone think anything about you. But what is it worth? What is it worth to live a life before others that’s a lie? At the beginning of the song “What If I Stumble,” sung by D.C. Talk, is a quote from Brennan Manning: “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians: who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” The charm of many Christians is the hypocrisy that kills our witness to the world. When the façade falls away—when the charm is exposed as nothing more than a superficial spirituality—we are left as extremely faulted humans who simply are not perfect. If we could simply let go of the false idea that we must present perfection, we could live in the truth that Christ died for us BECAUSE we are not perfect. When the world sees that followers of Christ follow Him BECAUSE we have issues and faults, and BECAUSE we fail to be good so much of the time, the world may begin to see the hope and the beauty of turning to Christ. The Bible never tells us to fear man’s thoughts of us. When we fear man, we often use deception, like charm, to present ourselves in a way that isn’t genuine. The only fear we’re told to have is a fear of God. Which fear will be the one driving your choices today?

Prayer: Lord, give me the wisdom to see when I’m not being real with people. Give me the humility to trust in your perfection in the face of my many imperfections. May my life be a better reflection of you, where people see less of me and more of your glory. For the glory of Christ, Amen.

[kellenanderson]

December 30 - Proverbs 31:25-27

25 She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. 26 She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. 27 She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

The woman of character, because of her strength and dignity, is capable of laughing at what’s to come (v25). What a courageous and encouraging characteristic! When you think of the future, how much of the time are you caught worrying? How much of the time are you wishing for the passage of time to where you might actually be happy? Are you so much looking to the future and what might become that you can’t enjoy what already is? When you see trouble ahead, can you smile with the confidence that you know God will see you through. Can you laugh, knowing that you’ve gone through worse and it’s only made you stronger? Strong people look at what’s to come, even the most difficult moments, knowing that there is a way through it and knowing that the journey will make them even stronger. But strong people don’t get strong on their own. The strongest people I’ve met are strong because of a kind of confidence that can only be rooted in the Lord. Such people are filled with a hope that, while the momentary emotions may be affected because of pain or hurt or stress, the ultimate vision of victory is never far out of sight. Such people may feel sorrow and even moments of depression, but hope is never lost because it’s rooted in a God who has already claimed victory through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Romans 15:13 says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 5:1-2 says, “Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.” The idea that you can be filled with joy and peace and trust and power in this world, which is full of turmoil everywhere you look, seems foolish to most. But anyone who has seen and believed Christ has seen and believed in a victory that is assured. It’s so assured that you can laugh in the face of an unknown tomorrow, knowing that your end future is already known, and it’s really, really good!

Prayer: Lord, I can tend to be filled with such skepticism. I question the future for myself, for my family, for my job, for my country. The list goes on and on. Help me to see the future through the eyes of eternity. I know that in Christ, my eternity is secured and it’s full of goodness and treasure beyond compare. Help that idea of eternity to make a difference in the way that I look at not only my tomorrow, but also my today. Amen.

[kellenanderson]

December 29 - Proverbs 31:22-24

22 She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. 23 Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. 24 She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.

Our loved ones rub off on us. When there’s stress in the home in one person’s life, there’s usually stress in everyone else’s lives, at least to some degree. There’s an old saying that says, “Behind every great man is a great woman.” It may not always be the case, but it seems pretty accurate. The woman of character in Proverbs 31 has a husband who is respected well in town (v23). No doubt her qualities and her care for her husband have helped him in some way to make him into a man who is thought well of. It’s crazy to me how easy my wife makes life for me. She never adds undue stress or drama to any situation, and she takes care of things so that I can be the best me that I can be. While I know I’m not as effective in doing the same for her, I sure try to be the help to her that will enable her to be the best her. When she’s stressed, or when she’s down, the first place I look is to where I’ve possibly been failing her at helping to make life as joyous and easy as it can be. The people closest to us can either have a draining impact or a life-giving impact on our lives, and vice versa. You don’t always have much say in the matter as to how someone else may affect you. But here’s the good news: Jesus is part of your family! Jesus is the closest and most meaningful relationship that you could ever have. Whatever you are lacking from the people closest to you, you can experience it in Christ. Is peace lacking in the people closest to you? Find your peace in Christ and you can overcome the unrest around you. As you overcome, you can begin to be one who spreads peace. You can be the one, through Jesus, to bring your loved ones to a better place. 1 Corinthians 7:14 says, “For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband.” This doesn’t mean that a person is saved because of a loved one’s faith. But some of the blessings that come by way of one’s relationship with Jesus can rub off on those closest to her. Are the people closest to you being blessed with the peace and comfort of Jesus simply by way of being in your presence on a daily basis? Are you lifting up the spirits of others more than others are bringing you into a bad state of mind? Let Jesus be the source and strength for you to become the best you, and you might find more success in helping others around you become the best version of themselves.

