August 31 ~ Proverbs 28
19 Work your garden—you'll end up with plenty of food; play and party—you'll end up with an empty plate.
20 Committed and persistent work pays off; get-rich-quick schemes are ripoffs.
21 Playing favorites is always a bad thing; you can do great harm in seemingly harmless ways.
22 A miser in a hurry to get rich doesn't know that he'll end up broke.
23 In the end, serious reprimand is appreciated far more than bootlicking flattery.
24 Anyone who robs father and mother and says, "So, what's wrong with that?" is worse than a pirate.
25 A grasping person stirs up trouble, but trust in God brings a sense of well-being.
27 Be generous to the poor—you'll never go hungry; shut your eyes to their needs, and run a gauntlet of curses.
28 When corruption takes over, good people go underground, but when the crooks are thrown out, it's safe to come out. (Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
You’ve heard the saying, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” The Bible is saying that in this passage. It is also telling us that “get-rich-quick” schemes are not to be pursued. It is telling us that life is not about how much money you have or the car you drive or how big your house is. The key to a life that pleases God is hard work, giving back to others, and living a life of faith in Him. The key is avoiding laziness, deceit and lies and stealing and wickedness and respecting others. Clearly the Bible tells us that those who are faithful will be rewarded with blessings and abundance, while those who are not will suffer and be cursed.
We have such a clearly defined road map for life in the Proverbs. Don’t get lost and end up on the wrong path. Pay attention to these lessons. Follow the guidelines of these verses and make God’s rewards a part of your final destination.
©2007 Debbie Robus
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August 30 ~ Proverbs 28
7 Practice God's law — get a reputation for wisdom; hang out with a loose crowd —embarrass your family.
8 Get as rich as you want through cheating and extortion, But eventually some friend of the poor is going to give it all back to them.
9 God has no use for the prayers of the people who won't listen to him.
10 Lead good people down a wrong path and you'll come to a bad end; do good and you'll be rewarded for it.
11 The rich think they know it all, but the poor can see right through them.
12 When good people are promoted, everything is great, but when the bad are in charge, watch out!
13 You can't whitewash your sins and get by with it; you find mercy by admitting and leaving them.
14 A tenderhearted person lives a blessed life; a hardhearted person lives a hard life.
15 Lions roar and bears charge — and the wicked lord it over the poor.
16 Among leaders who lack insight, abuse abounds, but for one who hates corruption, the future is bright.
17 A murderer haunted by guilt is doomed — there's no helping him.
18 Walk straight — live well and be saved; a devious life is a doomed life.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Verse 18 pretty well says it all, doesn’t it?! Walk straight (follow God and serve Him) and be assured a place in Heaven. Lie, cheat, steal, sneak around, sin and have no regret for it (ignore God), and you may find your eternity is a little hotter and full of agony and misery. I told you a few days ago about the death of a young woman in our community, Debbie Bly, and how she blessed so many in her brief life. At her committal service of her husband spoke and told the mourners that God had blessed his family even in this tragic event. He said he could not imagine going through something like this without God. He cautioned those who were trying to make it without God that, should tragedy come to their lives, “you will suffer greatly if you don’t have a relationship with Him.”
This is not just idle talk… this came from someone who knows firsthand what it is to serve God and to be comforted by Him in a time of great need. You can’t get a more real or powerful testimony than THAT! So what are you waiting for? Is your faith all it should be? Is your walk with God as honest and real and strong as it needs to be? Do you know Him well enough to know that He will comfort you and bless you, even in suffering, should it come? Now is the time to seek understanding and a deeper knowledge of God and faith in His power. Now is the time to get right with God and begin “walking straight.”
©2007 Debbie Robus
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August 29 ~ Proverbs 28
1 The wicked are edgy with guilt, ready to run off even when no one's after them; Honest people are relaxed and confident, bold as lions.
2 When the country is in chaos, everybody has a plan to fix it — But it takes a leader of real understanding to straighten things out.
3 The wicked who oppress the poor are like a hailstorm that beats down the harvest.
4 If you desert God's law, you're free to embrace depravity; if you love God's law, you fight for it tooth and nail.
5 Justice makes no sense to the evilminded; those who seek God know it inside and out.
6 It's better to be poor and direct than rich and crooked.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Have you ever known someone who was doing something he/she shouldn’t do. Maybe it wasn’t illegal. Maybe it was immoral, deceitful, or just in poor taste. Think about how the person acted. Were they edgy, nervous, uncomfortable? Did they seem to be on the verge of “jumping out of their skin?” Maybe you even commented, to them that they seemed really nervous or jumpy – maybe even guilty?
