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Read Proverbs Chapter 26.

“Like a flitting sparrow or a fluttering swallow, an undeserved curse goes nowhere.”  Proverbs 26:2 CSB

I’ve waited 26 days to talk about this verse with you.  It is one of my absolute favorite verses in the Bible. Do you know why?  Because it’s talking about what other people think of you. We all worry about what others think.  It’s innate in all of us. But we can’t control what others think of us. In fact, let them think whatever they want to think, because according to this verse: if it ain’t true, it won’t land.

There is someone you do have to worry about though: God.  

Paul, in his letter to the Galatians puts it this way, “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10).  Here is the hard truth in this verse, if you’re pleasing God, you probably are not pleasing man. The reason is simple, if you’re doing what God wants you to do, you’re not doing what people want you to do.  But don’t worry, because an undeserved curse has nowhere to land.

C.S. Lewis, in his book “The Great Divorce” said, “There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘All right, then, have it your way.’

It’s up to you.  You can choose to focus on what God thinks or you can choose to focus on what people think.  The choice is yours. Whose opinion matters more to you, God’s or people? That is what it really comes down too.  It is hard not to care what people think about you. If you spend more time worrying about that, you’ll miss out on what God thinks.  What others think won’t stick, but what God thinks, that will change your life.

Read Proverbs Chapter 25.

“If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.”  Proverbs 25:21-22 CSB

Here is how I paraphrase this verse:  Kill them with kindness. That is what my mother always taught me.  Her words still ramble around in my head when I’m faced with a difficult situation.  The burning coals he is talking about in this verse, that is guilt. I can attest from my own life, my mother was the queen of making me feel guilty.

On my 21st birthday, I worked.  I didn’t go out and celebrate because a friend of mine had been killed when he celebrated his.  After a night of drinking too much, he crashed his car into a tree. I decided I wanted to live past my 21st birthday, so I worked.  I chose to celebrate a few days later. Funny the notions we get in our heads. I went out, and I drank too much. I was leaving the bar with someone I should not have been leaving the bar with when I heard my name being called from across the parking lot.  It was my mother. She knew what I had been doing; she had waited in the parking lot for me so she could drive me home.

I realize you would not think my mother and I were enemies, and we truly weren’t.  But on this particular night, I was the enemy of her heart. I was in direct contrast to her hopes and dreams for me.  I was being young and stupid as we all have been at one point. It broke her heart what I was doing to myself. She heaped on the burning coals to my head with her love.  She killed me with kindness.

That night, the love she showed me changed my life.  I don’t remember her yelling at me. I don’t remember her berating me.  I remember hearing my name being called across the parking lot. I remember her love for me.  I remember her kindness. I’m not going to say that was the last night I ever did something stupid.  I will say that it made me stop and think about what I was doing with my life. I will say, to this day, it helps me stay grounded in the reality that my actions do affect other people’s lives.  It helped me learn that it really isn’t just about me. I have faltered many times since then, but I have never forgotten the lesson she taught me by showing me love. She showed me love when it was the last thing I deserved.

Kill them with kindness, it is never the wrong thing to do.

Read Proverbs Chapter 24.

“Don’t say, “I’ll do to him what he did to me; I’ll repay the man for what he has done.” Proverbs 224:29 CSB

On October 2, 2006 Charles Roberts walked into West Nickel Mines Amish school  outside of Lancaster, PA and shot 8 of the 10 girls in the classroom. They were between the ages of 6-13.  Over the past 20 years there have been over 200 school shootings in our country. It has, unfortunately become a part of our culture.  The response the Amish society had to this incident sets it apart from all the others.

Within days of the shooting they tore down the school house and rebuilt it on a new location.  They called for quick and immediate forgiveness of the shooter. Amish neighbors visited the widow, parents and parents in-law of Charles within hours of the shooting to offer comfort to them in their grief.  Over 30 members of the Amish community, including parents and grandparents of the victims attended Charles Roberts funeral. They were instructed to not think evil of Charles. They wanted to forgive quickly and offer comfort to all those involved in this tragedy.

It was a very controversial response in the media.  How could they not want justice for what this man had done to their families and their community?  As one Amish member said, “He had a mother and a wife and a soul and now he’s standing before a just God.”  They understood it wasn’t up to them to exact justice, justice is God’s.