Prayer: Lord, sometimes I let others’ emotions drag me around by the collar. I don’t want to be slave to the feelings and abuses of the people I run into today. I want to be built up by a better presence, your Son Jesus! Raise my spirits. Raise my thought life. Build me into the better me that only you are capable of drawing out. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

[kellenanderson]

December 28 - Proverbs 31:19-21

19 In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. 20 She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. 21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

While this wife of character meets the needs of her family, making sure they are clothed and provided for, she never ignores the needs of people outside her family who are in need. I’m so grateful for how my wife takes care of every little need for our family that I don’t even really see is a need. She gets up early to pack the girls their school lunches. She makes sure they take showers on at least a semi-regular basis. She works outside the home part-time. She does about a thousand loads of laundry each week. She goes through clothes bins with every change of the season or every time one of the girls grows an inch overnight. She is the caretaker of the home. It’s not as if I do nothing, but she does more than I could ever even think to do. But what I’m even more grateful for is how my wife displays to our girls how they should care for other people. If there’s an opportunity to serve people through our church, she is there with the girls. When a single mother friend was struggling with finances and a broken relationship, she welcomed her and her little girl into our home for a week simply to help them get back on their feet (she even asked if I was fine with it). She and the girls routinely buy and wrap gifts each year for needy children at Christmas time. Her arms are open to those in need in such a way that my daughters are learning that life is not all about themselves. The last thing any of us want as parents is having self-centered children. It helps if we aren’t self-centered in our own living. A person of character will always look to ways that he can open his arms to those in need, because he realizes that without Jesus opening His arms to us, we are eternally in need. No one in this life makes it on his own. What will you do today to extend your hand to someone in need? How will your life be a gift of grace to someone needing help from the outside?

Prayer: Lord, it’s so easy to become self-involved and to forget the needs of people around me. Help me to do even one thing each day to help someone other than myself. Help my kids to learn care for others as a way of life because it’s just what we do as an outpouring of the love you have for us. Give me the grace to help others as you’ve helped me. Amen.

[kellenanderson]

December 27 - Proverbs 31:16-18

16 She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. 17 She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. 18 She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.

We have a problem in our world today. It’s the problem of writing checks that we just can’t cash. Upon writing this (December, 2017), the debt accrued by the world’s governments sits at nearly $69 trillion dollars. The interest alone that is being accrued on that total right now is nearly $4.5 million per minute! And we’re not doing much better as individuals. One figure says that the average household credit card debt in America is about $5,000 while the median debt sits at more than $16,000. That’s just for credit cards! It’s scary to think what those numbers are when you add in student loans and car loans. Home loans may be the most inescapable of debts, and the problem there tends not to be in having a home loan, but in taking out a home loan that is simply unaffordable for one’s lifestyle and income. The woman of character, as she sees her family growing, “considers a field and buys it” (v16a)—at an affordable price! How do we know she’s wise with her money and lives within her means? The next few words say it all: “out of her earnings” (v16b). Living within ones earnings will save a lot of trouble in life. When we find ourselves living outside of our means and desiring more than we are capable of affording, we have to stop and realize what’s taking place. The tenth commandment implores us not to covet (Exodus 20:17). Do not desire your neighbor’s house or wife or any other possession that he has. Such passionate desires for things that don’t belong to you shows a lack of contentment with the blessings that God has given you. The next time you’re looking at your friend and thinking how much you long for what she has, remind yourself that those things are both temporary and unfulfilling. The moment you get the thing that your heart was longing for, you’ll find that it was not enough. There’s nothing you will ever gain outside of Jesus that will actually make you feel complete the next morning when you wake up. Quit longing for those things that just don’t last. And definitely quit draining your finances over things you just simply don’t need. It may sound like the classic Sunday School statement, but all you really need is Jesus. How much do you believe that today? Is it showing through your daily expenses?

Prayer: Lord, I’ve wasted so much money thinking I was buying something that I just had to have. Forgive me for not always being a faithful steward of the blessings you’ve given me. Forgive me for having a heart that covets. Help me to find contentment in you today. Amen.