The Bible tells us that people who are doing what they are supposed to be doing… those with a clear conscience are relaxed, comfortable and confident. Even those who are seemingly poor in material things are rich in spirit, knowing they have nothing to hide, nothing to feel ashamed about, and nothing to fear.
Where do you fit into this equation? Do you have that peace and self-assurance? Or are you jumpy and nervous because you know you are not behaving in a manner that pleases God? Remember, it is better to be poor and “upright” than to be rich and perverse. You cannot put a price tag on the blessings of God, but He DOES reward those who follow Him. So isn’t this a “no-brainer?” Choose God and choose peace and joy.
©2007 Debbie Robus
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August 28 ~ Proverbs 27
20 Hell has a voracious appetite, and lust just never quits.
21 The purity of silver and gold is tested by putting them in the fire; The purity of human hearts is tested by giving them a little fame.
22 Pound on a fool all you like— you can't pound out foolishness.
23-27 Know your sheep by name; carefully attend to your flocks; (Don't take them for granted; possessions don't last forever, you know.) And then, when the crops are in and the harvest is stored in the barns, You can knit sweaters from lambs' wool, and sell your goats for a profit; There will be plenty of milk and meat to last your family through the winter.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
I was watching a news show on ABC, and there was a segment about a man from Puerto Rico who claims to be Jesus Christ. He has spread this message throughout South America and has a huge following in Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Miami, and now Houston, Texas. People give him millions of dollars, have 666 tattooed on their bodies for him and worship him in “services” he conducts. He maintains that because Jesus died on the cross, there is no more sin, and that angels appeared to him and told him HE is the modern day Christ. The more he spoke, the more disheartened I became. I was especially sad when the reporter showed children streaming in and saluting this man and telling the reporter how he was Christ… he was Jesus.
Let me tell you something… this man is NOT Jesus! As I watched this news report, I prayed that God would convict those who are following this man of the danger of this path and of his phoniness. I prayed that God would smack him down and show him that he is just a man… and a man who is destined for a hell he doesn’t believe exists.
This passage tells us that you can tell a lot about a man by how he reacts to fame. This man’s “fame” is ill gotten, but the way he is reacting is even worse. This passage also tells us to “Know your sheep by name; carefully attend to your flocks.” I can’t personally speak to the followers of this man and try to change their minds and hearts, but I CAN pray for them and pray that God will change their hearts. I can pray for these innocent children who are being brainwashed to believe this man and his insane claims. He even refers to the children as “super raza,” or super race - pure of the stain of false religion. What does that tell you?
This passage is clear. Fools will be shown for who and what they are. God will not be mocked. We are to watch out for each other and “guard the herd” against such heretics as this man and his followers and guard ourselves against being drawn in by such nonsense as this man proclaims. Are you wise and alert? Are you up to the challenge? Are you a good shepherd of God’s gifts and the people in your “flock?”
©2007 Debbie Robus
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August 27 ~ Proverbs 27
17 You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another.
18 If you care for your orchard, you'll enjoy its fruit; if you honor your boss, you'll be honored.
19 Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.
Our community suffered a great sadness when Debbie Bly, one of our elementary school secretaries, suddenly became ill with what was discovered to be a fast-growing brain tumor. She was diagnosed one day and died the next. At the age of 47, Debbie was also the mother of two teenage sons… Zach is 18; Ethan is 12.
Debbie’s funeral was one of the largest this town has ever seen, and the crowd spilled out of the First Baptist Church sanctuary and into two vestibule and beyond to other rooms adjoining the sanctuary. After the service, much of the crowd joined a procession of cars that snaked down Main Street to the cemetery on the outskirts of town. There the pastor read Psalm 23 and committed Debbie’s body to the ground… and her soul to God.
After the pastor had finished, Debbie’s husband, Tom, stepped out from the canopy where the family was seated and thanked everyone for coming. And then he charged the crowd with two things: 1) if you don’t have a relationship with God, you needed to develop one, and 2) love others… tell someone every day that you love them. Tom was followed by Zach, who told how much his friends had meant to him… and to Debbie. He cited several in the crowd individually whom his mother especially loved, and he mentioned things she had said to him about his friends… things they should hear. As I looked at that group of friends, I saw many teenagers I knew. Some had even been in my Sunday School classes. And I knew how many of those teens had struggled with a difficult home life and/or challenges in their school work and personal relationships. And I thought, “How wonderful to see that they were spending time in the presence of such a Christian family and a Godly mother like Debbie!” This was “steel sharpening steel” in action! How awesome to know that some of these wonderful young people – and they ARE wonderful – were the result of Debbie’s influence, at least to some degree! And I know they will continue to “sharpen” Zach and Ethan in the coming weeks, months, and years.