To this day, this example of extreme grace impacts my life.  I pray I never face such circumstances. I don’t know if I would have the Godly reaction this community had.  When someone hurts us, we want to hurt back. Rick Warren says, “Hurting people hurt others.” That helps me remember, we are all walking wounded.  It may not show on the outside but that doesn’t mean it’s not there.

Letting God handle our hurts  is difficult. Releasing our offender to Him, letting Him be the judge may seem impossible.  It may take time, you may have to do it over and over again. But it is the way to freedom from the hurt.  Exacting revenge won’t make the hurt go away, it won’t even make you feel better, it will only compound an already difficult situation.

Give it to God.  Try not to take it back.  Let Him heal your heart.

Read Proverbs Chapter 23.

“ Apply yourself to discipline and listen to words of knowledge.” Proverbs 23:12

I recently came across a book on habits.  “Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones” by James Clear.  The inspiration for this book began in the author’s sophomore year of highschool when he was hit in the head with a baseball bat.  It was the last day of school. A classmate was up to bat, he took a full swing, the bat slipped out of his hands and hit him directly between the eyes.  As a result, his brain swelled, he had to have a coma induced to preserve his life. Months of rehab lay ahead of him. Baseball was no longer an option according to the doctors.

But not according to him.

He was determined to play baseball again.  After long months of rehabilitation he went out for varsity the following year and was cut.  He did manage to make the team his senior year, but didn’t have much playing time. He never gave up, no matter how hard the fight.  He was determined to play ball in college. He managed to make the team, but he knew unless things changed drastically he would never play.

That’s when he learned the power of habits.

While everyone else was out partying, he went to bed early and developed good sleep habits. He kept his dorm room clean as a way to get his life in order.  He made exercise a habit, lifting weights several times a week. He developed strong study habits. As a result, by his senior year, not only was he a starting player, he was named ESPN Academic All-American, and had broken 8 different records.

All because of his habits.  He defines habit as a “routine or behavior that is performed regularly.”  I call it discipline. Small changes that over time cause amazing results.  This group has been teaching you discipline. It’s a small habit of checking in with God each day, connecting with other believers, reading His word that will result in God sized changes.  Changes you can’t even imagine at this point in your life.

God notices the discipline you’re developing, it won’t go to waste.  Before you know it, you’ll be the one starting the game, collecting the rewards, breaking the records.

Read Proverbs Chapter 22.

“Rich and poor have this in common; the Lord makes them all.” Proverbs 22:2 CSB

This verse has a very special place in my heart.  Two years ago when I went on my first mission trip to El Salvador, I was a nervous wreck.  I had never been out of the country, other than Canada. Going to a third world country was especially intimidating for me.  I didn’t know how I would react to what I found there. I didn’t know how I would react to the people. Their lives are so different from the privileged life I have led, I didn’t know how I would connect with them.  I began a prayer journal specifically for the trip. Every doubt, every fear, I would write it out in prayer and lift it up to Him.

That is when this verse jumped off the pages at me.  But I couldn’t quite understand what God was telling me.  I can’t help but smile when I think of the person He used to explain it to me.  A wonderful friend God brought into my life a few years ago. A non-believer.

We were at breakfast one morning a few weeks before my trip. I’m intentional about our relationship.  We bond over food and tennis, and of course God. Believer or not, she loves to bring Him up in our conversations.  I was sharing this verse with her, explaining I couldn’t understand what God was trying to tell me. I’ll never forget her response.  She said, “It’s simple, you both have your faith in God in common. Doesn’t matter how much money you have.” God really can use anyone He wants to get His point across.

She was right.  We did have our faith in God in common, it doesn’t matter how much money either of us have.  In fact, their faith was and is one of the most life changing experiences I have ever had. In the midst of poverty like I have never seen before they had the peace that surpasses all understanding (Phil 4:7 NIV).  I will never forget the home visit we did. They had a small room attached to their house, a house that had no doors, no air conditioning. A house that had no bathroom, no running water, just a cistern that sat beside it.  But that small room was their church. We ate lunch there that day, and they sang worship songs to us. Their faces were beaming, they welcomed us into their home as if it was a palace. They shared with us all they had. The most precious gift they shared, their faith.  