[kellenanderson]

December 26 - Proverbs 31:13-15

13 She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. 14 She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. 15 She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants.

The woman of character being described here is actually quite wealthy. Sometimes our society assumes that the wealthy are by nature inherently evil. It’s just not so. The wealthy can be people of incredible character, and on the flip side, a poor person can act with an incredible lack of character. This wealthy woman works hard (v13). She is disciplined and gets up when it’s not easy to get up (v15a). She provides, not just for her family, but also for those who work for her (v15b). It doesn’t matter what resources you have, you will either live with or without character. While grace is the central theme of the Gospel, don’t buy into the thought that discipline isn’t important. Jesus got up early often (maybe everyday, but Scripture doesn’t specifically say that) to pray and to be with the Father. He was a regular at the temple. He knew the Scriptures well. He lived a disciplined life, but that alone didn’t connect Him to the Father. Discipline is important, but your reason for living a disciplined life matters more. If you’re attempting to be disciplined, thinking that your disciplines show the level of your heart for God, you’re missing the point. If you’re attempting to be disciplined, thinking that your disciplines prove your obedience to God, you’re missing the point. If you’re attempting to be disciplined, thinking that your disciplines will help you grow and will open the door to a more fruitful relationship with Jesus, now you’re getting somewhere! Being disciplined and doing all the right things really doesn’t mean anything if you still think that doing all the right things is what gets you closer to Jesus. You can never do enough right things to make you one bit closer to Jesus. Only His grace can draw you to Him. Getting up early to pray doesn’t make you close to Jesus. Meeting with Jesus and encountering His Spirit when you get up early to pray draws you closer to Him. Knowing Jesus has to be the goal, not doing disciplines that seem right. Are you finding that you’re checking off all the right boxes, that you’re doing the right things, but you’re still far from God? Instead of  simply giving your heart to doing all the right things, maybe you need to truly give your heart to Him. God says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). Seek after Jesus in the midst of your disciplined life. Don’t simply seek after a disciplined life. Discipline absent of Jesus is works-based living rather than faith-based living.

Prayer: Lord, I work so hard to do all the right things. Sometimes I’ll pray and it feels like I’ve just said all the words that I think you want me to say. Instead, help me today to say the words that are from my heart. Help me to connect my heart to yours, rather than simply connecting to you the thoughts I think you want me to have. May I seek after you today with all my heart rather than trying to show you the person that I think you want me to be. Amen.

[kellenanderson]

December 25 - Proverbs 31:10-12

10 A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. 11 Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. 12 She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.

The remaining verses of this final chapter in Proverbs talks about this “wife of noble character” (v10). This description is a culmination of what wisdom ultimately looks like as it has been described throughout the writings of Proverbs. This is not simply a description of a woman that men should be looking for in a future bride, nor is it simply a description of a woman that women should be comparing themselves to. The virtues that this woman is described as having are the virtues of wisdom that each of us should look to possess. Do people have “full confidence” in you (v11)? Do you bring good rather than harm to the people around you (v12)? Listen, I don’t even have full confidence in myself! I know I make mistakes everyday. But that might be the very thing that actually gives my wife confidence in me! Wisdom is knowing that we are faulted. Wisdom is knowing that we have moments when we are going to owe people an apology, and then giving that apology. Wisdom isn’t living perfectly, but living in humility and repentance in such a way that the people around you are confident that you won’t hurt or harm them, and that if on a rare occasion you do, that you’ll realize it, apologize for it, and give the effort never to do so again. That kind of noble character inspires confidence. It’s why you gain even more appreciation for a person after they’ve hurt you but worked hard to reconcile themselves to you in the aftermath. An apology builds confidence. It cements the belief that, though a person isn’t perfect, she really doesn’t want to hurt me. It cements the belief that, in the future, that person really will do everything in his power to bring good to me. A person in whom you can have that kind of confidence really is “worth far more than rubies” (v10). Whether it’s a wife, a husband, a friend, a co-worker—that’s the kind of person that you want in your life. Are you instilling the confidence in those around you that you are a person of noble character? Do you humbly admit to your mistakes? Do you strive for reconciliation with those you’ve let down? Jesus went to the cross because you cannot be perfect on your own. Jesus went to the cross for the sole purpose of bringing reconciliation between God and man. Are you guilty of letting the hurts that you cause fester and grow? Or do you make reconciliation a daily part of your personal relationships?

