The One Year Wisdom for Women Devotional: 365 Devotions through the Proverbs (87 page)

November 27

Murder

     
A man burdened with bloodshed will flee into a pit;

     
Let no one help him.

     
Whoever walks blamelessly will be saved,

     
But he who is perverse in his ways will suddenly fall.

This proverb uses serious and extreme words like
bloodshed
,
fall into a pit
, and
perverse ways
. Most of us aren’t around murderers. And we don’t often see any open pit that anyone is likely to fall into. So how can these wise words apply to our world and our lives?

Let’s look at the words
burdened with bloodshed
. The NIV says “guilt of murder.” Sticks and stones may can break my bones, but mean words will always hurt me. Yes, we can murder someone’s reputation with slander and gossip. We can harshly criticize. We can humiliate and put people down in front of others. We can be partial. We can be prejudiced. Many of us have seen mothers in a grocery store screaming at or belittling their children. We’ve seen coaches or teachers purposely neglect a child who’s slow, or allow other kids to ridicule him.

Murder is a serious thing, whether it is physical or mental or emotional. Harm will come to those who harm others.

In closing, let’s shift gears and look at the other side. Our proverb today is a comfort to those who are mistreated. You don’t have to retaliate. They will fall in the pit they dug for themselves. You don’t have to push them in. God has better things for us. We are like clay pots. He can use even the harshness of others to season and refine us like fire in a kiln. Be still; be patient. Trust him to use even this for good.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

A clear conscience is a soft pillow. As our proverb today promises, “Whoever walks blamelessly will be saved.” Saved from what? Saved from the torment of a guilty conscience, saved from having to cover your tracks. Life is complicated enough without all of that. Wouldn’t you agree?

Let’s Pray

O Lord, please shine the light of your truth on all of my ways. Do I ever murder? Are my words harsh? Am I thoughtless and careless with the feelings of others? Guard my mouth before I speak. Guard my heart against wounds from others.

One Year Bible Reading

Daniel 4:1-37; 2 Peter 1:1-21; Psalm 119:97-112; Proverbs 28:17-18

November 28

Chasing Fantasies

     
He who works his land will have abundant food,

          
but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.

It seems in our society today there so many young people who have never learned to work or make their bed or be responsible for any real thing by the time they’re young adults. Many kids live in a fantasy world of TV, sports, dance, music, and video games. The principles of responsibility and having a work ethic are regarded as obsolete.

Charles Sykes wrote some “rules kids won’t learn in school” that have been circulating in various forms on the Internet (often attributed to Bill Gates). Here are three sobering points from one of the versions.

1. Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers off, and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself.
   
2. Television is not real life. In real life, people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
   
3. Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life has not. In some schools they have abolished failing grades; they’ll give you as many chances as you want to get the right answer. This does not bear the slightest resemblance to anything in real life.
   

Entitlement: as long as our kids live with a feeling that the world owes them a living, they will never wake up and smell the coffee. So as godly women, let’s take joy in working hard. Let’s do a good job. Let’s be good stewards of our households. And let’s teach our kids that work is a privilege. It’s all good.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

The phrase “chasing fantasies” has an interesting ring to it. What is a fantasy? The dictionary defines it as “extravagant and unrestrained imagination.” In the Cinderella world of Prince Charmings and fairy godmothers a wave of the wand fixes everything. Not so in real life. Truthfully, in the Disney movie, my favorite part is not the “abracadabras.” I love watching Cinderella joyfully take the humble little pieces of what she had to make her own beautiful gown. Do you have dreams? Would you like to change or make your life better? Stop fretting about what you lack. Take the pieces of what God has given you and get started. Day by day, little changes have big outcomes.

One Year Bible Reading

Daniel 5:1-31; 2 Peter 2:1-22; Psalm 119:113-128; Proverbs 28:19-20

November 29

The Poverty of Debt

     
Greedy people try to get rich quick

          
but don’t realize they’re headed for poverty.

Get rich quick—everywhere we look, women are bombarded with images of what we should have, what we should drive, what we should wear, and how we should look. We want it all, and we want it now. In generations before us, it was accepted that it took years to slowly get the things you needed, let alone the things that you wanted. Unfortunately, young couples today are anxious to have a nice house with all new furniture and accessories. They must at the same time wear the latest clothes and drive new cars. This makes them appear rich overnight, but the sad truth is, it will take them years and years to pay for it because it was purchased on credit cards. Buy now and pay later. Later when all the interest charges are added, they will feel poor, very poor. Statistics show that the number one cause of stress, fighting, and marriage breakup is financial problems.

Amazingly, even people in their forties and fifties have been living the high life on credit. Many feel they can’t tithe, can’t retire, can’t go on a mission trip, can’t share with others in need because they have never learned to “live under their means.” They were greedy to live rich, and now they are feeling poor. They forgot 1 Timothy 6:6-7: “Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out” (
NIV
).

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Debt is an albatross. Are you ready to get it off your back? Dave Ramsey (
www.daveramsey.com
) has a “snowball plan” that will help you take some positive steps. “List your debts, excluding the house, in order. The smallest balance should be your number one priority. Don’t worry about interest rates unless two debts have similar payoffs. If that’s the case, then list the higher interest rate debt first. The point of the debt snowball is simply this: You need some quick wins in order to stay pumped up about getting out of debt! . . . When you start knocking off the easier debts, you will see results and you will stay motivated to dump your debt.”

One Year Bible Reading

Daniel 6:1-28; 2 Peter 3:1-18; Psalm 119:129-152; Proverbs 28:21-22

November 30

What Is Wrong with That?

     
Anyone who steals from his father and mother

          
and says, “What’s wrong with that?”

          
is no better than a murderer.

Our proverb today is saying that stealing from your parents is serious. Although many people would never steal money or things, they don’t give a second thought to robbing them of respect. The fifth of the Ten Commandments is, “Honor your father and your mother.” It is clear that God considers this not just important to your parents, but it’s important to him.

Billy Graham once said, “A child who is allowed to be disrespectful to his parents will not have true respect for anyone.” I believe this is true. And this applies to grown-up children too. Being kind and respectful is a decision, then a habit, then a lifestyle.

Okay, ladies, let’s make this personal. How about you and your mom? Do you bristle each time your mom makes a suggestion? Do you find you get annoyed, ignore her, or are rude to her like when you were a teenager? And do you blame her for your flaws? Some people justify their attitudes by deflecting blame. As Dr. Laurence Peters states, “Psychiatry enables us to correct our faults by confessing our parents’ shortcomings.” Let’s not get stuck in that dead-end trap.

And so, for us as godly women, let’s grow up. There is a gracious maturity in seeking to love and be good to your mom—just because she’s your mom.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

The holidays can bring out the best or the worst in family relationships. If your parents are getting older, they may feel especially lonely at this time. Age carries with it health issues, regrets from the past, and fear of the future. Be aware of this. If they vent, or complain, or withdraw, please don’t be angry or resent the extra burden they have become. They carried you and put up with
your
crying fits once, you know. They might feel very useless right now; call and ask their advice. Ask your mom to teach you to make her special holiday dish. Take an hour to help them send a few Christmas cards. Someday, they will no longer be with you. Love them while you still can.

One Year Bible Reading

Daniel 7:1-28; 1 John 1:1-10; Psalm 119:153-176; Proverbs 28:23-24