Proverbs – Complete Collection
Chapter 1
Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors. Proverbs 1:19 – Here is the truth that our enemy loves to hide from us. He hides it because if this was always on our minds we’d never fall into his deceitful ways again. This passage says that such ways of sin takes the life of those following after those ways. That it doesn’t bring fulfillment, relief, or life like our enemy tells us it will, but instead removes it. As the writer of proverbs has said and will keep on saying throughout the book, listen to these wise instructions. Following after sin, no matter how attractive it may be, will lead to death. Yet as verse 23 says those that follow the right path will be refreshed with God’s Spirit. God wants to help you, our enemy wants to kill you, which will you follow? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 672
Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck. Proverbs 1:8-9 – Scripture here is relating our parent’s wisdom to fine jewelry. It’s something that we should treasure and wear proudly. It’s something that often comes at a great cost to have. It’s something that can be passed down to our kids one day. The message though is to take the teachings and “wear” them. Let the wisdom and instructions given to us be something worn and lived out within our story. Yet all this is for more than just our earthly parent’s wisdom, it includes God’s wisdom too. Hear what God says, listen to His words, live out then what He tells you. As a young lady who gets a fancy, new engagement ring proudly wears it and shows literally everyone she can, so should we wear the wisdom given to us by those who love us. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1683
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7 – We are now stepping into the study of Proverbs, the book of wisdom. We discover here that the beginning of knowledge (or wisdom, while knowledge and wisdom are different, they can often be used interchangeably in this book) is the fear of the Lord. This is not meaning that when we are terrified of God we find wisdom, it means that when we posture ourselves with the proper reverence and respect to the Lord is when we can receive His wisdom. For true wisdom is only from the Lord and we will only receive such a blessing from the Lord when we give Him the honor and respect He deserves. If then we desire to be able to handle life with wisdom and if we desire discernment within the matters of our life, we see in this chapter that the voice of wisdom is here yelling in the streets to be heard. If though we don’t first begin with a fear of the Lord, then we’ll be deafened to wisdom’s voice. Seeking to say all this more plainly, if you want to handle life differently than how you see so many today handling their life (surrounding themselves with bad influences, constantly in debt, always discontent, always stressed, etc.), then we ought to seek out the Lord’s wisdom in life. He has the answers we are looking for, He knows the path to success in life, He is the source of joy and peace. Since this is true and only through Him can we find the wisdom we need in life, let us begin to offer him the fear He deserves. Let us treat His Word and His people with the respect He calls us to and let us see the Lord for who He truly is, the King of Kings and Lord over all. There, in a posture of humility and honor to the Lord, is where we can begin to hear the voice of God’s wisdom clearly. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2909
Chapter 2
…who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil… Proverbs 2:14 – Sin has a way of numbing your mind to how bad the things you are doing really are. In our passage it’s says they delight, take pleasure in, the perverseness of evil. The things we all see as perverted and wrong and messed up they find pleasure in. How can it get that way? Well our enemy wants us to forget about how sin hurts us, hurts others, and ruins our life. If you stop looking at how your sinful actions could impact someone else, then it makes sense why someone could find even the most perverted of things delightful. Never forget what sin and our enemy does. Kill, steal, and destroy. Remember it was due to our sin that Jesus chose to die on the cross. Remember how your past falling into sin hurt you and others. Let’s take a different path than all that and begin following the pure path that Jesus is leading us in. Not only is this good for us but also for those we love around us. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 673
…none who go to her come back, nor do they regain the paths of life. So you will walk in the way of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous. Proverbs 2:19-20 – “Her” = sinfulness and wickedness. What I love about this passage is how direct it is. We spoke yesterday on the instruction of a parent, here a parent is leaning into his son’s life. He says, “So you will…” Not be careful to think on or it would be wise to, but so you will. You will walk in the way of the good and you will keep to the paths of the righteous. The parent knows the damage going after sin can cause and he wants his child to never step into that pain. God, our Heavenly Father, knows the pain sin can bring all to well and wants us to never step into that pain. He’s leaning into our story not with a suggestion but a command to stay away from the path of the wicked and close to the path of good. All because He deeply loves us and wants what’s best for us. A good parent seeks the out the best path for their child and directs them in it, here scripture is showing us clearly how good of a Father God is for us. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1684