Prayer: Lord, I have the fullest confidence in you because of your willingness to sacrifice yourself for me. You went to the furthest place you could go to try to ensure your reconciliation with me. That’s why I can trust you implicitly. Help me to go to every length I can go to reconcile myself to the people in my life. Help me to instill confidence in my friends and family today that I will work to bring good to them all the days of my life. Amen.

[kellenanderson]

December 24 - Proverbs 31:8-9

8 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. 9 Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.

These are two great proverbs to live by. But let’s face it, the idea of defending the rights of the poor and needy has kind of become the cool and trendy thing to talk about. There is this feeling, at least in American culture right now, that I have to make sure to let other people know just how much I’m pulling for the destitute people in our world and that I’m willing to speak up for those who can’t speak for themselves. But, frankly, talk is kind of cheap. It’s easy to say the right things that you think people want to hear so that you’ll be seen as a compassionate person, but where is your heart really at? Obviously, the way we talk about things matters. It’s an important step to change our dialogue and for people to really come to grips with the importance of everyone being given the shot at life that they all deserve. People deserve to have their rights defended and protected. But are you doing anything more than talking about it? Are you doing anything to change the plight of just one person even one little bit? Have you looked into the eyes of a person who doesn’t look like you and who doesn’t live by the same economical standards as you do to try to understand what she’s really going through? Have you tried to make a personal connection with one person who needs something better in life today? You can protest those who aren’t standing up for the destitute—and there is some good in that for sure. But there is always more good in finding ways to actually reach out and love another person than to just show your displeasure for others who aren’t loving that person. Never forget that the people that Jesus casually hung around with were the “sinners” of the world. It wasn’t just the poor people economically-speaking that He took time to love on. The tax collectors were far from poor. It was the poor people spiritually-speaking that Jesus made time for. He did so to show them love in a way that would bring about a lasting change, one life at a time. Don’t let the act of speaking up for the poor become your present day sacrifice that is absent of any real heart or mercy (Hosea 6:6). Don’t let your love for the hurting and broken and destitute end at mere talk. Make a difference in the life of a person today. Make an eternal difference by sharing the same love that Jesus shared with the people He lived life with.

Prayer: Lord, help me to be sensitive to the needs of people around me. Help me not only to see when someone’s God-given rights are being abused; help me also to share with them the God-given right to be loved by another person. Forgive me for a judging attitude. Forgive me for caring more about my comfort than about sacrificing my time and energy for someone else in need. Help me to love and show true mercy rather than empty words. Amen.

[kellenanderson]

December 23 - Proverbs 31:4-7

4 It is not for kings, Lemuel— it is not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer, 5 lest they drink and forget what has been decreed, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights. 6 Let beer be for those who are perishing, wine for those who are in anguish! 7 Let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more.

You could look at these proverbs and pinpoint what they’re saying about alcohol. Alcohol used in excess isn’t good for anybody. But, yes, the Bible is indicating that alcohol may not be the awful thing in all circumstances that some Christians make it out to be. It may have some credibility as a pain reliever or as a way to calm a distressed mind. On the other hand, it could be easy to read this as saying, “Leave alcohol for those without hope.” In other words, some people have resigned themselves to a certain lot in life—let the defeated be the ones to drown themselves in wine or beer. Let’s face it though, Jesus turned water into real wine. Alcohol itself is not the devil. But it’s a dangerous thing for anyone who considers himself to be a leader. A king or ruler who is a drunkard is likely to stop fighting for the needs of the oppressed (v4-5). A leader that’s pulled along by alcohol in any way jeopardizes the opportunity that God affords her in the position that He has granted her. These proverbs point us back to the idea of hope. We are to give hope to those who are oppressed. We are not to become hopeless like those who may resort to a life of drunkenness. I’ve made a personal choice in my own life never to drink alcohol. While it took me a long time to realize that drinking in and of itself is not a sin, I don’t make the choice not to drink because of some mis-guided sense of self-righteousness. I’m no less a sinner than someone else simply because I don’t drink. I really make the choice not to drink as a way to try and bring hope to others. I want kids to see that it’s possible to have fun and to be a fun person without being a party animal (yes, I think I’m a fun person, but I suppose others can be the judge of that). I want those who struggle with alcohol to see that it’s possible to live free from alcohol’s grip. I don’t want to become a stumbling block to someone for whom alcohol is a real struggle. And I don’t want to hurt my children or embarrass my wife or destroy my good name because I do something foolish in a time when I don’t have my good sense about me because of a substance that has grabbed ahold of me in a way that I can’t shake free of. There is a better hope than living that sort of life, and that hope is Jesus. Are you aching for the pain to go away? Try running into the eternally hopeful presence of the Holy Spirit rather than the temporary numbing that you can find elsewhere.

