Thursday Reading: Proverbs 17 14
 
Key Verse: Proverbs 17 14
14  The beginning of strife is like letting out water; therefore leave off fighting, before it breaks out.

Devotion:
When I was just a sprat I used to go out into the rain to make dam walls from the water that used to run down driveways and ditches. My friends and I would meet up at the corner of the road (no need to call, we just knew) and we would build dams as big as we could to catch as much water as possible before the rain would stop. The problem was that we would always be fighting a losing battle against the water. Just when we had enough to stop the water a little trickle would appear within the mud wall (only 6 inches high) and within a few seconds that would widen into a torrent unless we were in time to plug it up. Just that first trickle would eat away at the mud until it was a stream, then that would break away more mud and away the water would flow.

Our lives are compared to that here in this proverb; just a small word in anger or a small action done in jest can quite quickly break away at everything until there is a mess left behind. Just one small action which we do not think much of can be a bigger problem for someone else who in turn talks about it as if it were a much larger problem. They then get the picture of a huge problem caused by us. Their actions could then expand on that so that before long we are seen as the villains!

It’s those types of situations that we need to be able to avoid to start with; but avoiding everything in life is not possible. Being able to plug those holes as soon as they appear is the next best thing. Ignoring the problem will not make it go away but will cause a bigger gap to grow. We have to first admit that there is a problem and that we need to do something about it. Doing something about it then becomes the best way forward. It does not matter that people see you having to cover up the hole because they will see that you are doing something about it. If you were the cause of that hole then you must admit to it and not just try and cover it up. God looks for honesty and integrity in each of us because that can begin to reflect Him through us.

Points to Ponder:
Do you feel like you are fighting a losing battle?

Are you asking God’s advice?

Wednesday Reading: Proverbs 14 34
 
Key Verse: Proverbs 14 34
34  Righteousness lifts up a nation, but sin is a shame to any people.

Devotion:
How many times have you been appalled at the things that the government or politicians have been up to? When the truth came out about the spending habits and creative accounting that the government was using there was not a whole lot of pride in the nation. But when something good happens and everyone gets to hear about it then the whole nation is lifted up – take for example the rescue of the miners in Chile. We do often forget that what we do, we do in front of the world...

It is not just the actions of the government that changes the world but the action of each one of us. We are the ones who make the difference to the people around us and that difference is then spread to the people around those people. If we start to do things wrong and distress those around us then that distress spreads further; sometimes that distress will fade but other times it grows stronger and deeper. We need to know that what we spread to the people closest to us is uplifting so that we know there is a good starting point.

Imagine what our country would be like if we were surrounded by a government that was honest and always willing to do what is best for us. Imagine how much better things would be if we were living under a truly Christian government. Sadly we are not and we have to be the ones that hold up God so that others will be able to see that He is real and that He is righteous above all. We are the ones that need to pray for our leaders so that they may get to know the truth about God and see how much better things would be if they were on God’s side too. We cannot expect a corrupt society or government to uplift God when they do not know Him, so we need to step forward and lift His name high!

Points to Ponder:
What side of you do people see every day?
 
How often does God feature in your life?

Tuesday Reading: Proverbs 13 7
 
Key Verse: Proverbs 13 7
7  There are those who act rich, yet have nothing; and those who act poor, yet have great riches.

Devotion:
There are many things in life that we want and we do some pretty strange things in order to get them. If we do not earn enough money to have those things then we should not be wanting after them – but that is far easier said than done. Most of us will live it up at some stage when we will spend far more than we have and in order to maintain that lifestyle we will borrow money to satisfy our habits. There is where we have the problem because as soon as we do borrow money, we need more money to pay that back and get ourselves into a bigger hole than when we started. And money is not the only hole that we dig for ourselves.

It is not always easy to spot the people who do have money and those who are living in constant debt and external credit. But when push comes to shove and they are backed against a wall, those with the money will be able to stand firm and those without will fall. The same can be said about our spiritual lives too. If we are always pretending that we are spiritual and we are able to pull the wool over many people’s eyes we are fooling ourselves as well as all those people around us. We may seem like a spiritual giant but when we are backed against the wall we will have to prove ourselves rather than relying on deceit anymore...

In order to be sure that we are rich in our lives with Christ we have to be serious about our relationship with Him. We have to make sure that what we do have with Him is strong and will stand the test of time. We have to make sure that if we are ever backed against a wall we will know that we will remain strong in Christ. Without that knowledge we will falter and if we do falter then others around us will see that our faith is not what it should have been – we will be the ones with egg on our face. God can see right through our pretences and so we cannot fool Him no matter how much we try. He knows what is in our heart and He knows the truth. We need to remember that and to always seek Him to support us in all that we do. With Him as our foundation we will remain strong and we will remain firm. We will not fail with Christ.

Points to Ponder:
What are you after?

Is God by your side?

Monday Reading: Proverbs 14 23
 
Key Verse: Proverbs 14 23
23  In all labour there is gain, but the talk of the lips tends only to poverty.
 
Devotion:
What do you actually work for? Is it because of the money that you get, the satisfaction that you get or maybe it is because you have to – how else will you get through school? Well, no matter what the reason is for you doing work, there is always some gain to be had from working... maybe that is why they call it work! If we did not work as adults then we would not be able to live because we would not earn money to buy the essentials such as food and water. Equally, if we did not work at school then we would not learn anything and would not be able to obtain a job when we leave school.

There are many people who will get very depressed by this cycle of having to work to obtain something and then not being able to obtain everything because the work they are doing does not supply enough. People quite rightly get upset when they do not earn enough to be able to support the lifestyle that they deserve – but who is it that has the right to choose what sort of lifestyle it is that you deserve? We would think that it was us, ourselves; but that is far from the truth. Yes we are able to dictate the amount of money we do earn by a lifelong struggle of hard work – but to what gain is all that work?

It is one thing to talk about the work that you should be able to get and what there is available, but it is an entirely different thing to be able to hold down that job. You could possibly talk yourself into a job, but keeping it would mean that you had to do all the things that you said that you would be able to do. Unfortunately for us we live in a chaotic world where everything is not always going to fall in place. Being able to talk the talk is not going to fill you basket with food – that is something you will very quickly come to realise as you do try to work for a living. The same is true for our walk with God. Being able to quote scripture and talk about God is not the same as having a personal relationship with Him. Words mean very little when you actions do not follow those words...

Points to Ponder:
Do you think you work hard?

Do you know that God knows?