Tag Archives: the book of Proverbs

June 29
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“One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord; and He will repay him for his good deed. (Proverbs 19:17, NASB)

We would never think it necessary to lend money to Warren Buffet or to Bill Gates.  Each is worth billions of dollars and, I presume, have few (if any) creditors.

God has more than Gates and Buffet — combined!  The scripture tells us that when we are gracious to the pauper, we are lending to God, and that God will repay us — one and all — for our good deed.

Imagine what it must feel like to be a creditor of the Almighty.  Imagine what it must feel like to receive His re-payment.  We can experience both every time we are gracious to the lost, the last, and the least among us.  – Luther

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June 26
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“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17, NIV)

In the scriptures, there are verses and passages that are smooth and gentle — but this is not one of them.

In our kitchen are knives that I sharpen before each use; they don’t work well otherwise. The act of sharpening the edge requires metal on metal, and at the end of it, neither the sharpening steel nor the knife are the same. The former fulfills purpose in the process, and sacrifices tiny filings of itself; the latter is made adequate for its tasks as it, too, sacrifices tiny filings of itself in the process.

There are people whose interactions with us are anything but smooth and gentle. Sometimes we avoid such situations. Sometimes we resent having allowed such situations to occur. Occasionally, we see beyond the irritation and the pain inherent in such interactions to a benefit that could not have occurred otherwise.

Know that God is at work in each of your daily interactions with others. Sometimes you are the knife; sometimes you are the sharpening steel. Each fulfills its purpose when placed in the hand of God.  – Luther

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June 18
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“There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.” (Proverbs 16:25, NLT)

“It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

How many times have we heard (or even spoken) those words?

Maybe we didn’t know any better. Or, maybe we knew the risks of the short-cut we had chosen but, having done our own “risk analysis,” we proceeded anyway thinking that no one would notice — or care.

Proverbs tells us that some decisions — even apparent “sure-fire” decisions — lead to death.  Death comes to childhood dreams because of adolescent indiscretions.  Death overtakes the prospects of a bright career because of poor choices during the young worker’s “salad days.” One dies spiritually when he or she trades a season of prosperity for an eternity of poverty.

There, however, is wisdom on this path: Obedience to God’s word leads to life.  – Luther

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