Prayer: Lord, there is a greater hope that I can find in you than anywhere else. Sometimes I lean on entertainment or exercise or other people to lift my spirits when the only thing that brings lasting joy and peace is knowing you. Help me to know you and the power of your personal care for me more today. Amen.

[kellenanderson]

December 22 - Proverbs 31:1-3

1 The sayings of King Lemuel— an inspired utterance his mother taught him. 2 Listen, my son! Listen, son of my womb! Listen, my son, the answer to my prayers! 3 Do not spend your strength on women, your vigor on those who ruin kings.

According to Ross, “Jewish legend identifies Lemuel as Solomon and the advice as from Bathsheba from a time when Solomon indulged in magic with his Egyptian wife and delayed the morning sacrifices. But there is no evidence for these assumptions.” Whoever is being spoken to, his mother is warning against spending his energies gratifying his sexual desires. A king could easily do such a thing, but it would lead to his downfall (v3). For each of us there are tempting activities we could engage in that wouldn’t be healthy for us. Why should we discipline ourselves to run after only the right things? Is it just to please a God who stands in judgment over us? Not at all! Jesus tells us in Luke 8:17, “For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.” You are free to behave however you wish, but everything you do will reap some type of reward or consequence. Sinful or spiritually unhealthy behaviors are tempting because the initial payoff appears very high. The pleasures and joys of sin are real. But there is a flip side to those pleasures which is usually awful. It is interesting that often the best behaviors and choices initially seem difficult to us because at first the payoff appears quite low. To get yourself to go for a workout is often painstaking. You endure physical stress and discomfort for the entire workout, and only after do you get the euphoric feelings of the physical activity. Sometimes picking up a book to read is the last thing you want to do, but the effects of doing so are long-lasting. If you’re behaving and choosing based only on short term benefits, you’re going to do a lot of silly stuff with your life. However, if you choose to live not just for the moment but for the eventual future outcome of your present behaviors, you’re bound to experience more joy and longer lasting satisfaction. Think of Jesus being tempted in the desert. He withstood Satan’s temptations no matter how much present satisfaction it would have brought. Resisting immediate gratification was the only way He was able to get to making the eternal difference that He made on the cross. Do you want today to be the most pleasurable it can be, or do you want your future to be even better than your today could be. Practice making decisions that have the future in mind rather than just today!

Prayer: Lord, so many decisions that I make are made for the present moment. What I eat, the way I find entertainment, the things I do with my body—help me to do a better job of looking to the future rather than to the present moment in deciding the things I’m going to do today. Help me to glorify you with my choices. In Christ’s name, Amen.

[kellenanderson]

December 21 - Proverbs 30:32-33

32 “If you play the fool and exalt yourself, or if you plan evil, clap your hand over your mouth! 33 For as churning cream produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife.”

Humans, by nature, know that pressing and forcing your will on others never turns out good in the end. Every single teeny-bopper movie that my girls watch has the same story line, and I have to sit through like a good dad and pretend to like each one of these movies. I won’t admit to which ones I actually like though. First, there are good kids. Then, there are bad kids who think they’re all that and who treat the good kids with scorn and contempt. Somehow the good kids break through and win out over the bad kids and the bad kids are made to look like fools. That’s how we know it’s supposed to be, deep in our gut. That’s what we want to see. It’s why we cheer when Batman overcomes The Joker. It’s why we feel whole when Superman defeats Lex Luther. Good is supposed to overcome evil, and that’s what we want to see. I wonder whether real world villains, who have embraced darkness, get sickened by good overcoming evil in all our stories and movies, or is there any possibility they secretly enjoy it? In most of our narratives, the one who stirs things up—the one who lacks character in his regard for other people—winds up experiencing worse strife (v33b) than he ever inflicted upon others. But even knowing deep down that this is the way of life, we tend to act with disdain toward people that we fear might break down our own perceived version of our earthly kingdom. I can remember saying awful things to my friends during my freshman year of high school about a new boy that had moved to town. He played basketball, was a point guard, and I had to act tough to secure my little kingdom—the undisputed point guard of my class. It sounds really stupid on paper, and it’s even more stupid in real life. That’s pretty much what high school students are though. And we don’t always improve much as adults. Unless, of course, we’ve given up the foolish idea of exalting ourselves into our self-made kingdoms. It’s best to just shut our mouths (v32b) when we feel the need to devise evil plans meant to secure our thrones. When Jesus is firmly on the throne of your life, even the idea of someone coming in to take your throne isn’t a big deal, mainly because it’s not your throne to possess. In fact, it’s not your throne at all. Letting Jesus be the king of your life means that you don’t have to become a jerk fighting to be the king or queen of your own little kingdom. Are you living for your own little kingdom or for the glory of a much bigger and better Kingdom?