As Debbie’s husband Tom and the pastor both mentioned, we do not know how long we will have on this earth. Debbie’s sudden death is testament to how quickly our lives can change… or end. So I ask you… are you like the Bly family – steel sharpening steel in your relationships with your family and friends? Are you sharing your heart and your faith with others and witnessing to others? If you are not able to answer these questions with a resounding “YES!” I challenge you to get busy! Develop your relationship with God and strengthen your faith in Him, and love others. And tell at least one person “I love you” every day!
©2007 Debbie Robus
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August 26 ~ Proverbs 27
12 A prudent person sees trouble coming and ducks; a simpleton walks in blindly and is clobbered.
13 Hold tight to collateral on any loan to a stranger; be wary of accepting what a transient has pawned.
14 If you wake your friend in the early morning by shouting "Rise and shine!" It will sound to him more like a curse than a blessing.
15-16 A nagging spouse is like the drip, drip, drip of a leaky faucet; You can't turn it off, and you can't get away from it.(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Are you a “morning person?” If you are not, people who are cheerful and upbeat early in the day are probably like fingernails on a chalkboard to you. My parents used to wake my sister and me by flipping on the overhead lights in our bedroom and saying in a sing-song voice, “Rise and shine!” We were neither amused nor impressed!
I am probably more of a morning person than my husband, so by the time I have had a cup of coffee and sit down to breakfast, I’m ready to discuss articles in the morning newspaper, talk about upcoming events on our calendar, and more. He, on the other hand, would prefer to read the Sports section in peace and take a little more time greeting the morning and waking up. It took me YEARS to figure out that this was not a reflection on me – that it wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk to me or was upset about something - but rather a difference in our “morning personalities.” Once I realized he needed more morning space, I learned to go ahead with my routine and let him have his early morning space, and we both left for work a little happier.
The scripture is telling us to pay attention to our personality traits and those of others… and to give others the space they need. It may be that your cheerful, talkative morning routine is annoying and irritating to your friends and family, or theirs to you. That doesn’t make you wrong or a bad person. But it is quite another thing if you KNOWINGLY irritate or annoy others with your behavior or routine.
So look around you. Be aware of others and what their “style” is, and try to be a good friend and companion to them. It’s one thing to be friendly and cheerful, even to someone who hates early mornings. But they will be much more friendly and cheerful in return if you scale it back a notch and respect their space. And in doing so, you will be blessed.
©2007 Debbie Robus
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August 25 ~ Proverbs 27
8 People who won't settle down, wandering hither and yon, are like restless birds, flitting to and fro.
9 Just as lotions and fragrance give sensual delight, a sweet friendship refreshes the soul.
10 Don't leave your friends or your parents' friends and run home to your family when things get rough; Better a nearby friend than a distant family.
11 Become wise, dear child, and make me happy; then nothing the world throws my way will upset me.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.
I really had to do some digging to figure out what King Solomon was saying in this passage. Several years ago, I worked very hard to help plan and organize a class reunion. We had been out of high school 20 years, and since a few of my classmates and I still lived in our home town, it fell to us to do most of the planning. We worked pretty hard getting ready for the event. We met with a caterer. We rented a building and arranged for a DJ. We gathered decorations and worked on contacting classmates and gathering information for a memory book. And we got excited about the party and seeing all of our old friends.
The event was nice, but the sad fact was that, after 20 years, we had all pretty well moved on in our lives. It’s not that we weren’t glad to see our high school friends, and we did enjoy catching up and seeing pictures of children and grandchildren. It WAS fun to see who still had their hair, who had changed the most, and who still looked the same. But after a few hours, the “magic” was pretty much gone, and we were all fairly eager to get back to our own lives and routines.
I remember the next day my husband and I got on our boat to go meet our present-day friends, and we were so ready to see them again… ready to be with people who knew us NOW… people who genuinely cared about us and weren’t just shaking hands and smiling and pretending as if they wanted to know how we were doing.
And so it is in this passage. The Bible is telling us that we need to stop chasing the past. You may be closer to some of your friends with whom you spend a good portion of your time than you are your own brother or sister. And that is okay. It’s not about blood relation… it’s about the heart. And it is not about living in the sins of your past, but rather spending time in the presence of Christ and “making His heart glad.” So go to your class reunions and have fun. Remember the times you shared in high school and learn what has happened to your classmates since then. But don’t try to interject yourself back into their lives or “pick up where you left off,” so to speak. Be thankful for your old friends and the time you shared with them and thank God for the friends and events of your life, both in the past, present AND future.
©2007 Debbie Robus
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August 24 ~ Proverbs 27
1 Don't brashly announce what you're going to do tomorrow; you don't know the first thing about tomorrow.
2 Don't call attention to yourself; let others do that for you.
3 Carrying a log across your shoulders while you're hefting a boulder with your arms is nothing compared to the burden of putting up with a fool.
