Settled And Stable

"No one is established by wickedness, but the root of the righteous will never be moved" (Proverbs 12:3).


There is something very comforting about enjoying a life that is settled and stable in a world that is so unsettled and unstable. The brokenness of life and the turmoil of the world frequently buffet our lives like hurricane force winds. Those whose lives are marked by wickedness cannot stand against such force. It is only the righteous who are able to thrive amidst life's storms.

The lesson from today's passage is all about the "root" of the righteous which allows them to be settled and stable throughout life. The trees that fall during strong thunderstorms, here in Houston, are the ones that fail to sink a tap root. The tap root goes deep into the ground giving the tree great nourishment and strength. No such root is present in the life of the wicked. Their life is shallow and thus unstable. Their life is selfish and thus unsettled.

Let's be wise in our approach to life by sinking a "tap root" deep into the ground. The way we do this is by developing a strong and loving relationship with Christ. Spending time in His Word, praying honestly and frequently, serving those He loves, and caring for those He died for. Only in our time with Him will we experience the deepening strength and stability it takes to thrive during life's frequent storms.

Super Character

"A good man obtains favor from the Lord, but a man of evil devices he condemns" (Proverbs 12:2).

The Proverbs use lots of different words to describe people who walk in faith with the Lord. Today's passage uses the word, "good." Without theologically picking that word apart, I would say that most of us know what it means to be a "good man." I would also say we know what it means when a man is all about "evil devices." The good man receives good things from the Lord while the man of evil devices is declared guilty.

Consider these other words used of people, in Proverbs 11, who live their lives in close fellowship with God: upright (11:3), blameless (11:5), a man of understanding (11:12), trustworthy (11:13), kind (11:17), and generous (11:25). Wouldn't it be great to be known by such words? Regardless of the rewards that come with such character, wouldn't it be wonderful to be that person?

We are not called to be the world's Superhero. We are called to walk humbly with God as people of super character. Consider the tragedy of being known as a person of evil devices. Surely when offered the opportunity to be a person of super character verses a person of evil character, we will choose the better option.

How are you known at work? What is your reputation at home? What words are used to describe you when you are not around? If you are the person you truly desire to be and the kind of person who receives the blessing of God, consider yourself fortunate. You are only that way by the grace of God so there is no room to boast. If you find you are not that person, cry out to God for His grace. He is ready and willing to mold you into the kind of person who represents Him well to the world. The kind of person who exchanges condemnation for blessing. A person of super character!

To Be Led

"Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid" (Proverbs 12:1).

The key to a life well lived is the path on which that life is lived. God desires to take us down the path that leads to the abundant life. Knowing why and how we should stay on the right path is important if we are going to experience the best possible life. The person who willingly accepts discipline shows that he or she desires the knowledge it takes to live a God honoring life.

Not so with the person who rejects reproof and correction. Today's passage tells us that the person who avoids discipline at all cost is not very smart. The Hebrew word for "stupid" means "to be brutish or dull-minded" like an animal. It is the same word for "ignorant." The Proverbs often describe this person as a fool.

If you and I truly desire to be on the right path in life, we will accept the discipline offered to us by God throughout our lives. By accepting reproof and correction, we gain the knowledge we need for life. To receive direction and correction in life is to receive the necessary knowledge we need to avoid losing our way. To hate reproof puts us on the same level of an ignorant animal who refuses to follow his owner to the shelter of the barn and the nourishment and refreshment of the feeding trough and watering hole.

Let's not be stupid. Let's be smart by accepting discipline. By accepting discipline, we will gain the knowledge we need to live life well. It is how we are to be led to the good life God desires for us.

Justice For All

"If the righteous is repaid on earth, how much more the wicked and the sinner!" (Proverbs 11:31).


Proverbs 11:21 has already assured us that "an evil person will not go unpunished." It is not surprising to know that most people are pleased when murderers, thieves, rapists, and crooked politicians go to jail for their crimes. We are extremely pleased when justice is served and wildly outraged when they go scot-free. Today's passage teaches that no one, not even "the righteous" go scot-free.

God is not only loving towards His children but He is also just. He is not an elderly grey-haired grandfather sitting in His rocking chair declaring "boys will be boys" when those He loves commit sin. Sin is a big deal to God because He knows the damage that is caused by sin. Lives are lost, marriages are torn apart, innocence is violated, and hopes and dreams are snuffed out by sin. Sin ruins everything.

The warning to those who have rebelled against God, thus choosing to live self centered lives that are characterized by evil and sin, is that there will be punishment. They will be held accountable for their ruthless ways. In other words, harm will come to those who harm.

Even those who love God and have placed their faith in His Son, for the forgiveness of their sin, will be held accountable. If people of faith face the corrective hand of a loving Father, how much more will wicked people!

Do not get discouraged if you look around and see that "the wicked and the sinner" seem to be getting away with murder. God has promised to bring justice to those who are deserving. Even though His love extends to everyone on the face of the earth, everyone will be held accountable for their actions. The "righteous"? Yes. The "wicked"? Even more so. God invented justice for all.

Attractive And Captivating

"The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise" (Proverbs 11:30).