Prayer: Lord, give me awareness in those moments when I begin to devise evil plans and to stir up dissension in order to make myself look good. I want to be a person whose first goal is to make you look good. Help me today to live for the glory of your all-powerful and ever-good Kingdom. Amen.

[kellenanderson]

December 20 - Proverbs 30:29-31

29 “There are three things that are stately in their stride, four that move with stately bearing: 30 a lion, mighty among beasts, who retreats before nothing; 31 a strutting rooster, a he-goat, and a king secure against revolt.

A secure king (v31) seems to be an oxymoron in this life. Think about it—no kingdom has endured forever. Wars happen. Traitors rise up. Coups ensue. And not every danger comes from others. We had a President of the United States forced into resignation because of his part in the Watergate scandal. King Saul’s own jealousy of David led to his downfall. He was so worried that David would take his throne that Saul essentially gave it over to him through his own foolishness. There really is no secure king in this world. There really is no secure kingdom either. America is not assured of its lasting reign atop the superpowers of the world. In fact, it’s almost a certainty that one day it will NOT be in that position. The only image that faithfully comes to mind that embodies the term of “a king secure against revolt” is the image of Jesus Christ. This world doesn’t care how stately you seem strutting around. It doesn’t care how confident you are. There is no security that is assured outside of the security of Jesus. Jesus rose from death to defeat all sin and death for all time. That is your assurance in Christ, and in Him alone. Paul writes, “The end will come, when [Jesus] hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:24-26). The very same was prophesied by Isaiah: “He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth” (Isaiah 25:8). If you’re strutting around with confidence in anything other than the security that is to be found in Christ, that confidence may very well be shaken and destroyed. Security in money will one day prove insufficient. Security in good health will one day end in death. Security in family will one day be frustrated by conflict. Only security in Jesus will prove, at the end of all time, to be all-encompassing and sufficient. Is He the reason you walk in confidence today?

Prayer: Lord, one day I feel secure, and the next I’m that little child again who worries about every little detail of life. I have daily concerns. I have financial needs and physical needs and relational desires, but help me to find proper perspective in those areas. Help me to place my security and my trust in your never-ending goodness and protection. In you, my future is accounted for. Remind me of that every moment of every day. Thank you for that security. Amen.

[kellenanderson]

December 19 - Proverbs 30:24-28

24 “Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise: 25 Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer; 26 hyraxes are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the crags; 27 locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks; 28 a lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings’ palaces.

One of my favorite aspects of the Gospel is that it lifts up the little man. I’m 5’4’’. I like it when there’s finally some preferential treatment for little people. All my life I’ve had to climb up on kitchen counters in order to get items down from cabinets that were built for “normal” sized people. I’ve humbled myself and shopped in the kids section as a grown adult—pun intended. I’ve laughed at every joke thrown my way about elves while imagining myself going all “south pole elf” on the people telling each recycled attempt at humor. Yes, I’ve wanted to punch some people in the face, but I haven’t. Why? Mostly because I’m small and would likely get the snot kicked out of me in retaliation. This world wasn’t made for small people. But the Gospel was. The poor, the meek, the humble—those are the people who inherit the Kingdom of God (Matthew 5). Our God even chose to come to this earth disguised as someone small in status. Jesus was born in a little town to an unknown virgin teenager named Mary. He grew up under the tutelage of his carpenter father, learning the trade like any other commoner. Isaiah prophesied about the real look of this Heavenly King-turned-into-man: “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:2-5). If you think of yourself as small, you are in good company. Paul writes, “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong” (1 Corinthians 1:27). Here’s the truth: You are small! You are weak! You are foolish! But Jesus is none of those things, yet people mistook Him as such. He is able to redeem your shortcomings and make you more than you could ever be on your own. In Him you are strong. In Him you are wise.

