Proverbs 11:23-26

“The desire of the righteous ends only in good;
the expectation of the wicked in wrath.
Some give freely, yet grow all the richer;
others withhold what is due, and only suffer want.
A generous person will be enriched,
and one who gives water will get water.
The people curse those who hold back grain,
but a blessing is on the head of those who sell it.” NRSV

The heart of the true believer is generous. And not as some teach, that if we give, God will make us wealthy and able to have everything that our hearts would desire on this earth. That, I believe, is a false gospel for it places our hearts and our minds on the temporary things of this earth, rather than on the lasting things of God. Instead, as believers, we are generous because we are aware of how temporary this life is and how much God has prepared for us in the unending years in heaven. Thus, if we give here and that causes lack, what does it matter? The things of this earth are useless because they don’t last.

I am a special education teacher and I had a student who had a compulsion to collect things. He would go out on the playground and fill his pockets with all kinds of junk: dirty pieces of string, old cast-off scotch tape, little rocks, even pieces of food that fell from the lunch tables. His mother would sign with discouragement when she would find his clothes, even his backpack, filled with this junk. He didn’t need to collect trash. His parents were fully able to give him nice things of value . . . once he got home.

I think that Father God must sometimes think the same of us. We become so focused on the “junk” that we can collect here on earth, forgetting entirely about the wonderful treasure that He has stored up for us . . . once we get Home.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21 NRSV).

Where your treasure is . . . What is our treasure? If our treasure is God’s heart, then we will easily be able to be generous with our things, our money, our time because they aren’t our treasure. Our treasure—if it truly is God’s heart—cannot be taken from us. However, if our treasure is our money, our home, our stuff, then we will not easily give it.

“The desire of the righteous . . . “ What is our desire? To accumulate here on earth? Then that desire isn’t righteous; instead, we are holding onto things of this world. But if our desire is to please God, to truly know Him, to obey His Word, then our actions will become good to others. We will be generous with everything that we have, everything that we are, because we know that our Father will replenish anything that we need. If we have need of it, He will give it. If He doesn’t give it, we didn’t need it anyway.

© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Proverbs 11:22

Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
is a beautiful woman without good sense. NRSV

I hit the mid-century mark several years ago. And, as with everything else in this world that has more than a few miles on it, my body’s beginning to show the wear and tear of living on a gravity planet. Plain and simple, more than anything else, gravity takes its tole. Gravity is why we have wrinkles, why our spines begin to give way (we get shorter as we get older), why body parts begin to sag. And aside from spending thousands and thousands of dollars on plastic surgery (and then that’s still not always the answer), I have to accept the fact that I’m beginning not only to get older but to look older.

Beauty is fleeting.

At least outward beauty is. One of the consequences of living in a sin-ravaged world is that everything made up of atoms (including us) has a life expectancy. Nothing in this current world is permanent. Thank the Lord for the promise of a new heaven and a new earth! Thank the Lord for the promise of new bodies!

But meanwhile, I need to make the most of what I’ve got. This “rented house,” as temporary as it is, is also where I’m living until I “change residences.” And as a woman, as a Christian, I need to decide where my priorities lie.

Because America is so prosperous (yes, even in the middle of this recession/depression), I have a myriad of choices available. I can try to hang onto my “youth” (meaning, try to continue to look gorgeous and young and sexy), or I can realize that such a pursuit is a losing proposition and trade it in for becoming more godly and honoring to Christ. Personally, the latter seems more possible since I just don’t see my future being a Joan Rivers imitation (plastic surgery after plastic surgery).

I’ve been fortunate to have a number of female role models in my life: mom, aunts, grandmothers. All aged and all chose to age gracefully, wrinkles, and gray hair and all! And while a few dollars of Miss Clairol might (temporarily) cover the gray, at some point no amount of Maybelline is going to conceal the wrinkles . . . or the age freckles . . . or the sags.

Who cares?

Life is much more than simply about what I look like. There’s so much to do and see and enjoy! So many people into whom I can invest my resources (rather than myself). If I throw out my mirrors (or at least only use them briefly to make sure my head’s on straight!) and focus instead upon the joy of seeing another young child fed or another family led to the Lord, I think that I’ll be better off. That, I think, is the “good sense” of which Proverbs speaks. After all, in the long run—eternity—which is more important? That I continued to look like at twenty-year-old long after I hit my forties (or fifties) or that I used my resources (time, money) to help spread the gospel? That I focused on myself and my own “beauty,” or that I ministered to those around me and helped them see the beauty inside of themselves?

© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Proverbs 11:20

Crooked minds are an abomination to the Lord,
but those of blameless ways are his delight. NRSV

A few years back, my aunt and uncle took my son and me on a day trip to San Francisco. Because my son had never been, my aunt enjoyed driving her big luxury car down Lombard Street. Now, if you’ve never been to San Francisco, there are some things you should know. First, this is a city built on hills, very steep hills. Many of the streets in town are very, very steep. (I’m not fond of heights, so stopping at a stop light where my car is at a 45 degree angle isn’t my idea of fun!). Lombard Street, however, was built differently. This street is a switch-back built right in the middle of town, a very narrow street with houses built right to the sidewalk. One misstep (or one failure to have your foot on th brakes) will end you up in someone’s living room. So, when you drive down Lombard, you go back and forth, back and forth (almost dizzily) until you reach the bottom.

(There’s a great picture of this street here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lombard_Street_(San_Francisco)

Now while a street isn’t sinful (in itself), my experience of riding down Lombard Street was brought to mind when I read this passage in Proverbs: “crooked minds.” This scripture tells us that “crooked minds are an abomination to the Lord.” Well, what’s a crooked mind?

Matthew Henry writes:

“That nothing is more offensive to God than hypocrisy and double-dealing, for these are signified by the word which we translate frowardness, pretending justice, but intending wrong, walking in crooked ways, to avoid discovery. Those are of a froward heart who act in contradiction to that which is good, under a profession of that which is good, and such are, more than any sinners, an abomination to the Lord . . .”

You know, as much as we don’t want to admit it, we are sometimes froward, that is, we say or do things to manipulate others so that our ends are met, but we are not wholly honest and forthright with them about our motivations. In other words, we sometimes try to back others into a corner so that they will do what we want them to do, rather than allowing them the freedom to make their own choices and our trusting the Lord to work it all out in the end.

We manipulate. We walk in crooked ways. We seem like we’re going in one direction when, in actuality, we are going in another. Just like going down Lombard Street, going left and right, when actually we are going down. You know, I think we manipulate because we don’t trust God. Plain and simple. If we did trust Him, we would take our hands off the reins of our lives (and the reins of others) and allow God to work everything out for our good as He has promised (Romans 8:28). Instead, I think our fear often rises up and we try to control everything around us . . . circumstances, people, outcomes. And in doing that, we often become crooked, seeming to go one way when we actually want to go another.

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29 NRSV).

These words from Jesus, I think, are about trusting Him rather than going our own way. This yoke was a double-yoke used to train young oxen in the discipline of pulling loads. The farmer would hook an experienced ox to an inexperienced one and, in that way, the young ox would learn how to pull a wagon or load. When we take Jesus’ yoke upon ourselves, we hook ourselves to Him and follow Him. We learn from Him obedience to the Father and in doing this, we find rest for our souls!

The rest, the peace we so desperately seek in our efforts to control everything around us is actually found when we let go and allow Father God to work things out for our good, when we stop being crooked and begin living blameless lives in obedience to His word.

© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Proverbs 11:18-19

“The wicked earn no real gain,
but those who sow righteousness get a true reward.
Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live,
but whoever pursues evil will die.” NRSV

It’s really easy to get trapped by the frenetic mindset of the world, to believe that the ultimate goal of life is to win or to acquire or to succeed.

It isn’t.

We lose so much when we think that what we gain now, that what we rule now, that what we control now somehow has meaning. We lose because we fail to see the horizon. We are so caught up with the temporary demands of the now we don’t remember that life continues (and continues long) after this day of life is over.

The Lord Jesus told a parable about such a man, a man who was so consumed with what he was doing in this life that he failed to plan for the next.

