The One Year Wisdom for Women Devotional: 365 Devotions through the Proverbs (66 page)

September 6

Poor and Needy

     
Do not exploit the poor because they are poor,

          
and do not crush the needy in court,

     
for the L
ORD
will take up their case

          
and will plunder those who plunder them.

This proverb is both a warning and a promise. On one side, there’s a warning. It’s a warning from God himself that he cares about the poor, and just because they seem defenseless, he personally will defend them when they cry out to him. This is a warning to those who take advantage of the weak. God himself will avenge them.

On the other side of this proverb there is a promise: a promise to you who are poor, whether in money or in strength or in influence. Maybe you’re a single mom, and you definitely feel poor in all three areas. Sometimes an ex-husband will go to court to reduce his obligations or to gain custody of the children, not because he cares for them, but for spite. A single mom with no funds for a good lawyer can feel defeated and forsaken. If this is you, will you turn to the God who cares for you? Don’t fight wrong with wrong. Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5,
NKJV
).

Listen carefully: as your first and primary line of defense, call out to your Father in heaven. Listen to the words of Psalm 46:1-2, 7: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea. . . . The L
ORD
Almighty is with us; and the God of Jacob is our fortress” (
NIV
).

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Through the years, God has used ordinary people, like Irena Sendler, to bravely risk all to aid the needy. In 1942 the Nazis herded hundreds of thousands of Jews into the Warsaw ghetto. Granted permission to enter the ghetto as a sewer specialist, she left each day with children hidden in boxes and potato sacks.

“Can you guarantee they will live?” Irena later recalled the distraught parents asking. But she could only guarantee they would die if they stayed. Irena placed the children in non-Jewish homes, orphanages, and convents. “No one ever refused to take a child from me,” she said. With the assistance of many Christians, almost 2,500 were taken to safety.

One Year Bible Reading

Song of Songs 1:1–4:16; 2 Corinthians 8:16-24; Psalm 50:1-23; Proverbs 22:22-23

September 7

Caustic Companions

     
Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person;

          
do not associate with one easily angered,

     
or you may learn their ways

          
and get yourself ensnared.

Friendship, for us as women, is a wonderful and important thing. But as this proverb warns us, we need to be careful and wise about whom we buddy up with.

First Corinthians 15:33 tells us, “Do not be deceived: Evil company corrupts good habits” (
NKJV
).

In a godly friendship we can be iron sharpening iron. We can encourage each other, pray for each other, and best of all, fellowship, serve, and pray with each other. But as women get close, we sometimes let our guards down and allow ourselves to share the worst of what we’re thinking and the worst of our attitudes. When we do this, there are sparks, but not for good. We ignite the worst in others and invite them to share the negative and destructive with us.

A woman who is angry with her husband often allows herself to tear him down and reveal his flaws, especially to her close friends. There are some women who are always angry with somebody—their mothers or friends or coworkers. Some are angry with others in the church, with leaders, or with their pastors. That anger is expressed in a constant flow of criticism. Let’s not do that. And let’s not be that kind of influence to our friends. And let’s choose our friendships carefully so we don’t unconsciously adopt habits that are ugly and hard to break.

As our proverb today says, “Do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared.”

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Okay, now that we have said “distance yourself” from your angry friend, does that mean you should write her off? No. I’d venture to say she has some hurts in her past that have triggered her caustic attitude. Did she grow up with an alcoholic father? Was she abused as a child? Does she have rejection or abandonment in her past? These factors are not excuses. But they are reasons for you to be sympathetic and prayerful. It could be that her past is controlling her present. Will you partner with God to love her and pray for a breakthrough that only God can give?

One Year Bible Reading

Song of Songs 5:1–8:14; 2 Corinthians 9:1-15; Psalm 51:1-19; Proverbs 22:24-25

September 8

Cosigners’ Sadness

     
Don’t agree to guarantee another person’s debt

          
or put up security for someone else.

     
If you can’t pay it,

          
even your bed will be snatched from under you.

Once again we see how the Proverbs address very practical areas of our life here on earth. Some people think the Bible only talks about spiritual things. They think when it comes to our everyday living, we just have to figure it out. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Bible has instructions on all matters, including finances and godly stewardship. Money matters do matter. And as part of good financial stewardship, this proverb instructs us to not get entangled in other people’s finances.

When you cosign for someone, you are legally responsible for the debt, default, or delinquency. Most people only need a cosigner because they really can’t afford the loan. In those situations, you lose not only sleep but often the relationship of those you tried to help. If the loan goes sour, oftentimes, so does the relationship, which is the greatest loss of all.

So what are some principles we can apply?

• If a friend or family asks to borrow money, it’s best to loan no more than you can accept losing if they never pay you back.
  
• Live under your means so you are able to save for emergencies and hopefully never be in a position of looking to others to bail you out.
  
• As we conduct our lives in this world, in all things, including finances, we are to be as “wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16,
  NKJV
  ).
  

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

As we look at this topic, some might think,
Well that is hard-hearted. Aren’t we to be generous and optimistic?
Yes, but being softhearted does not need to make you soft-headed. If your son or daughter wants to start a business, offer to pay for some management classes, help with some of the setup, or buy a piece of equipment that is needed. You can cheer your child on without putting both of you at risk.

One Year Bible Reading

Isaiah 1:1–2:22; 2 Corinthians 10:1-18; Psalm 52:1-9; Proverbs 22:26-27

September 9

Excellence

     
Do you see a man who excels in his work?

     
He will stand before kings;

     
He will not stand before unknown men.

This proverb absolutely contradicts the unbiblical criticism that some are “so heavenly minded, they are no earthly good.” Just the opposite should be true for us as godly women. We should love excellence. When we put our hands to something, we should joyfully do all things “as to the Lord” (Colossians 3:23,
NKJV
).

So if you are an employee, find joy in working, doing a good job in even the little things. If you have to be there anyway, why not work with honor and diligence?

We can apply this principle of excelling in our work to our Christian service. If you are a Sunday school teacher, be the best! Pour your heart into it. Pray for those kids. Ask the Lord to give you his anointing to bring the lesson to life and make your classroom a place where kids’ lives are changed.

And in your home, will you ask the Lord to teach you to work with excellence? I was in real estate for many years. Often when I came into a Christian home, I could tell. There was a beauty and comfort and order. It is evident and beautiful when a woman sees the ministry of her home as important—important enough to make it a place of blessing, a home, not just a house. The size and cost of the house are never a factor. A little paint on used furniture and some flowers can make it more appealing than a palace. Proverbs 31:27 says a virtuous woman, “watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness” (
NKJV
). Now that’s well done!

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Without a doubt, God has a noble and good purpose for your life. He has given you stewardship of gifts and talents and opportunities (see Romans 12 and Matthew 25:14-30). Don’t squander them, neglect them, or bury them. I feel drawn to minister to wounded women. I have been learning as much as I can, praying, reading, talking to others. I want to be faithful. How about you? What has God prompted and gifted you to do? Will you give your heart to it—to be about his business with excellence?

One Year Bible Reading

Isaiah 3:1–5:30; 2 Corinthians 11:1-15; Psalm 53:1-6; Proverbs 22:28-29