Prayer: Lord, I’m so grateful that I’m loved by a King who was willing to live as though a commoner. I’m so grateful that though I may be insignificant by cultural standards, I am significant by yours. Thank you for making something beautiful out of my life. Thank you that I can embrace my smallness because it magnifies your bigness all the more! May you receive all the praise! Amen.

[kellenanderson]

December 18 - Proverbs 30:21-23

21 “Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up: 22 a servant who becomes king, a godless fool who gets plenty to eat, 23 a contemptible woman who gets married, and a servant who displaces her mistress.

The point that the writer is attempting to make is how overbearing it can be when someone is quickly elevated to a position of influence or power. The servant who becomes king or who displaces her mistress (v22-23) could very well be overtaken by a power-hungry mentality to fix all the wrongs ever done to him or her. The godless fool who comes upon wealth and the despicable woman who marries (v22-23), unless there is a change in their nature, will continue acting like the despicable fools that they were before their change in position, only now with the capability of hurting more people in the process. If you’re searching for leadership greatness in your future, you must realize that you’ll never be a better leader than you are a follower. You’ll never be more loved with power than you are loved without power. The you that exists right now will not all of a sudden become better with a bump in status. Today, you must work at becoming the better you that you hope to be if and when the day comes that you are given more influence. Personally, I’d rather be a person without great influence who knows how to love and be loved than be a person with great influence who has never learned to love or be loved! There’s so much more to life than influence, power, and money. Wouldn’t you rather be known for a kind heart than for a superficial status of power? Your heart is what Jesus knows you by. Everything else is superficial to Him. 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” Today, if you were given more influence in some way, would you be unbearable to follow? Or are you allowing Jesus to soften your heart daily to where you’re peaceable and easy to bear no matter what your sphere of influence is? Jesus says to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,” not influence, and that when you do, “all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33).

Prayer: Lord, help me to be someone that people don’t have to simply tolerate, but  to be someone that people feel lightened and encouraged by. Even if I should never be given a place of authority in this world, help me to influence others with a heart of kindness and love and compassion. Help me to put others first rather than using people to get what I want. May I be the kind of person that no one would feel fearful of if I were to be put in a position of leadership. Make me a servant leader like your Son Jesus! Amen.

[kellenanderson]

December 17 - Proverbs 30:20

20 “This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth and says, ‘I’ve done nothing wrong.’

The end of verse 19 has just expressed the beautifully incomprehensible intimacy of a young man with a young woman in marriage—“the way of a man with a young woman”—and now the writer is turning to the unrepentant attitude of the adulterer. So much of our world takes a beautiful thing, the sexual intimacy between a husband and a wife, and distorts it into something dirty. Sex is not meant to be dirty. God did not make it as such. But humans have made it dirty by our gross independence from God in the matter. Rather than abiding by the guidelines for intimacy that God sets in place, we’ve tended to go our own self-serving ways with it, and we’ve done so all the while saying, “I’ve done nothing wrong” (v20b). I use the term “we” because we’re all guilty in some way. That lustful look at a woman who is not my wife. That longing for the seemingly kind and caring man who is not my husband. That time I took a look at my wife’s spring catalog and “just so happened” to come upon the swimsuit section. That time I carried on a flirtatious or emotionally charged relationship with a man at work who isn’t my husband. That moment when I told myself that pornography is okay because at least I’m not having an affair. Each and every time we fall into a sexually sinful behavior, we have to convince ourselves that there’s nothing wrong with it. And if we can’t do that, we have to convince ourselves that at least I’m not doing something worse. But is that really the mindset that glorifies God? Is that really the mindset that makes our sexual lives more healthy and more gratifying? Rationalizing our sins away is simply scary for anyone’s faith. At least if I can admit the behavior is wrong, I stand a chance at letting the Lord bring correction through conviction. But when there is no wrong in my mind, how will change ever occur? It is far more dangerous to be an amoral person than it is to be an admittedly immoral person! To say there is no wrong, dangerous, or sinful behavior is to totally deny the authority of God in your life, and it’s a state that our society is creeping closer and closer toward becoming. In many ways, it’s already there. Are you willing to wake up everyday with the humility before God to ask Him to continually bring conviction to your heart over what’s right and what’s wrong? It’s only by the grace of Christ that you will remain set apart from what the world says is normal and permissible behavior. It’s only by grace that you will live a life that is truly healthy and free.