“Then He told them a parable: ‘The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:16-21 NRSV)

The man’s attitude was simply to forget about eternity and to believe that controlling this life was the ultimate goal. The Lord Jesus uses a phrase that would have been familiar to the disciples: “Eat, drink, and be merry.” Most of us have heard the passage like this: “Eat, drink, and be merry . . . for tomorrow we die. This saying actually comes from a verse in Ecclesiastes and a verse in Isaiah. The Isaiah passage says:

“In that day the Lord God of hosts
called to weeping and mourning,
to baldness and putting on sackcloth;
but instead there was joy and festivity,
killing oxen and slaughtering sheep,
eating meat and drinking wine.
‘Let us eat and drink,
for tomorrow we die.’
The Lord of hosts has revealed himself in my ears:
Surely this iniquity will not be forgiven you until you die,
says the Lord God of hosts.” (Isaiah 22:12-14 NRSV).

The passage in Isaiah emphasizes the idea of frivolity in this life, ignoring the fact that we will ultimately be brought to account by God Himself at the last judgement. In the Isaiah passage, the Lord was calling them to repent . . . and instead they wanted to party. That is the message that the Lord Jesus was bringing in His parable: that we focus so much on gaining in this life, thinking that there is some value in it, when, in fact, we are better suited to be at the Throne in prayer, confession, and supplication; we are more well served to be thinking about who we are as believers, than whether or not we are successful by the world’s standards.

In Proverbs, “the wicked” is often used to refer to those who chased after the dreams of this world without regard to how much they harmed those around them. There is, then, this comparison between the wicked and the righteous, those who are self-centered and pursuing gain at any cost and those who would choose to serve others (rather than themselves) and live lives that please God through their righteousness. And while we made righteous by the blood of the Lord Jesus, we also choose righteousness (to the best of our ability through the power of the Holy Spirit) when we choose to obey Him rather than the impulses of our flesh.

© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Proverbs 11:17

“Those who are kind reward themselves,
but the cruel do themselves harm.” NRSV

Our expectations kill us!

A number of years ago, I did a study on heart attitudes, those things we believe that are foundational about who we are as people, as individuals. The Lord showed me that, if we want to stop habitual sins, we need to examine the root of the problem: our heart attitudes. I think that the attitude that most controls us (and is the deadliest) is expectation. What we expect from others, from situations, from life determines the direction of everything: how we relate to others and how we respond.

Kindness is something we don’t practice much these days. It’s much easier to be self-assertive, to be demanding, to be angry and offended. We are kind when it’s instinctual to be kind, but other than that . . . As a society, we are less and less kind each day.

Unfortunately, the antonym of “kind” is . . . cruel! (And I can hear the protests now.) Cruel is the last thing I would consider myself to be. And yet, I’m sure that in my unthinking plundering around, I hurt people and am probably seen as being cruel (and heartless and unkind).

Hmm.

As with most characteristics of being a Christian, being kind isn’t something that I can just hope I will become. Rather, it’s something that I need to strategically and deliberately practice. And in order to become kind, I must be aware (confess) that I am unkind, that I am cruel, that I am unthinking (and uncaring) when it comes to those around me, that I think of myself first—of what I want, of what I hope to achieve—rather than thinking of others first.

In studying Proverbs, I keep coming back to Philippians 2:3:

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.”

The NCV says it this way: “When you do things, do not let selfishness or pride be your guide. Instead, be humble and give more honor to others than to yourselves.”

The NLT says it this way: “Don’t be selfish; don’t live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself.”

I don’t think that anyone intentionally wakes up in the morning, determined to be cruel and mean. I think that, instead, we are frightened, untrusting people who are determined to make sure that we get what we think we need (and want), regardless of the consequences to others. In other words, we are often unwilling to suffer so that someone else doesn’t. And yet, because the world is full of suffering, the fact is someone is going to suffer. And if we are practicing kindness, we may be actually embracing suffering so that someone else doesn’t have to.

The Hebrew word translated here “kind” (actually “the person who is kind”) also contains the connotation of merciful. Someone who is merciful is someone who forgives readily and easily, who doesn’t demand payback or tit for tat, who allows others to be less than perfect and doesn’t try to even the playing field so that life becomes “fair.” When we are kind, we are patient, merciful, and loving. We are willing to sacrifice for the cause of others. We put their priorities ahead of our own.