My friend was right, we did have God in common.  The rich and poor do have that in common, a bond that surpasses all worldly wealth. They taught me more than I could ever teach them.  Their riches weren’t materialistic, their riches were in their faith.

Read Proverbs Chapter 21.

.  “A wicked person puts on a bold face, but the upright one considers his way.” Proverbs 21: 29

The original Hebrew for considers in this verse means “to make firm, to establish, to prepare.”  I can’t help but think of the movie Field of Dreams. The infamous line from this particular movie  is: “If you build it, they will come.” It was referring to a baseball field that would eventually be filled with the greatest players to have ever played the game.

Wouldn’t you like to be one of the greatest players to ever play the game?

You can be, simply by considering your ways.

‘In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16 NIV) People are drawn to the light.  In a world of darkness, the light within you is powerful. If you let it shine, people will be drawn to you. They won’t even know why.

The term for bugs that are drawn to the light is photoaxis.  It is theorized that the reason bugs do this, such as moths, is because it messes with their internal navigation system.  Your light can have the same effect on others. It can mess with their internal navigation system.

God’s ways mess with our internal navigation system.

Forgiving instead of exacting revenging.  Telling the truth instead of lying. Helping instead of hurting.  All of these are rays of light we cast into the world when we consider our ways.  When we choose to follow God’s directions instead of our own, we let our light shine brightly.  When we do, we become a source for photoaxis to take place. We draw people to us instead of repel them away.  Like a moth to a flame, they will come. Instead of finding death, they will find life.

Let your light shine!  Become one of the greatest players to ever play the game

Read Proverbs Chapter 20.

“The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord made them both.” Proverbs 20:12 CSB

Shama is the Hebrew word for hearing in this verse; its meaning is “to hear intelligently”.  Seeing, in its original form means, “to see that one can learn to know.” This is my favorite prayer, for anyone, including myself.  Learning the original meanings of these words makes it ever more so.

We can’t change other people.  It is one of the hardest truth’s to learn and accept.  It can be so clear to the observer the destructive path others are choosing to walk.  Nothing is more heartbreaking than not being able to do anything about their choices. But you can do this.  You can pray for them to have ears to hear and eyes to see. You can pray that they hear intelligently the truth that is being presented to them.  You can pray that they will see so that they can learn to know. I think it is one of the most effective prayers you can pray for someone headed in the wrong direction.

Paul tells us in his letter to the Corinthians 13:12 NIV: “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”  None of us can see the whole picture. We only see in part. Praying for people to have ears to hear and eyes to see is asking God to give them a little more insight.  It is asking Him to let them see the truth.

Ears to hear and eyes to see can right the ship.

A recent study revealed the Titanic could have been saved.  The officer on duty was warned of the iceberg in its path.   William Murdock waited 30 seconds before he changed the course of the ship.  If he had acted immediately 1496 lives may have been saved. One could argue that was his reaction time, and it was quick, no doubt.  But what if he had had ears to hear and eyes to see long before the warning he did receive. What if he had been able to see in whole, not just in part?  What difference would it have made in the story of this disaster? What if someone had been praying for him to have ears to hear and eyes to see?

Don’t give up.  Pray: Ears to hear, Eyes to see.  Watch how God steers the ship.

Read Proverbs Chapter 19.

“A person with intense anger bears the penalty; if you rescue him, you’ll have to do it again.” Proverbs 19:19

Anger, in its original form means “poison or rage”.  That is exactly what anger is, it’s poison. I know because it is something I have struggled with my entire life.  It is something I still struggle with today. Paul talks about the the “thorn in his flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7 NIV).  He prayed three times to have it removed. God responded, “My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV). Anger is my thorn in the flesh.

Anger, at its deepest root is a form of pride.  It’s because you aren’t getting what you think you deserve.  When I was a child, my Dad was in and out of the hospital my entire life.  Seeing the ambulance at our house was not an uncommon occurrence. He had frozen both of his feet the winter after I was born.  He was a coal miner. He had been working out in the cold. As a result, he had gangrene set in, which resulted in the immediate loss of his toes, and eventually his entire leg.  That started my anger issues.

