Thursday 10 Feb 2011

Thursday Reading: Proverbs 9:7-10

Key Verse: Proverbs 9:7
7  One rebuking a scorner gets shame to himself; and one rebuking a wicked one gets himself a blemish.

Devotion:
What is the first thing that you do when someone puts you down? I'm not just talking about someone telling you to your face how stupid you are or how weak you are but about the times when someone says something simple like ‘but you’re not as beautiful as ...’ What goes through your mind at those times when you know that someone is putting you down even if they are not saying it in so many words? What goes through your mind when someone puts someone else down? Do you allow your feelings to take over, or your anger to well up? Do you not realise that this is like a dam wall with the water building up more and more – soon enough something has got to give...

Maybe you have already been there and you have already blown your top at those other people, maybe you said something publicly when they said something in private? The more that we allow ourselves to get caught up in these type of arguments the more we find that the issue grows bigger each time it is raised. It may even grow to such an extent that you lose control and do something stupid and bring shame to yourself when that is not what you thought would happen. When we try to tell off those that are wicked we will always find that things backfire pretty spectacularly and we are the ones that end up getting egg on our faces and not them.

God does not want us to be the ones trying to tell those people about how they are doing things wrong. God wants us to continue spreading the truth, His Word. He is the one that will do the convicting because He is the one that is without sin to start with. We cannot and should not try and do His job! There is nothing wrong with telling those that wish to listen because they have chosen to listen and learn. They are the ones who have chosen to fear God, to respect Him and to find out more about Him. It all begins somewhere; don’t let it end because of you!

Points to Ponder:
How often do you argue?

Who do you look at as the ultimate authority?