Dec 14 thru 20, 2009

Day One: Proverbs 3:1,2. The biggest accomplishments that I’ve had during my career as both a pastor and businessman have resulted from making an effort to recall things I’ve learned from other people. Conversely, some of the biggest blunders I’ve made have been the result of not taking the time to remember what someone taught me. But more important to living confidently as a child of God than recalling what someone else taught us is making the effort to remember what our loving Heavenly Father teaches us. My son (child), do not forget my teaching…

Day Two: Proverbs 3:3,4. Have you ever trusted someone who betrayed that trust? Have you ever counted on people and had them let you down? Most of us have had that experience, haven’t we? We all know people who seem to be only interested in what’s in it for them. Their loyalty shifts with the wind, and they can’t be counted on to stand firm on any issue. Today’s proverb urges the child of God to make it a practice to be loyal and faithful in order to have a good reputation. Of course, we must be careful not to pledge our loyal to the wrong things or type of people. Let not loyalty and faithfulness forsake you…

Day Three: Proverbs 3:5,6. I read a true story about the head of an earth moving firm whose company was commissioned to design and build huge equipment for the war effort during World War Two. He assembled his best engineers and they worked late into the night for several days without success. The longer these men worked the more frustrated they became because they couldn’t come up with a practical design. Wednesday night, the owner of the company announced that they could keep working if they wanted to, but he was going to church. He said he entered the church and joined in the hymns and prayers and became attuned to spiritual things when suddenly his mind cleared and the design fell into place. After the service he rushed back to his weary engineers and shared his new ideas. After examining them they discovered that these concepts were the solution to the problems they had spent days trying to solve. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight…

Day Four: Proverbs 3:13,14. Wisdom and Understanding are two words that seem to dominate the book of Proverbs. Wisdom refers to skills in managing one’s life, and understanding refers to the ability to combine what we know (knowledge) with those skills in order to successfully handle life’s challenges and celebrations. This proverb tells us that the key to happiness is finding (that is mastering) the skills to manage one’s life and also knowing how to use those skills effectively. For the child of God, wisdom incorporates learning to manage our lives in the way God teaches us, and understanding could be called “sanctified common sense” in knowing how to apply those teachings to the various situations we encounter. Happy is the man (person) who finds wisdom, and the man (person) who gets understanding…

Day Five: Proverbs 3:21-23. I once heard an interview with a police officer who encountered an armed suspect in a crowded room. The suspect fired a shot at him and then fled through the crowd, the officer gave chase but the suspect got away (only to captured by other officers a few minutes later). Someone asked him why he didn’t fire at the fleeing suspect, his reply was that “Even though I am a trained marksman, there was the danger of hitting a bystander.” While we may have the skills to manage our lives there are times that we must use discretion (sound judgment) as to which skills to use. That doesn’t mean that we compromise God’s word or way, it simply means that we determine the best use of our skills in dealing with the situation. At times Jesus was kind and loving with his “enemies” and at other times he was harsh and critical. He combined wisdom with discretion in handling the affairs of his life. Keep sound wisdom and discretion…then you will walk on your way securely and your foot will not stumble.

Day Six: Proverbs 3:25,26. You know Murphy’s Law? It states that “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong at the most inopportune time.” Anyone who has lived any length of time has experience unexpected crisis. Peter Drucker, the management expert teaches us that a problem is something that occurs with enough frequency that we can fix it by applying the same formula as we did the last time, but because a crisis is usually a one time event we can’t use the same formula to fix it. The writer of this proverb recognizes that there will be times in life when things happen that can’t be anticipated and that seem beyond the wisdom and understanding we have. In those times, he tells us that if we have been following God’s ways we can be assured that God will bring us through it. Do not be afraid of sudden panic…for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.

Day Seven: Proverbs 3:27-35. In its essence, life is about relationships and attitudes. We have to live around other people and we need to do our utmost to keep good relationships with them. This involves not only following the golden rule, but also not getting caught up in the petty dramas that people tend to play out with each other. A man once came to his minister and said he couldn’t stand a certain person and asked what to do. The minister’s wise advice was for him to begin a list of good things about the man. Within two months the two men had become best friends and eventually they became business partners. Why? Relationships are built (and destroyed) by the way we think about people (our attitude). When we have the right attitude toward someone, we are less likely to refuse to assist them, get riled up with our neighbors over trivial things or argue over silly matters. Keeping right attitudes toward others makes us wise in our maintaining our relationships. The wise will inherit honor…