2018-04-28
Proverbs 17:27 NIV
It’s not enough to have the right answers; you need the right approach. Good ideas and sound advice are wasted when you use a ram-it-down-your-throat approach. Wisdom means saying the right thing, at the right time, in the right way. “A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered.” Your efforts at helping someone to change will fail, or worse, alienate them, unless you approach them in love and humility. Most people already know what their problem is. Chances are they’ve been grappling with it for a while, and deep down they want to do better. And unless you’re prepared for a “Who-are-you-to-tell-me” response, you’ve got to approach them in the right way. “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones” (Proverbs 16:24 NIV). Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32 NIV). So if people won’t receive the truth in the way you’re sharing it, maybe the problem is partially yours. Former U.S. Senate Chaplain Richard Halverson writes: “You can offer your ideas to people as bullets or as seeds. You can shoot them or sow them. Ideas used as bullets kill inspiration and motivation. Ideas used as seeds take root, grow, and bear fruit in the life in which they are planted. But there’s a risk: Once it becomes part of those in whom it’s planted, you’ll probably get no credit for originating the idea. But if you’re willing to do without the credit…you’ll reap a rich harvest.” So the word for you today is: Take the right approach.
Soul food: Acts 22-23; Mark 5:11-20; Ps 144:9-15; Prov 11:12-13
2018-04-27
Proverbs 24:30 NKJV
It is better to be short-handed than to hire a sluggard; better to have nobody than a lazy body. Evidently Solomon had suffered through a few sluggards on his payroll: “As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the lazy man” (Proverbs 10:26 NKJV). You know how irritating vinegar is when it’s taken straight, or how aggravating smoke is when it gets in your eyes! That’s how irritating a lazy person is to the one who hires him. Whatever he does will take twice as long to finish, and will either have to be done over or thrown out – at twice the cost. His presence on the job is worse than his absence. He wastes his own resources and everybody else’s. A tragic picture is painted in Proverbs 24:30-31: “I went by the field of the lazy man, and by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding; and there it was, all overgrown with thorns; its surface was covered with nettles; its stone wall was broken down.” Now let’s be clear here: We must show compassion toward those who are down and out for legitimate reasons. But they need more than a handout; they need a hand up! They need more than food and clothes; they need purpose, dignity, and self-worth. And that’s what God wants us to give them. Abraham Lincoln wasn’t great because he was born in a log cabin; he was great because he got out of it. Now, the chances are you won’t end up in the White House, but unless you want to end up in the poorhouse, don’t be a sluggard!
Soul food: Acts 20-21; Mark 5:1-10; Ps 144:1-8; Prov 11:10-11
2018-04-26
Proverbs 20:4 NKJV
The sluggard sees an obstacle in every opportunity. Though he can’t hold down a job, there’s always a good excuse. The hours are too long, the pay is too little, the work is too hard, people are too demanding – take your pick. And don’t worry, if you don’t like any of those excuses the sluggard has plenty more. Have you heard the one about the lion? Solomon writes, “The lazy man says, ‘There is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!'” (Proverbs 22:13 NKJV). Thomas Edison, the epitome of a worker and the antithesis of a sluggard, said, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work.” A sluggard is never without an excuse. It’s always too hot or too cold, too wet or too dry to work. “The lazy man will not plow because of winter.” If sluggards harmed only themselves it would be one thing, but they hurt everybody else too. “He who is slothful in his work is a brother to him who is a great destroyer” (Proverbs 18:9 NKJV). Chuck Swindoll says: “That word ‘destroys’ pulsates with liabilities. A lazy employee doesn’t simply hold an organization back; he destroys its motivation and drive. A lazy player doesn’t just weaken the team; he destroys its spirit and diminishes its will to win. A lazy pastor doesn’t merely limit a church, he destroys its enthusiasm, its passion to win souls and meet needs. Before long, everyone must do more to compensate for the sluggard’s negative influence.” So again, the word for you today is: Don’t be a sluggard!