Most of us have lived lives with the idea that “someday I’ll be able to do what I want to do.” The fact is, we are not our own. We have been bought with a price (the precious blood of the Lord Jesus) and every second that we live, we live to serve Him by reaching out to those around us in love, in mercy, in patience . . . in kindness. And by living this way, we do indeed reward ourselves because we gain the kingdom of heaven and eternity with our Lord! When we are cruel, we harm ourselves by separating ourselves from Him because of our sin. I think what we have to decide is whether or not we are going to be kind . . . today!

© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Proverbs 11:16

“A gracious woman gets honor,
but she who hates virtue is covered with shame.
The timid become destitute,
but the aggressive gain riches.” NRSV

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” Matthew 5:6 NRSV

It’s amazing to me how aggressive we can be when it comes to earthly (temporary) things and how laid-back (May I say “lazy?”) we are when it comes to spiritual things.

When my husband and I first got married, twenty-five years ago, we considered going to a Catholic church in town. My husband’s family is Catholic; mine is evangelical. I didn’t mind switching because I had saved Catholic friends who were serious Christians and I knew that it was possible to serve the Lord there as well as in the church I was already attending. The reason we made a decision not to go to that particular Catholic church wasn’t the preaching or the music or even necessarily the doctrine. What distressed us the most was that the attenders didn’t carry (or read) their Bibles. They relied on their priest to tell them what scripture said and then just disappeared into the night, so to speak, without worrying about whether or not they should actually apply what they heard. (Fortunately, several years later a revival took place in that parish and it became on fire for the Lord.)

Lately, as we have visited several evangelical churches, we have, unfortunately, witnessed much the same thing. Many attenders don’t carry their Bibles to church nor check to see whether or not what the pastor is saying actually lines up with scripture. In fact, I’ve talked to several people professing to be Christians who simply aren’t concerned with their lives—with how they behave or the addictive, sinful behaviors they have—insisting that God will change them when He’s good and ready (or words to that effect).

We have become passive, at least where it pertains to our spiritual growth. What’s interesting is that “passive” is the antonym of “aggressive.”

“The aggressive gain riches.”
“Those who hunger and thirst for righteous . . . will be filled.”

I think that we focus on what’s important to us. I think that if we want something badly enough, we will make sure that we get it. I mean, isn’t that what discount shopping—which has taken America by storm—all about? Getting what we want? Isn’t that one of the reasons our country’s in such a financial mess, because we got what we wanted without considering the cost (buying on credit)?

We need to focus on what we need spiritually as believers. And there must be a reason why the Lord Jesus taught about hungering and thirsting after righteousness. Think about being really hungry or really thirsty. Those desires are insatiable; you can’t think about anything else until you get something to eat or water to drink. Your body demands it.

Do we hunger and thirst for being righteous? Is that what we long for, what we think about, what we pray for and wish for? Or are we so absorbed with getting the very-temporary things of the life around us that we don’t even have the time or energy to think about pleasing God? For that’s what righteousness is . . . behavior, thoughts, and choices that please Him! Do we surround ourselves with reading books and listening to teaching tapes that talk about His Holy Word or are we too busy with soap operas and reality shows and fulfilling the lusts of our flesh to even bother?

Virtue is righteousness. A woman who hates virtue will be shamed, but a believer who is aggressive about getting righteousness (the true riches in life) will receive them . . . and more. If we long for the Lord with all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our mind, we will receive that blessed relationship with Him.

© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Matthew 16:24-26

“Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?’” NRSV

I’m constantly amazed how self-centered and selfish I am. And then I’m amazed that I’m amazed!

A number of years ago, a wonderful saint of the Lord, someone I called “aunt” all my life and loved as a second mother, someone whose name you would recognize and be surprised, said this: “As I get older, Robin, I realize how much I still need to grow and mature as a Christian.” At that time, I was astonished at what she said. My initial reaction was, “Well, if she feels she hasn’t arrived, then I don’t have any hope at all!”

The apostle Paul—a man whom most would admit was probably the greatest Christian of all time—considered himself to be the “very least of all the saints” (Eph. 3:8).

Oh my goodness!