This passage is not about an evangelist that is winning souls for God. The idea of capturing souls is about attraction to a wise and fruitful life. The person who lives their life wisely and righteously is the person who brings life to those around them. That's the kind of life that is attractive and captivating. This passage describes the life of the righteous as so attractive that it can be seen as life giving to those around them.

This passage helps us better understand the flourishing "green leaf" of Proverbs 11:28 in contrast to the fool who brings trouble to his family in Proverbs 11:29. One life is all about giving while the other is about taking. One life is a "tree of life" and the other is a tree of death.

Are we living our lives in such a way as to be attracting others to wisdom? Are our lives captivating in the sense that the result (fruit) is life giving to those around us? I pray that becomes our goal in life. I pray that our lives are marked by words such as "righteous," "life," "captivating," and "wise." Only then will we truly be fruitful and flourishing.

Don't Just Inherit The Wind

"Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise" (Proverbs 11:29).

The family is God's idea. He is the one who created generations of families so that He could pour His love into individuals while revealing His heart to a world of broken relationships. Because of this, the family is very important to God. His desire is that we treat our families with love and honor so that there is unity of vision and purpose. Today's passage warns against alienating family members.

On the practical side of things, God knows that "money talks" to us human beings. He knows how important financial security is to each of us. While continuing to warn us not to  put our trust in money, God reveals the practical consequences of troubling one's own family. His warning to us hits us right where it hurts; the pocketbook.

Those who offend the family with dishonorable or hateful conduct run the risk of being disinherited. The warning is about a wayward child inheriting nothing but the wind. Meaning, when the family estate is finally divided up, the offender's name will not be called. This consequence will lead to another; a life of being another man's servant.

Let's consider how we treat our families. Not just because our inheritance is on the line, but because it honors God when we honor the family. His desire is for us to treat our families with love and respect so the the unity of family vision and purpose will continue uninterrupted and no one ends up disinherited.

A Flourishing Life

"Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor, but evil comes to him who searches for it. Whoever trusts in riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf" (Proverbs 11:27-28).


I believe we have all heard it said, "what goes around comes around." It seems that today's passage is teaching this very principle. It means that whatever we do to people, whether good or bad, will eventually come right back at us. This is not karma, it is common sense and it is spiritual truth.

Life is such that if we seek to do good to others, we gain their favor. "Favor" means acceptance, good will, or approval. This principle of reciprocity is repeated often in proverbs. We are told over and over that it is important how we treat people; that we are to treat people well rather than poorly since it affects how they end up treating us. If we diligently seek to do evil to others, we ourselves will end up suffering because what goes around does definitely come around.

This principle also plays out in our lives if we pursue riches rather than God. If we trust in that which is untrustworthy, we will fall flat on our faces. But if we trust in the Lord, as the righteous do, we will experience a flourishing life.

Living a life marked by goodness towards others leads to the good will of others returning to us. Trusting in God rather than riches leads to a flourishing life rather than a life lived face down in the dirt. Because of this, we are called to diligently seek good today. We are also called to trust in God today. Good things await those who answer the call. A flourishing life awaits those who diligently seek good while trusting God.

Rest For A While

"And He said to them, 'Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while'" (Mark 6:31).


I am taking some vacation time this week to rip out a rotting deck and leaking hot tub. Believe it or not, I find this kind of activity both exhausting and refreshing. To be honest with you, I am much better at tearing up a deck than building a deck. I'm thankful I am not having to build one.

Let me self interview for a moment. Do I wish I was using my vacation days to sit on a white sand beach, enjoying the hot sun? Yes! Am I bitter that I am spending those days doing manual labor in the hot sun? No! Will I resume writing A Daily Passage when I return on May 17? Absolutely!

I'll have a chance to get away to a "desolate place" to rest (hopefully on a white sand beach) sometime this summer. I hope you do to!

Now where did I put those little umbrellas for my coconut drink?

To Be Watered

"One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. The people curse him who holds back grain, but a blessing is on the head of him who sells it" (Proverbs 11:24-26).


Today's passage tells us that God wants you and me to be generous. It thrills Him when we give freely because it reflects His own generosity. There is, interestingly enough, a paradox involved in the area of giving. It seems that by being generous in our giving, we end up having plenty. The opposite is true as well. If we live stingy lives in order to have plenty, we end up in need.

I know very little about successful gardening. That means it doesn't take me long to kill the flowers my wife and I plant in our flower beds. I do know that my chances of success go way up when I offer the flowers the right amount of refreshing water. To water the flowers is to give them what they need. If I withhold water, they die.

The Scriptures tell us that the "watering" and blessing we give through our generosity is not just good for others, it is good for us. It is in helping others that we are helped. That is why generosity is a good thing. Everyone's a winner!

In the farming communities in Solomon's day, grain was used in everyday commerce. If someone was hoarding their grain, thus refusing to sell it, everyone suffered. People end up cursing those who hurt them and blessing those who bless them. That's just how life works. So no matter if we are talking about giving or "watering," it is important that we be generous givers and not stingy hoarders. Holding back from God and others is never a good thing.

