June 14 through June 20, 2009

Sunday, Proverbs 23:4; A few years ago I became acquainted with a man whom most would consider to be wealthy. Over time he shared with me how he had made money, then lost it; then made more money and again saw it go away. “During those years” he confided “I was always focused on making more and more; my family suffered, my health suffered and I finally realized that my business was also suffering because of my priorities.” Then he told me what turned his life around and laid the foundation for his wealth. “One day I was reading my Bible and came across a verse that changed my thinking. At first it bothered me, but then I did some research and talked to my pastor and discovered that the verse didn’t condemn working to build financial security but that it cautioned against becoming so focused on it that you become obsessed with simply getting more and more; you have to be able to walk away from it long enough to recharge and enjoy relationships. Once I learned this, and it took several months for it to really soak in, I found new peace, a clearer mind and most of all that I again was enjoying life, as well as my business.” The verse is our text for the day, Do not toil to acquire wealth; be wise enough to desist

Monday, Proverbs 24:29; Let me tell you about a man whom we’ll call Frank. Frank had been a mid-level manager—outgoing personality, full of zest and optimism. Frank was up for a promotion which everyone agreed, he deserved. Much to his consternation senior management selected a less qualified individual. Of course, he was disappointed but took it in stride—until he learned that the individual who had been promoted had, with the help of another manager, who disliked Frank taken credit for much of the work that Frank had done. In addition, this other manager implied in his reference letter that Frank had been the one who had stolen the credit from the other candidate for the position. Being fully human, Frank became angry and began plotting his revenge. Regardless of what he was doing his plans were never far from the surface of his mind. He became resentful and surly, he couldn’t concentrate on his work and his health began to decline. His wife became concerned and asked their minister to call on Frank. During their conversation, Frank confessed that he was focused on revenge. Over several weeks, the minister was able to help Frank let go of his resentment and desire for revenge. Within a few months he was his old self again, and by the end of the year the truth came out and he received a promotion. Frank’s story illustrates how important it is for us to follow the teachings of this passage. Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for what he has done”

Tuesday, Proverbs 23:18; Many times life can take some unexpected turns that leave us confused, frustrated and ready to either give up on God’s dream for our lives or yield to the temptation to take shortcuts. When we experience these feelings it is usually because we feel that we have lost all hope of achieving our goal, realizing our expectations or finding a way out of our difficulty. This verse, rooted deeply in the Judeo-Christian belief that God has a purpose and a plan for everyone willing to accept the responsibility of seeking it assures us, that regardless of how bleak things may seem, our hope has not been misplaced because God has a way of bringing a new dawn for us. Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off

Wednesday, Proverbs 23:23; We have all faced the dilemma of deciding how to spend our discretionary income. In my case it usually involves deciding between two books. Depending on the mood I’m in I might buy a novel or I might purchase a business or theology book. Of course, there are times when I need to decide between investing in a book or buying groceries. The point is, I have to make a value judgment on where my money will benefit me the most at that point in my life. In doing so I indicate that I am willing to sacrifice one for the other. If I decide to take a course at a university, I saying I will invest the time that could have been spent on other things gaining academic knowledge. Our verse for today reminds us that we have to make this same choice with our time and energy. The text urges us to invest our time in order to acquire truth, wisdom, instruction and understanding. There is nothing wrong with investing time to be with family, to enjoy leisure pursuits, etc., but we need to be certain that we are also investing time for spiritual and personal development. Buy the truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction and understanding

Thursday, Proverbs 22:29; For more than twenty years, my wife has been involved with helping people move toward achieving their career goals. One of the most critical things in getting, holding or advancing in a job is the skill level of the individual. Skills are something that we acquire through training, practice and continual commitment to upgrading and refining them. Just as no one can expect to become a brain surgeon by simply reading a book, we need to realize that as Christians we have to apply ourselves to honing our vocational skills to fully realize the potential that God has given us. That is not to say that God will not help us, rather that we must do our part in order to receive the full benefit from the gifts and talents that we’ve been given. Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand (work) before kings; he not stand before obscure men

Friday, Proverbs 24:27; Have you ever tried to assemble a toy for your children or grandchildren? You get a box full of parts, a plastic bag full of screws and other do-hickeys and “simple” instructions for assembling the gizmo. Of course, the instructions run something like this “Insert part A into part C, secure with hex screw 2 and place safety cap Z over screw heads.” Every time I get involved in such a project I’m reminded that God has given us a box of life parts and a bag of screws. And to fully enjoy life we have to follow the instructions carefully because if we don’t we are liable to get the parts assembled wrong. One of the key things in assembling the “package of life” that we’ve been given is learning to get our priorities right. This involves not only reading the “instructions” but learning how to distinguish what is important at the moment and what is less important. Prepare your work outside, get everything ready for you in the field; and after that build your house

Saturday, Proverbs 25:21,22; On Monday, I told you about a man we called Frank and the negative effects on his health and work caused by his desire to strike back against people who had wronged him. Our passage for today could be considered a companion text because it states in the positive the actions we should take toward those who have wronged us. It goes without saying that it takes a real man or woman to live up to these words. Why not take some time this weekend to make a list of people whom you feel have wronged you and then try to figure out how you can begin to follow the teaching of this text in the coming week. Not only will you be a better person and feel better about yourself, “the Lord will reward you.” If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the Lord will reward you.