I got to thinking of this again (and it’s something I usually end up thinking about several times a year) as I was thinking last night and this morning about “best friends.” Most of you know that I teach at an elementary school. And, so, of course, many of my students’ are obsessed with the idea of my “best” friend. Now, according to kids, a best friend is someone who is exclusively my friend, someone who prefers me above everyone else, and who will remain loyal to me through any situation.

In other words, this is someone who considers my needs paramount.

Well, that’s really what it boils down to. Having “my” best friend says a lot, the “my,” because it means that it’s all about me, what I need, what I want. It’s the same idea as having “my soul mate” for a spouse/partner. It’s all about someone else considering whether or not I’m happy, I’m content, I feel wanted.

That, my friends, is self-centeredness. Pure and simple. You see, I’d been bemoaning the loss of a friendship this week. There is this couple and we considered them to be very close friends (perhaps our closest friends). And then something happened that indicated that they might not consider us in the same light (to be their closest friends). It was a blow to me . . . and it shouldn’t have been. If I was truly denying myself and considering them first (Phil. 2:3), then this “loss” would have never occurred to me. Period.

I realized that I was operating under the very immature idea of “best friends,” exclusivity, wanting them to owe me something, to be loyal, to meet my needs.

The only person who can meet my needs is the Lord Jesus. If I truly feel that I want or need a best friend, He needs to be the person to whom I run, to whom I cling. Everyone else—running their own race of life, of spiritual maturity—will at some time let me down. The Lord Jesus is the friend who sticks closer than a brother . . . or sister (Prov. 18:24).

With those around me, I need to rethink my expectations. Rather than expecting from them, I need to expect that I should be ministering to them, without thought for what I might get back in return. Any “return” on an earthly relationship is fleeting and will ultimately be unsatisfying. My thoughts need to be about giving to others . . . and receiving from the Lord!

© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Proverbs 11:15

“To guarantee loans for a stranger brings trouble,
but there is safety in refusing to do so.” (NRSV)

“Do not be one of those who give pledges,
who become surety for debts.
If you have nothing with which to pay,
why should your bed be taken from under you?” (Proverbs 22:26-27)

We live in a country that is encased in debt. Rather than live within our means, as a nation, we live in debt. To make matters worse, the United States is in debt so that it can give money to other countries. (Doesn’t that seem insane?) While we, as individuals, may not have much control over what our government does, we do have control over what we do. We can choose, even at this moment, to get ourselves out of debt and to leave within the means that Father God has given us.

Proverbs is talking about co-signing for someone else’s loan. Why would we do that? To help out, of course. But is encouraging someone else to be in debt really helping them? On the other hand, as Christians, we are commanded to be generous.

Our Lord Jesus told us to lend to those who wish to borrow (Matthew 5:42). But His idea of “lending” might be different than ours. He said:

“If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return” (Luke 6:34-35 NRSV).

Lend . . . expecting nothing in return. In other words, when someone asks for something, we are to give it. If it comes back, fine. If it doesn’t, fine. This requires that we learn not to be attached to our possessions nor to depend upon them to supply our daily needs. It moves our being outside of this world and into the hand of the Father. If He truly provides for us on a day-by-day basis, then we don’t need to worry whether or not we have our stuff.

However, if this is true, why then would the Lord tell us not to help someone by cosigning for them? Because that commits future resources and we have no idea if we will have those resources. We can give out of what we have today because we know that we have it. But we cannot give out of our future expectations because we have no guarantee for tomorrow (except, as believers, for heaven). Additionally, helping someone get into debt isn’t helping them. Much better that we give to them out of what we have than to encourage them to take out a loan that they already know they may not have the ability to pay.

So, for me, it comes down to this: Am I disciplined enough to make sure that, out of God’s provision for me, I have enough left to be generous with others? Just because I have “extra” money doesn’t mean that it’s there for me to spend (to get that one thing I really wanted to have . . . but didn’t necessarily need). “Extra” money is for the purpose of giving to others, providing for their needs, looking out for their welfare. After all, that’s what being a Christian is supposed to be about, giving to others as God has given to me!

© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Proverbs 11:14

“Where there is no guidance, a nation falls,
but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” NRSV

Americans are a nation of independents. Perhaps simply by how our country and society is structured, we lean toward the idea that we should stand on our own two feet and make our own decisions. We’re not as good in groups (though there are cultures that are). It’s difficult for us, I think, to even think in a group-model, to work together for the good of the group rather than to take off on our own course.

