Page 65 - Living Light 88

Friday May 16 - Be discreet
Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion. Proverbs 11:22
No, I am not being misogynous here; neither do I believe it of Solomon, the writer. After all, doesn’t Proverbs 31 wax lyrical about the virtuous, godly woman, ‘... worth far more than rubies’? (v 10) When we read ‘gold ring in a pig’s snout’ we can also think of the male equivalent of a ‘Rolex on a camel’s thigh’ (not that one could fit there, but you get my drift). The point being made here, I believe, is that physical appearance is of such little importance when compared with personal virtue – specifically here the attribute of discretion.
‘Discretion’ is defined as the ability to speak and behave in a way that avoids causing offence or revealing personal information. The Bible speaks about it in a few places, notably in Proverbs. Here is another quote: ‘My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight; preserve sound judgment and discretion’ (Proverbs 3:21). God is very clear that our actions and the way we treat others is absolutely paramount. He summarises it very aptly in Micah 6:8 – ‘He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.’
So, to summarise, personal appearance carries no weight with God, but inner beauty is vital. We show this in our dealings with others. Be discreet with others. You know it makes sense!
Father in heaven, help me not to offend others. Amen.
Saturday May 17 - Be generous
One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly,
but comes to poverty. Proverbs 11:24
It’s not that we give in order to receive. It is not a transaction to make money, a loophole in scripture that ‘faith preachers’ believe is basically just a ‘get rich quick scheme’. God is not as foolish as such people believe, and they are basically rather foolish themselves. If your only motive to give is to get back more, then you have turned the gospel upside down!
We give freely because the Holy Spirit working in us compels us to do so, without any thought of reward or increase. The fact that God blesses us is just how his kingdom works. We don’t boast about it, we just accept it and thank him for his wonderful grace towards us.
We can expect blessing for our godly generosity, but equally we can bring down curses on ourselves if we hold back on our giving to others. The classic and sad example in scripture is the story of Ananias, who held back funds after selling some property (Acts 5), lied about it, and suffered the consequences. ‘Peter said to him, “You have not lied just to human beings but to God.” When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened’ (vv 4,5).
A drastic example, of course, but let it be a warning. There’s only one antidote to this: be generous!
Father in heaven, help me to be generous in all of my dealings. Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
PRAYER FOR TODAY
63