Sit & Stay

SCRIPTURE

Proverbs 19:1-17 (NRSV)

Kindness to the poor

Better the poor walking in integrity
than one perverse of speech who is a fool.
Desire without knowledge is not good,
and one who moves too hurriedly misses the way.
One's own folly leads to ruin,
yet the heart rages against the Lord.
Wealth brings many friends,
but the poor are left friendless.
A false witness will not go unpunished,
and a liar will not escape.
Many seek the favor of the generous,
and everyone is a friend to a giver of gifts.
If the poor are hated even by their kin,
how much more are they shunned by their friends!
When they call after them, they are not there.
To get wisdom is to love oneself;
to keep understanding is to prosper.
A false witness will not go unpunished,
and the liar will perish.
It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury,
much less for a slave to rule over princes.
Those with good sense are slow to anger,
and it is their glory to overlook an offense.
A king's anger is like the growling of a lion,
but his favor is like dew on the grass.
A stupid child is ruin to a father,
and a wife's quarreling is a continual dripping of rain.
House and wealth are inherited from parents,
but a prudent wife is from the Lord.
Laziness brings on deep sleep;
an idle person will suffer hunger.
Those who keep the commandment will live;
those who are heedless of their ways will die.
Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord,
and will be repaid in full.


DEVOTION

Desire without knowledge is not good, and one who moves too hurriedly misses the way. One's own folly leads to ruin, yet the heart rages against the Lord.

Let the church say, "Amen! or Ouch!"

I pick "OUCH!"

I can't tell you how many times I have desired a thing, moved too hurriedly forward, missed the way, and allowed my folly to lead me into ruin--and then had a nerve to be angry at God when I fell into a pit!

Ah! Confession is good for the soul, so today I am telling on myself.

So often I get a good idea and it really is a good and noble thing that I want to do. But, rather than taking the time to slow down and talk to God, I start forward on the path by might and by power, determined to remove any obstacles by my own strength.

Well...you know how this story ends--usually with me laying flat in the middle of the road, calling on Jesus, in no uncertain terms, to rescue me! (giggles)

I have learned the hard way, my friends, that we must commit the whole of our journey to God. We don't get to move until God says so. No matter how good our motives, if God has not given us the go ahead, we are to "sit and stay" until God tells us otherwise.

I'm currently engaging in obedience classes with my dog. I am amazed by how difficult it is for her to simply "sit and stay" when I command her to do so. She wants to jump up. She wants to stand there. She wants to run to me. She wants to chase other people. She wants to do ANYTHING besides wait on her master to call her to come.

Well, dear ones, I am sad to report that human beings are no different. We think we know what is best. We want to run ahead down the road. We want to tell our Master which way to go and when. But, God has given us the simple commandment to, "sit and stay," until we are given direction.

Proverbs 19 says, "Those who keep the commandment will live; those who are heedless of their ways will die."

We will live as we put ALL of our hope in Jesus, trusting that He who lived, died, and rose again to forgive our sin and gift us with eternal life, will never steer us wrong.

When God says, "Go!, " we go. When God says, "Stop!," we stop. When God says, "Wait!," we wait.

When we learn to be obedient to the voice of our Master, we will find that life is much sweeter and easier than before.

Lord, give me an ear to listen and obey...


Let us pray: Holy One, thank you that you are yet speaking. Help me to attune my heart to hear and obey your word. I am sorry for being so bucky in the past and for wanting to do things my way and in my timing. I know that your way is best. I don't mind waiting on you. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

INVITATION

If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @ http://bit.ly/JVhaLta