It’s both our greatest strength and our greatest weakness and we need to be mindful. As Christians, there is a strength in being independent (of the culture around us), but also a great weakness (in being independent from the Church . . . and from God). The idea that God saves individuals is actually fairly new to church thought. Not that it’s wrong, only newer. The fact is, there is much in scripture that indicates that God loves groups! The Church, the nation of Israel, the apostles. Groups are mentioned over and over again in scripture. Why? I think because there exists a strength when we gather together in a group.

What is a counselor? A counselor is someone who is qualified to give advice. In most cases, that means someone whose either more mature and has a better grasp of the big picture or someone who has already been through this or a similar situation. In other words, a counselor is someone who has a good chance of predicting the outcomes of certain decisions. We’re not a people to seek out counselors in the sense of really wanting advice. Usually we want confirmation of the decision we’ve already made; we’re not interested in changing course, but rather of continuing down the path we’ve already determined. But the fact is, we are blessed when we learn from the mistakes of those who are older (even if that means spiritually older, but chronologically younger) and wiser than we. There’s actually no value in repeating the mistake that someone else has made, unless we are so hard-headed as so refuse to accept what they have already learned.

As Christians, it would behoove us to gather around us counselors who are older, wiser believers. These are people who are well-versed in the Christian walk, whose lives are transparent and easily measured against scripture, whose goals in life are to be more like Christ. Paul taught:

“Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1 NRSV).

If we are prudent, we will find those Christians whose lives are worth imitating and follow them so that someday we can encourage other, less mature Christians to follow us with confidence.

© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Psalm 23:4a

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for You are with me . . .” NRSV

Often, when I’m home alone (without my husband), I’ll leave the back sliding glass down open, even the screen. It allows the dogs to go in and out as they might wish and I can concentrate on the chores I’m doing.

Yesterday, I walked downstairs to have a bite of lunch. The screen door was open and our biggest dog, Becky, was standing by it looking out, until I started to eat. Then of course, she was right next to me (like the little ones) hoping that I might drop a tasty morsel (which I don’t). After lunch, I went to grab the scissors in the pencil cup next to the phone. Now understand, that pencil cup is on the kitchen counter and an entire room away from the sliding glass door which is in the dining room.

Reaching for the scissors, I didn’t exactly look right at them because I knew they were there. You know how it is. You reach for something, glancing to make sure of the location, but not really concentrating on that item. I mean, it’s something you’ve done a million times, right? Anyway, in the process of reaching for the scissors, my mind began to process that something was sitting on the top of the scissors handle.

The first thing I thought was that it was a moth, because of the size. Until I actually looked at it. Lo and behold, sitting on top of my scissors was a beautiful little hummingbird. Yup! You heard me right. Sitting there, obviously scared to death (trying not to move), but as right as rain. This beautiful little female (I think) hummingbird.

Okay. Now I have a dilemma. It’s several feet to the sliding glass door (and outside). At least fifteen feet, maybe more. And between me (and her) and the outdoors are all kinds of things she could hurt herself on: windows, walls, ceilings, furniture. How to get her out safely . . .

Well, my only thought was to send up a basically wordless prayer for her safety and pick the scissors up. She sat there, looking right at me, hardly moving. I began to wonder if maybe she was sick, but there was no choice. I have dogs inside my house, not whom would particularly want to hurt her, but who would do so simply because she was so small and they were so much larger. So, I carefully reached to pick up the scissors.

She didn’t move.

I took the scissors and began to walk slowly outside. I think she and I were both barely breathing. Step. Step. Step. Slowly. Then down the outside steps and into the yard.

Now, mind you, we’re outside now and she’s still sitting on the scissors. I’m so concerned that maybe she’s sick or injured, but I wouldn’t know the first thing about nursing a sick hummingbird. So, I thought of putting her near the hummingbird feeder. Maybe that would help. And as I reached the edge of the yard, she took one last look at me and flew off, her wings making that amazing invisible sight (like all hummingbirds do when they fly).

Away she went!

(My husband asked me later if I got pictures. Who was thinking of pictures at that moment, though it was a great idea.)