Prayer: Lord, the world around me sees no sin. Oddly enough, it seems to call me the sinful one if I venture to describe its actions as sinful. I live in a messed up, upside-down world. Help me to see right and wrong through your eyes alone. May your Word speak directly to my heart everyday. Keep me open to the power and the conviction of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

[kellenanderson]

December 16 - Proverbs 30:18-19

18 “There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand: 19 the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a young woman.

Let me add a few things that amaze me. The way a little piece of metal stores information inside a computer and transfers it into data on a screen. The way I can talk on the phone with someone halfway across the world with seemingly no delay in the conversation. The way a woman gives birth with no pain meds and doesn’t succumb to the pain—a man simply would not make it through that ordeal. The way an eyeball forms and sends extremely sophisticated signals to the brain. The way a teenage boy can eat endlessly and never get full. The way a baby’s cry in the middle of the night can make you want to throw said baby really far, and then one smile from the same baby can make you fall in love all over again in an instant. The way the stars look in the sky on a clear night in northern Wisconsin. The way a plane gets off the ground and then stays in the air. The way my car gets me where I’m trying to go in those moments when I can’t remember the last five minutes of actually driving. The way that time slows down in sudden moments of extreme danger. The way I can watch a campfire for hours and never get bored with it. The way that my wife still captures my heart to where all I want to do is show off for her so that she thinks I’m really cool. There are a lot of things that amaze me. But there is one thought that I hope never ceases to amaze me. I hope this idea captures my amazement more than all of the above. The way that God loves me with such an intensity that He would become a man with the sole purpose of showing me the depth of His love by choosing death in my place. I’ll never fully understand that kind of love. But I’m so grateful that I can know that kind of love exists, and it is mine to enjoy!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the awesome and incomprehensible love of your Son, Jesus! Thank you that there are countless things in creation for which I can find myself in awe of. Thank you that you’ve gifted people in this world with the brilliance to capture my awe as well. But let nothing capture my awe the way that you do. Your love truly is the most incredible thing made known to mankind. Thank you for such an awesome gift! Amen.

[kellenanderson]

December 15 - Proverbs 30:17

17 “The eye that mocks a father, that scorns an aged mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by the vultures.

The eyes relay a person’s truest feelings. I have four daughters, two sisters and no brothers, and spent 8 years coaching girls high school basketball. The amount of eye rolls that I’ve received from teenage girls is not a small number. I imagine that if I had a nickel for every eye roll I’ve received, I’d be a pretty wealthy man. Interrogators in law enforcement think of the eyes as the window to the soul. Averting one’s eyes and rapid eye movement or blinking can be telling signs that a person is lying. It really takes a professionally trained person not to subconsciously give away her true feelings about a person or an issue. So what is this proverb saying to us at the deepest level? Do I get to peck out my daughter’s eyes when they roll their eyes at me? A dark side in me only wishes. No, we don’t get to peck out a person’s eyes for looking at us wrong. But this proverb is indicating that there will be consequences for holding one’s parents in contempt in the deep recesses of your heart. Maybe you have enough decency in your soul that you show respect to your parents in every way outwardly that you can think of. But deep down, is there a contempt there that your subconscious self would not be capable of hiding fully? This is a difficult idea to sit with, because many of us have parental figures who have actually caused us great harm. How is one NOT to hold contempt deep in his heart when such pain has been endured? There is no humanly way to rid yourself of such hurt. But the place that a parent has in your life is unique. And despite what either of your parents have done to you or not done for you, you only have two parents. Maybe you can’t get to where your scorn for your mother or your father is replaced with respect enough that even on the subconscious level you are at peace with them—but the grace of Jesus is powerful enough to get you there. If you balk at that idea, remember that Jesus defeated all sin and death when He walked out of the tomb following His crucifixion. Bringing you into a place of peace in your heart towards your parents—even abusive or deceased or sub-human parents—is not outside Christ’s realm of power. His power can bring you peace in all relationships, all situations, at all times. Are you believing and trusting in His power to bring peace to your heart today?

Prayer: Lord, my heart is a muddied thing. There are people—members of my family, friends, church family, acquaintances, bosses, co-workers, people I don’t even know on a personal level—who have hurt me deeply. I don’t know how to be at peace with them. But I want to be. (Help me in those situations where I don’t really want to be at peace with someone.) Please grace me with the power of peace that comes only through the power of the One who has victory over death. You, Jesus, are my only hope at real and lasting peace! Amen.