Soul food: Acts 18-19; Mark 4:35-41; Ps 7:10-17; Prov 11:7-9
2018-04-25
Proverbs 6:9 NKJV
The sluggard never does today what he can put off until tomorrow, and he never does tomorrow what he can put off forever. His favorite work day is – tomorrow. That’s why God asks, “How long will you slumber, O sluggard?” When someone is capable of working and jobs are available, you may be talking to a sluggard if you’re continually asking, “How long are you going to take off between jobs?” Or, “When are you going to look for another job?” The story’s told of a college student who was trying to decide whether or not he should study. He grabbed a coin, flipped it, and in mid-air said, “Heads, I’m going to the movies. Tails, I’m going to watch TV. And if it stands on its edge – I’m going to study!” Incidentally, some sluggards are even too lazy to flip the coin! The sluggard is a person who’s always going to “get around to doing the job,” but never “gets around” to “getting around.” Parent, teach your children that when a job is to be started is as important as when it is to be completed. A child’s favorite response to a command is often, “In just a minute.” Don’t start buying it, or you’ll be paying forever. Teach your kids that “now” means now, and “finish” means don’t turn the TV back on until the job’s done. This is an important truth because as one leader said, “When you do what you have to do, when you have to do it, then you get to do what you want to do, when you want to do it.”
Soul food: Acts 16-17; Mark 4:30-34; Ps 7:1-9; Prov 11:3-6
2018-04-24
Proverbs 6:6 NKJV
What exactly is a sluggard? Robert Hicks says, “Feeling we’re entitled to things without being willing to do the necessary labor to obtain them makes us a society of sluggards.” There’s one thing you’ll never convince the sluggard of: that he’s a sluggard. “The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly” (Proverbs 26:16 NKJV). Even if seven wise men tell him he’s lazy, he will not admit it – no matter if he’s outnumbered seven to one. You can tell a sluggard, but you can’t tell him much. “The desire of the lazy man kills him, for his hands refuse to labor” (Proverbs 21:25 NKJV). A sluggard’s two favorite words are “one day.” You can hear him or her saying, “One day I’m going to hit it big.” Or, “One day I’m going to own my own business.” Or, “One day I’m going to…” (You fill in the blank)! He or she always has an excuse as to why they can’t work. That’s the meaning of Solomon’s statement: “The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns, but the way of the upright is a highway” (Proverbs 15:19 NKJV). When the sluggard looks out the front door of life, he doesn’t see a highway of opportunity, he only sees one big briar patch. Benjamin Franklin was right when he said, “I never knew a man who was good at making excuses, who was good at anything else.” Bottom line: The sluggard would rather make an excuse than make a living. So the word for you today is: Don’t be a sluggard!
Soul food: Acts 14-15; Mark 4:21-29; Ps 16; Prov 11:1-2
2018-04-23
2 Peter 3:18 NIV
Every day you live you’ll be presented with opportunities to “grow in grace.” And you must always be open and receptive to them. A grandmother celebrating her fiftieth wedding anniversary shared the secret of her long and happy relationship: “On my wedding day I decided to make a list of ten of my husband’s faults, which for the sake of our marriage I would overlook. I never did get around to listing any. Each time he did something I didn’t like, I’d say to myself, ‘Lucky for him that’s one of the ten!'” Now there’s a very wise lady! Physical intimacy may bring us together, but growing in grace will keep us together. So when someone upsets you, instead of responding with angry words or angry silence, remind yourself that God is giving you another opportunity to “grow in grace.” And if you don’t do too well with some of the opportunities He sends, don’t worry, He will keep sending more until you get it right! Resentment is one of the most expensive luxuries you can indulge in. A deep-seated grudge eats away at your peace of mind like a deadly cancer destroying a vital organ. In fact, there are few things as sad as a person who has harbored a grudge for years. Without forgiveness, life becomes an endless cycle of resentment and retaliation. One of the secrets to a long and fruitful life is to forgive everybody, everything, every night before you go to bed. It’s the key to having personal peace. So start getting serious about the Bible admonition: “Grow in grace.”
Soul food: Acts 12-13; Mark 4:10-20; Ps 103:13-22; Prov 10:30-32