When he died at 16, it only spurred on my anger.  I was angry because I didn’t have a regular dad. I was angry because all of my friends did. I felt like I deserved more than I what I had received.  I felt God had slighted me. Now, as an adult, I realize how blessed I was to even have a father. One who loved and adored me.

But as an angry child I couldn’t see that.  I did bear the penalty. I let my anger stop me from enjoying life.  My jealousy towards others caused me to miss all of the blessings that were in front of me.  God has rescued me from my anger, and He does have to do it over and over again. His grace is sufficient for me, His power made perfect in my weakness.

Don’t let anger steal the joy from your life.  In the heat of the moment, walk away. Take time to cool down, seek God and let His grace be sufficient for you. It’s taken me a lifetime to learn this lesson This world is only temporary.  Whatever you’re angry at, it too shall pass. Just give it time. But be assured, God will rescue again and again from it. His power will be made perfect in your weakness.

Read Proverbs Chapter 18.

“Before his downfall a person’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.”  Proverbs 18:12 CSB

Pride is a very destructive thing.  It is hard to identify in ourselves, easily identified in others.  I have found the closer I grow to God, the more I have to battle my pride.  Pride is sin, one that is destructive. One that we all struggle with in our lives.

“Little Mo” is a hero of mine.  Her name was Maureen Catherine Connolly Brinker.  She died just three months before I was born. She was the first female tennis player to win all four major tournaments in 1953, all before the age of 19. I read her biography when I was a child. She motivated me to teach myself tennis, a sport I still enjoy to this day. Her motto on the tennis court was, “You’re only as good as your next shot.”

That is what I remembered from reading Little Mo’s biography.  That one phrase has shaped my tennis game. I think of it every time I hit a good shot, it helps keep me humble on the tennis court.  What I learned when I researched her for this devotional is that a year after winning the big four she fell off a horse, injuring herself.  It ended her tennis career before it ever got started. She never played again. If she was prideful of her accomplishments, it didn’t last long.

Little Mo understood the downfall of a prideful heart.  She understood it on the tennis court, and she understood it on a deeper level when she could no longer play.  All that we have is from God. James tells us “every good and perfect gift is from above” (1:17 NIV). When we start to think it is us doing the work we are playing with pride.  We also know God gives and God takes away (Job 1:21). Just because we have something today doesn’t mean we will have it tomorrow. Pride can deceive us into thinking otherwise.

When you study the life of Jesus there is one thing you will find missing, pride.  Jesus did not let pride into his life. He stayed humble, He stayed hungry because He stayed focused on God and His mission.  When God humbles you, and He will, be thankful. I know it isn’t fun to be humbled, but it is better than being prideful, always.

Read Proverbs Chapter 17.

“Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but whoever gossips about it separates friends.” Proverbs 17:9 CSB

I recently watched the movie “Green Book”, a powerful movie about friendship.  It’s about a gifted piano player and his chauffeur as they navigate the complicated waters of the early 1960’s.  Highly recommend it.

There is one point in the movie where the  piano player finds himself in a compromising situation with the police.  His chauffeur is called to rescue him. When the chauffeur arrives at the scene, he immediately sums up what has happened as he looks at his boss’s naked body, handcuffed to a shower head, beaten and bloody.  He doesn’t blink an eye at what he sees.

The first thing he does is ask to cover up his boss’s nakedness.  Then he proceeds to talk to the police, getting his friend out of this situation.  As they are walking to the car afterwards, he never says one word about what he saw.  He never passes judgement. He simply says, “I told you not to go anywhere without me.”  His boss replies this is one time he thought he wouldn’t want to come. I love what the chauffeur says back to him.  He simply replies, since he’s been a bouncer at a bar, he realizes life is complicated.

It’s a beautiful picture of this verse.  These two men become life long friends after their two month journey together.  They died within months of each other in 2013. The chauffeur’s act of love in concealing the offense promoted their friendship.  It could of easily gone the other way and separated it forever.

Concealing an offense is challenging.  When we are wronged or when we know someone’s deepest secrets, the hardest thing to do is not talk about it.  We want to scream it from the rooftops, letting everyone know. We want justice for what has been done to us. We want to tell the juicy gossip we have learned  None of that will promote love, none of it will strengthen friendships. It will only tear them apart.