[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR FRIDAY JULY 8

[Donnie Parrett]

DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR FRIDAY July 8

WORD OF WISDOM

If God audited your finances, what grade would he give you?

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DAILY DEVOTION

True Humility


But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he
that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then
shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.
For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself
shall be exalted.
Luke 4:10-11

We are taught and encouraged by our society to be self-promoters. There are
all kinds of books and articles and studies that suggest the way to get
ahead is to broadcast how wonderful and effective we are. Yet God calls us
to a different course of action. The radical humility that Jesus taught-that
the way to promotion and favor with God is not by lifting ourselves up, but
by humbling ourselves-seems strange to us. It is the opposite of what our
nature wants to do. We want to be thought of as successful and looked up to
by others. We want to be praised and exalted. It feels good. It feeds our
pride. It satisfies our ego. It fills our desire for significance. God is
looking for something different than the world praises.
Jonathan Edwards wrote, "A truly Christian love, either to God or men, is a
humble brokenhearted love. The desires of the saints, however earnest, are
humble desires: their hope is an humble hope; and their joy, even when it is
unspeakable, and full of glory, is a humble, brokenhearted joy, and leaves
the Christian more poor in spirit, and more like a little child, and more
disposed to an universal lowliness of behavior." If we want to please God
with the way we live, and that should be our goal above all else, we must
lay aside the pride and self-promotion that lift us up and instead put on
the humility that exalts God alone. Every talent and resource we have is a
gift from God, and nothing about which we should be boastful.
When we see God and ourselves as we should, we realize we have no basis for
pride.

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DAILY BIBLE READING

Proverbs 13-15 New King James Version
Wisdom Loves Righteousness
13 A wise son heeds his father's instruction,
But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

2 A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth,
But the soul of the unfaithful feeds on violence.
3 He who guards his mouth preserves his life,
But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.

4 The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing;
But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.

5 A righteous man hates lying,
But a wicked man is loathsome and comes to shame.
6 Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless,
But wickedness overthrows the sinner.

7 There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing;
And one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches.

8 The ransom of a man's life is his riches,
But the poor does not hear rebuke.

9 The light of the righteous rejoices,
But the lamp of the wicked will be put out.

10 By pride comes nothing but strife,
But with the well-advised is wisdom.

11 Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished,
But he who gathers by labor will increase.

12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.

13 He who despises the word will be destroyed,
But he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.
14 The law of the wise is a fountain of life,
To turn one away from the snares of death.

15 Good understanding [a]gains favor,
But the way of the unfaithful is hard.
16 Every prudent man acts with knowledge,
But a fool lays open his folly.

17 A wicked messenger falls into trouble,
But a faithful ambassador brings health.

18 Poverty and shame will come to him who [b]disdains correction,
But he who regards a rebuke will be honored.

19 A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul,
But it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil.

20 He who walks with wise men will be wise,
But the companion of fools will be destroyed.

21 Evil pursues sinners,
But to the righteous, good shall be repaid.

22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children,
But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.

23 Much food is in the [c]fallow ground of the poor,
And for lack of justice there is [d]waste.

24 He who spares his rod hates his son,
But he who loves him disciplines him [e]promptly.

25 The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul,
But the stomach of the wicked shall be in want.

The Ways of Life and Death
14 The wise woman builds her house,
But the foolish pulls it down with her hands.

2 He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,
But he who is perverse in his ways despises Him.

3 In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride,
But the lips of the wise will preserve them.

4 Where no oxen are, the [f]trough is clean;
But much increase comes by the strength of an ox.

5 A faithful witness does not lie,
But a false witness will utter lies.

6 A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it,
But knowledge is easy to him who understands.
7 Go from the presence of a foolish man,
When you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.
8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way,
But the folly of fools is deceit.

9 Fools mock at [g]sin,
But among the upright there is favor.

10 The heart knows its own bitterness,
And a stranger does not share its joy.

11 The house of the wicked will be overthrown,
But the tent of the upright will flourish.

12 There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.

13 Even in laughter the heart may sorrow,
And the end of mirth may be grief.

14 The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways,
But a good man will be satisfied [h]from above.

15 The simple believes every word,
But the prudent considers well his steps.
16 A wise man fears and departs from evil,
But a fool rages and is self-confident.
17 A quick-tempered man acts foolishly,
And a man of wicked intentions is hated.
18 The simple inherit folly,
But the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
19 The evil will bow before the good,
And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.