An amazing miracle in my life, to hold a hummingbird (well, to transport her, at least). To be that close, to look into her eyes and she into mine.

I began to think about how we are with the Lord. We fly ourselves into situations of grave danger. Unthinking, often impulsively, we go, not worrying or even considering what might lie ahead . . . until we are in the position of not knowing where to go next. Just like my little hummingbird who found herself in my kitchen, a safe place for me but obviously a place full of all kinds of dangers for her. So she stopped and waited.

I wonder how many times I should simply stop and wait for the Lord, rather than frantically flying around looking for a way out. My wise little bird-friend must have known that she was in an untenable situation because she simply landed (stopped) and waited for help.

I wonder how many times the Lord would love to rescue me, carrying me to safety. Am I willing to look into His loving eyes and trust Him to carry me to the place best suited for me? Or am I instead going to fly about, almost blindly, into things that can harm me, perhaps even threaten my life?

When I walk through the valley’s darkest corners, do I trust that He is with me?

Shalom . . . peace with God. What a blessing the Lord Jesus gave us through His death and resurrection.

“Nothing will harm you” (Luke 10:19 NAB).

© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).

Proverbs 11:3-13

“The integrity of the upright guides them,
but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.
Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
but righteousness delivers from death.
The righteousness of the blameless keeps their ways straight,
but the wicked fall by their own wickedness.
The righteousness of the upright saves them,
but the treacherous are taken captive by their schemes.
When the wicked die, their hope perishes,
and the expectation of the godless comes to nothing.
The righteous are delivered from trouble,
and the wicked get into it instead.
With their mouths the godless would destroy their neighbors,
but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.
When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices;
and when the wicked perish, there is jubilation.
By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.
Whoever belittles another lacks sense,
but an intelligent person remains silent.
A gossip goes about telling secrets,
but one who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a confidence.”

The Proverbs talk a lot about, well, talking! It seems that God allows that brief thought which might flit through our minds (It shouldn’t take residence), but once it becomes words it can foment into all kinds of evil. Very often the rightness—or wrongness—of our lives becomes obvious when we open our mouths. I know that it’s true for me. Often that very thing about which the Lord is dealing with me turns from temptation into sin when I speak it. For it is in speaking it that it becomes evil for someone else.

There is no way to disconnect our hearts (our thoughts, our expectations, our hopes, our dreams, our desires) from our mouths. Once thought—meaning more than fleeting—the words seem to take a life of their own. But again, it’s about, I think, how long we think on something. Fleeting thoughts, taken into captivity and banished, are gone. Fleeting thoughts allowed to take up residence . . . those are the ones that capture us and lead us into sin.

“So put all evil things out of your life: sexual sinning, doing evil, letting evil thoughts control you, wanting things that are evil, and greed” (Colossian 3:5a NCB).

Our Lord Jesus taught: “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies” (Matthew 15:19 NKJ).

I think that it’s very revealing that He mentions “evil thoughts” first. Out of our thoughts come our actions. We cannot act without thinking. And so, if we are willing to discipline our thinking, we will be far in disciplining our actions.

“ . . . we take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5 NRSV).

The fact is, do we take every thought captive? Or do we actually entertain them, enjoy them, allow them to carry us away to places of revenge and lust and power? The fact is, I know as a believer how I am supposed to react in almost every situation. I know that when I’m wronged, I’m supposed to forgive; that when I’m hurt, I’m supposed to bless; that when I’m lacking, I’m supposed to trust.

But I don’t. Plain and simple. Instead, often, I entertain thoughts of evil, of revenge, of pay back, of wallowing in prosperity. And it is those evil (yes, let’s paint it as it really is) thoughts that get me into trouble every time.

Over and over again the proverbs talk about righteousness as compared to evil.

• The integrity of the upright guides them,
• Righteousness delivers from death
• The righteousness of the blameless keeps their ways straight
• The righteousness of the upright saves them
• The righteous are delivered from trouble
• By knowledge the righteous are delivered
• When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices
• By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted
• An intelligent person remains silent
• One who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a confidence

The righteous are guided, are delivered from death, delivered from trouble, kept safe . . . and those around them (the city) rejoice! I want to be counted among the righteous.

© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).