31 Days

“Four things on earth are small,
yet they are extremely wise:
Ants are creatures of little strength,
yet they store up their food in the summer;
hyraxes are creatures of little power,
yet they make their home in the crags;
locusts have no king,
yet they advance together in ranks;
a lizard can be caught with the hand,
yet it is found in kings’ palaces.

Proverbs shares 4 small yet, “extremely wise” animals in chapter 30.  Here are four wise principles to learn from ants, hyraxes, locusts, and lizards.

1. From the ant: prepare in times of plenty for times of little
2. From the hyraxes: although we are weak, we ought to hide under our strong Savior
3. From the locusts: we are stronger in community
4. From the lizard (or spider in some translations): Men may not only not provide for us, but want to destroy us.  But remember the Lord has his hand on us. We ought to persist in our work just as a spider will continue to weave another web if one is destroyed.

God is everywhere if we just look.

Challenge: In what areas could you be preparing?  Are you hiding under our Savior if things are tough?  Who could you join arms with to complete your tasks?  What tasks has God given you that seems thwarted but you just need to get back up and keep going in?

This post is part of The Nester’s 31 Days Series

 

Be generous to the poor—you’ll never go hungry;
shut your eyes to their needs, and run a gauntlet of curses.  Proverbs 28:27

Last Sunday I posted Answer the Cry of the Poor and shared about our church’s Compassion Day.  It may seem redundant to reference a verse about helping the poor again but I love in these verses it says be generous.

We talked this week in our small group about the Good Samaritan and how he didn’t just throw an encouraging word or fistful of money, but went way beyond.  He was generous with his time, money and efforts towards someone he not only wasn’t responsible for, but by cultural standards, should have hated. 

I thought I’d also share the video we contributed to for the special.  It is a rare occasion to get Scott Bennett on camera.  Love his heart.

Compassion Day 2012 – NRHC Sponsors from North Rock Hill Church on Vimeo.

Challenge: If you didn’t take the challenge last week, go sponsor a child.

This post is part of The Nester’s 31 Days Series

The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but people are tested by their praise.

I wasn’t quite sure what to make of Proverbs 27:21. I’m tested by my praise? Like, when I praise God for what he’s done? How am I tested?

After checking out some commentary, I realize that’s not at all what Solomon meant.  Just as gold is tested in the furnace, a man’s wisdom is tested by praise—from other people.  When you get complimented, does your pride puff up? Do you pat yourself on the back?  Do you become conceited? 

Or, when you are praised, do you remain the same other than to be more thankful to God?  

Challenge: Take note of how you act the next time you’re praised and you will see if you are indeed wise!

This post is part of The Nester’s 31 Days Series

Without wood a fire goes out;
without a gossip a quarrel dies down.

I really have struggled with gossip over the years.  Not that I made up lies and spread them or purposely spread untrue things.   But I think at some points in my life I prided myself in knowing something another person didn’t.  It took a few times of breaking confidence and hurting people’s feelings that I learned my job was not filling a person in on the finer points of someone else’s life.

Gossip is not just hateful or untrue talk.  It’s ANY chit-chat over someone else’s personal life.  Sure, there’s a time and place for talking about specific situations but overwhelmingly, it’s just plain old gossip.

Proverbs 18:8 from the Message says it like this: Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy; do you really want junk like that in your belly?

It’s junk.  Just plain old junk.

Proverbs 26 continues teaching against gossip and says a quarrel would just die down if people would just quit gossiping!  Oh boy, does that strike a chord.  Everywhere from junior high to church have I seen that to be true.  Just like a fire can’t burn without wood, a lot of problems between people would just disappear if people would quit talking about the problem.

Challenge: What quarrels or arguments are you in the midst of gossiping about?  Put an end to it.

Post edited from Words

This post is part of The Nester’s 31 Days Series

If you find honey, eat just enough—
too much of it, and you will vomit.

If there ever was a verse I need to memorize, it’s this Proverbs 25:16.  I’ve read it so many times and just now is the truth of it settling in.

I’m well known for my addictions.  Whether it be to a TV show, artist, song or food, I’m either in or out.  When I like something, I LOVE it.  It’s my favorite.  I have to find out every single detail about it.

I’ve learned over the years that Solomon was right…you end up vomiting too much of a good thing.

My addictions become chains that I can’t seem to step away from and then I no longer enjoy it just to enjoy it.

Solomon isn’t suggesting to abstain but to have just enough.

But what I’ve learned is when you’re like me and you can’t have just enough, don’t have it at all.

Challenge: What is your honey?  Are you having just enough or too much?

This post is part of The Nester’s 31 Days Series

Rescue those being led away to death;
hold back those staggering toward slaughter.
If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,”
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who guards your life know it?
Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?

At first glance Proverbs 24:11-12 describes those literally being led away to death.  I thought about those in the sex trafficking rings or those being persecuted in foreign countries.  We need to save them!  We are responsible!

But at second glance, I wonder if these are figurative as well. 

We see people around us that we love and have our trust that are being led away to death in sin.  We can’t stand by.  We can’t say we knew nothing when our heart knows differently.

We’re not here to be each other’s Holy Spirits.  He does well without us.  But sometimes we need to be David’s Nathan (2 Samuel 12) to say wait a minute.  You’re better than that. I love you more than that.  You don’t want that.

Go to those people you are invested in going down the wrong path.  Rescue them.  Hold them back.

This verse is not a license to chastise and judge but an invitation to a conversation.  The wise aren’t responsible for the outcome but they are responsible for the first step.

Challenge: Who do YOU need to have a conversation with?

This post is part of The Nester’s 31 Days Series