20 The poor man is hated even by his own neighbor,
But [i]the rich has many friends.
21 He who despises his neighbor sins;
But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.

22 Do they not go astray who devise evil?
But mercy and truth belong to those who devise good.

23 In all labor there is profit,
But [j]idle chatter leads only to poverty.

24 The crown of the wise is their riches,
But the foolishness of fools is folly.

25 A true witness [k]delivers souls,
But a deceitful witness speaks lies.

26 In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And His children will have a place of refuge.
27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
To turn one away from the snares of death.

28 In a multitude of people is a king's honor,
But in the lack of people is the downfall of a prince.

29 He who is slow to wrath has great understanding,
But he who is [l]impulsive exalts folly.

30 A sound heart is life to the body,
But envy is rottenness to the bones.

31 He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker,
But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.

32 The wicked is banished in his wickedness,
But the righteous has a refuge in his death.

33 Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding,
But what is in the heart of fools is made known.

34 Righteousness exalts a nation,
But sin is a [m]reproach to any people.

35 The king's favor is toward a wise servant,
But his wrath is against him who causes shame.

A Soft Answer Turns Away Wrath
15 A soft answer turns away wrath,
But a harsh word stirs up anger.
2 The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly,
But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.

3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
Keeping watch on the evil and the good.

4 A [n]wholesome tongue is a tree of life,
But perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

5 A fool despises his father's instruction,
But he who [o]receives correction is prudent.

6 In the house of the righteous there is much treasure,
But in the revenue of the wicked is trouble.

7 The lips of the wise [p]disperse knowledge,
But the heart of the fool does not do so.

8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But the prayer of the upright is His delight.
9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But He loves him who follows righteousness.

10 Harsh discipline is for him who forsakes the way,
And he who hates correction will die.

11 Hell[q] and [r]Destruction are before the Lord;
So how much more the hearts of the sons of men.

12 A scoffer does not love one who corrects him,
Nor will he go to the wise.

13 A merry heart makes a cheerful [s]countenance,
But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

14 The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,
But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.

15 All the days of the afflicted are evil,
But he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast.

16 Better is a little with the fear of the Lord,
Than great treasure with trouble.
17 Better is a dinner of [t]herbs where love is,
Than a fatted calf with hatred.

18 A wrathful man stirs up strife,
But he who is slow to anger allays contention.

19 The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns,
But the way of the upright is a highway.

20 A wise son makes a father glad,
But a foolish man despises his mother.

21 Folly is joy to him who is destitute of [u]discernment,
But a man of understanding walks uprightly.

22 Without counsel, plans go awry,
But in the multitude of counselors they are established.

23 A man has joy by the answer of his mouth,
And a word spoken [v]in due season, how good it is!

24 The way of life winds upward for the wise,
That he may turn away from [w]hell below.

25 The Lord will destroy the house of the proud,
But He will establish the boundary of the widow.

26 The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord,
But the words of the pure are pleasant.

27 He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house,
But he who hates bribes will live.

28 The heart of the righteous studies how to answer,
But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.

29 The Lord is far from the wicked,
But He hears the prayer of the righteous.

30 The light of the eyes rejoices the heart,
And a good report makes the bones [x]healthy.

31 The ear that hears the rebukes of life
Will abide among the wise.
32 He who disdains instruction despises his own soul,
But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding.
33 The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom,
And before honor is humility.

Footnotes
Proverbs 13:15 gives
Proverbs 13:18 Lit. ignores
Proverbs 13:23 uncultivated
Proverbs 13:23 Lit. what is swept away
Proverbs 13:24 early
Proverbs 14:4 manger or feed trough
Proverbs 14:9 Lit. guilt
Proverbs 14:14 Lit. from above himself
Proverbs 14:20 Lit. many are the lovers of the rich
Proverbs 14:23 Lit. talk of the lips
Proverbs 14:25 saves lives
Proverbs 14:29 Lit. short of spirit
Proverbs 14:34 shame or disgrace
Proverbs 15:4 Lit. healing
Proverbs 15:5 Lit. keeps
Proverbs 15:7 spread
Proverbs 15:11 Or Sheol
Proverbs 15:11 Heb. Abaddon
Proverbs 15:13 face
Proverbs 15:17 Or vegetables
Proverbs 15:21 Lit. heart
Proverbs 15:23 Lit. in its time
Proverbs 15:24 Or Sheol
Proverbs 15:30 Lit. fat