4 We're blasted by anger and swamped by rage, but who can survive jealousy?
5 A spoken reprimand is better than approval that's never expressed.
6 The wounds from a lover are worth it; kisses from an enemy do you in.
7 When you've stuffed yourself, you refuse dessert; when you're starved, you could eat a horse.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Years ago, my mother and I were sitting at her table after dinner, visiting. Suddenly, her head fell back, she knocked over her iced tea glass, and she began to talk in jibberish, looking wildly at me as if she didn’t recognize me. I called for my brother to come to the kitchen, and he helped me gather my mom into the car and get her to the ER. We thought she was having a stroke. Thankfully, she was only dehydrated and low on potassium. But it was very, very scary. One minute, everything is “normal,” and the next minute, your world is totally upside down. We truly do not know what a day may bring forth.
Armed with this information, why would we waste a second on wrath or anger. Why would we spend any time on cruel and outrageous behavior? And yet we all waste an incredible amount of time and energy being, at the very least, frustrated and irritated with someone or something. The Proverbs say that a full soul doesn’t want another bite of anything, but a hungry soul would “eat a horse and chase the rider,” as my dad used to say. How do you fill your soul? You fill it with God’s peace, with prayer, the reading of God’s word, and fellowship with other Christians.
Don’t wait for your own wake-up call – that day when something happens in a split second to shake you to your core. Start now. Release anger and wrath and even minor irritations, and bask in the grace and peace of God and His blessings. Lighten your load, drop your burdens, and fill your spirit with His joy.
©2007 Debbie Robus
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August 23 ~ Proverbs 26
23 Burning lips and a wicked heart are like a potsherd covered with silver dross.
24 He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him;
25 When he speaketh fair, believe him not: for there are seven abominations in his heart.
26 Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be shewed before the whole congregation.
27 Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.
28 A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin.
(Scripture taken from the King James Version, 1987 printing. The KJV is public domain in the United States. To read this passage from The Message, go to www.biblegateway.com and do a passage lookup.)
You know, the thing that came to mind right away for me on this one was politicians. So many times they shake your hand and act concerned and committed to your needs and issues, and the minute they turn and walk away, they are saying something totally different. I am reminded of politicians who stood at the podium during rallies and looked out at the crowd… hands extended in a friendly wave and big grins on their faces. Not knowing their microphone was on, they uttered something ugly or derogatory to an aide or fellow politician and the crowd overheard. It’s happened more than once, sadly.
We are often like those politicians. We encounter people whom, for whatever reason, we do not enjoy, and we “make nice” to their faces, all the while wishing they would just vaporize and leave us alone! And sometimes, we say or do unkind things before they are safely out of reach or earshot, and they know our true feelings. If you have ever felt like the person to whom you were talking was just giving you “lip service” and being phony, you know how much that hurts.
This passage makes it clear that those who deceive and lie and flatter others for their own gain will be dealt with at some point. They are digging a pit and will someday fall in, so to speak. Don’t let this happen to you. Be real with others. Be polite to those who are not your favorites, but don’t lie or try to flatter them or “fake them out.” And when you are flattered by those whose reputation is questionable, do not be fooled. Their words and actions may feel good for a little while, but remember to consider the source. And finally, guard your words and actions. Don’t ever get set yourself up to be caught saying or doing something unkind... even to an “enemy.”
©2007 Debbie Robus
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August 22 ~ Proverbs 26
17 He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.
18 As a mad man who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death,
19 So is the man that deceiveth his neighbour, and saith, Am not I in sport?
20 Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.
21 As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife.
22 The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.
(Scripture taken from the King James Version, 1987 printing. The KJV is public domain in the United States. To read this passage from The Message, go to www.biblegateway.com and do a passage lookup.)
Have you ever seen two small children fighting over a toy, and one hits the other, and when you get onto them about it, the perpetrator says, “But I didn’t mean it!” Or maybe you have been the “butt” of an unkind “joke” and the so-called comic says, “Oh, I was only kidding.” The Bible says that this is like walking away from a campfire and carelessly leaving smoking embers. The damage – or potential damage – is done. You can’t undo a forest fire, and quite often, you cannot undo the damage done by gossip, unkind jokes, meddling, rash actions, and more.
So what are we to do? The Proverbs are clear… watch what you say and do. Be thoughtful and carefully consider your comments. What you think is funny may actually be hurtful to someone else. And that “harmless information” you share with others has the potential to wound deeply. Surely nobody would knowingly “taketh a dog by the ears” and risk being bitten, so why would you do this with your words and actions?!
©2007 Debbie Robus
1 comment:
Hey - I am really happy to find this. Good job!
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