If you desire to bloom in the space you occupy, give generously to the needs around you. If you desire to have the blessings rather than the curses of others, water the space they occupy. For it is in blessing others we are blessed and it is in giving that we receive.

That's just the way life works.

A Good Ending

"The desire of the righteous ends only in good; the expectation of the wicked is wrath" (Proverbs 11:23).

It seems some people are just down right unhappy with God. No matter what is said and done by Him, they don't like it. The "wicked" are those who have sworn Him off. They don't like Him and they don't intend to like Him. He is a bother to them because He declares what is good and bad and this, to them, is offensive. What then follows, in the life of the "wicked," is anger and wrath directed toward the Lord. The Scriptures seem to be screaming to us that nothing good ever comes from such anger and wrath.

The story is very different when it comes to those who love God. They understand that His desire for an intimate relationship with them is all about a full and significant life that lasts forever. They know from experience that His plan is to bring about great things in their lives. Not always easy and understandable, but good. As they get to know God better and more intimately, they find that they are desiring, more and more, that which the Lord desires. They also discover that those desires lead to good things.

I have sometimes wondered if the natural effect of a rainbow, right after a violent storm, couldn't somehow be a reminder for me that while storms will come and go, there will always be a good ending for those who know and love God. Not a pot of gold, but something even greater; intimacy with the Creator forever and ever.

If you sense a serious disconnect between you and God, please consider the condition of your heart. There is a good chance you have failed to know Him for who He is and thus trust Him in what He does. The only capacity you have right now is to vent your wrath and anger toward Him and His friends.

If, however, you know without a doubt that there is no disconnect between you and God, stay the course. Your desire to know Him better will ultimately end in good things. Also, don't forget that life can be good even though it is difficult and confusing at times. Knowing and trusting God in those particular times will help us direct our anger (wrath) away from God and toward the real source of our pain.

The Ugliness of Indiscretion

"Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman without discretion" (Proverbs 11:22).

No offense to my midwestern pig farmer friends, but pigs have a reputation for being ugly. I personally think some pigs are cute, especially baby pigs. But for the most part, pigs are known for being dirty, fat, smelly, and awkwardly hairy. It is ridiculous to think that putting a gold ring in their nose is going to disguise the ugliness. With this observation, Solomon makes an important point.

The point Solomon makes has to do with the ugliness of indiscretion. A woman can be beautiful on the outside, but without discretion, she is compared to a pig who wears a nose ring. Beauty and indiscretion don't go together any more than a pig and a nose ring.

Women in Solomon's day wore nose rings the way women today wear rings on their ears, fingers, and yes, in their noses. They are meant to enhance their natural beauty. But all attempts to enhance their beauty is lost when they act without discretion.

Discretion is needed in what we say as well as in what we do. In other words, discretion is needed in all aspects of our lives. The best way to enhance outer beauty is to pay close attention to inner beauty. Our inner beauty is revealed whenever we allow a chance to gossip to be met with silence. Discretion is practiced when we have the opportunity to say something tacky but then surprise ourselves, and everyone else, by saying something encouraging.

You and I will reveal our inner beauty only by showing discretion in our words and actions. If we fail to do so, we will end up revealing the ugliness of our indiscretion. Just as a nose ring doesn't belong in a pig's snout, indiscretion doesn't belong in the life of God's people.

Indiscretion in word and deed is always going to be an ugly thing, no matter what kind of jewelry we might wear.

Boomerangs

"A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself. The wicked earns deceptive wages, but one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward. Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live, but he who pursues evil will die. Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the Lord, but those of blameless ways are his delight. Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered" (Proverbs 11:17-21).

These passages bring a necessary focus on the different outcomes of righteous and wicked living. If you read these verses with attention given to the positive outcomes, you will be encouraged. If you read these verses with attention given to the negative outcomes, you will be warned.

Kindness and cruelty are both boomerangs in that they both come back to us. The question is about which boomerang you and I want to throw. It depends, I guess, on which outcome we are willing to live with.

It is interesting to note how often Proverbs warns us that money cannot bring us a deep and meaningful life. Those who live wicked lives think that their money will help them find meaning and significance. "Deceptive wages" means that money makes promises it can't keep. It is only the righteous who experience the real "payday" by not trusting in the lies money tells. The righteous don't throw that boomerang.

Those who throw the boomerang of the wicked end up experiencing hurt, useless money, and eventually death. They end up living a "crooked" life that is not pleasing to the Lord and is ultimately futile. There are several things pointed out in Scripture that are detestable to the Lord. He hates the fact that good things get distorted and thus end up hurting those He loves. He hates distorted truth (lying), distorted living (hypocrisy), distorted self image (pride), and distorted justice (injustice). He does, however, delight in those who live their lives really well. He delights in the righteous who live by faith.

The final contrast in our passage has to do with either being punished or being delivered. There is not one single distortion that will not be confronted by God. As a matter of fact, all sin has been punished by the death of His Son by His crucifixion and resurrection. The righteous are only righteous because their faith is in Him. They are the ones who will be delivered in the end.

So which boomerang will you throw today?