If you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. Proverbs 2:4-5 – Not surprisingly since we are studying Proverbs, but we see the writer urging us to pursue wisdom. He uses language that points out that wisdom isn’t something that just falls into our minds, but we must pursue it. Words like receive, treasure, incline your heart to it, call out for it, seek and search for it. Yes, it will be work, but the payoff is the Lord’s wisdom. Yet we also see there is another path, a much easier path, a path given to us by the “forbidden woman.” A path that leads to the immorality of the world. It is a far easier path than that of the pursuit of wisdom, but it comes at a much greater cost. Wiersbe put it this way, “There’s a price to pay if we would gain spiritual wisdom, but there’s an even greater price to pay if we don’t gain it. We must walk with God through the study of His Word.” The price of imitating the steps of the forbidden woman by breaking step with God to pursue sin instead of Him is a far easier path, but the price is our doom, and possibly even our death. While the path is more difficult to pursue the Lord and His wisdom through His word, it will shield you from the paths that only lead to your harm. Let us then today recommit to our pursuit of the Lord, breaking any step that was established not out of our obedience to the Lord but through our desire to sin. Since we have such a Good Father that desires our best, why would we ever reject such directions to chase after what only brings death? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2910
Chapter 3
Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. Proverbs 3:7-8 – Many people I have spoken to lately have said they are looking for a type of “refreshment” in their life. Even I could fall into that category. Where life is exhausting, and not always in a bad way either, but we just need a refill. Here we see scripture saying the refreshment we need comes not from anything the world would offer us but from turning away from that and following deeper after God. For the refill you need hear what scripture is saying. Just another vacation, or another person, or another episode, or another hit isn’t going to do it for you like you need it to. Only turning to your life with God and seeking refreshment in Him will you find what you need to keep pressing on. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 674
Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble. If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Do not be afraid of sudden terror or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught. Proverbs 3:23-26 – Does this sort of life sound desirable? To be able to walk through your life on a path that’s has been made clear and you can take a step knowing you’ll be protected all the way. When you rest, you’ll actually find sweet rest. When horrors and chaos arise God won’t let them overcome us. If this sort of life is possible, how do we reach it? To search after and keep wisdom, which in proverbs means to learn to know God’s ways and faithfully keep them. God is promising a secure, blessed life when we hold fast to His ways. To remind you then what that is asking of you it means seeking to grow in your love for God each day and seeking to show love to those around you. When we make those two things the heartbeat of our story, God is promising to bless that sort of life. Loving God and loving people equals the best life we could ask for. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1685
My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments,for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Proverbs 3:1-2 – And what might be the ultimate command this father is instructing his son to keep? To fear the Lord. To give honor and respect to the Lord and to be obedient to the Lord’s commands in scripture. All that this father is teaching about obedience and faithfulness to the Lord ought to not be something solely kept in the son’s mind, but ought to be kept in the son’s heart and kept in his actions. When we take seriously the word of God, keeping it not only in our heads but actually keeping God’s Word in the way we live our life, there is when the promises of life and peace comes. The life that will provide you the most peace within this broken world is a life that is faithfully keeping God’s word. The life that will last the longest is the life that has committed itself to the Lord, for eternity is promised for those who follow Him. So let us all position ourselves as the “son” in this passage. Know God’s word and keep God’s word. Understand that such an existence will be the only pathway to real life and real peace in this world. Many things will come that will test our remembrance of what God has spoken to us, and when such things arise, fall all the more deeply into His word so we never forget the Lord’s teaching. We have the promise and pathway to life and peace given to us in God’s word, let us then embrace that promise and follow this pathway. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2911
Chapter 4
Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Proverbs 4:25 – We are to be focused. Like Peter walking on the water after Jesus invited him out of the boat. As Peter kept his gaze clearly focused on Jesus the storm, waves, and wind had no effect on him. Fear wasn’t even present in his mind. Yet the moment his eyes looked off of Jesus is when everything started to crumble. Let your eyes stay focused on Jesus. We can walk above the chaos around us in this world and not be trapped by the fear that has become a normal in the world’s minds when we keep our focus clearly on Jesus. Ask yourself today what is taking your focus of Him? If it’s causing you to lose focus on Jesus, then something needs to change. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 675
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. Proverbs 4:7 – At first I couldn’t help but laugh at this. Here is the start of wisdom my son…you start with wisdom. Super helpful dad. Here is what it’s really saying though, that the wisest thing anyone can do is to get more wisdom. Throughout these past few chapters wisdom has been compared to the finest of jewelry and even in this passage we see it’s as valuable as our life. We can strive after so many things in life but the wisest thing to strive after is more wisdom. It will offer more than anything else can. Keeping in mind that the wisdom spoken of in these chapters is the teachings of our Heavenly Father. Do you want the benefits of wisdom, then seek out wisdom. Be wise and let wisdom be the goal you’re chasing after. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1686
But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble. Proverbs 4:18-19 – We see a father in this chapter seeking to help his son see the two different paths that were available to him. One is a path of righteousness. It would include listening to his instructions on how to honor and serve the Lord and it would include being faithful to the word of the Lord in his life. This path is bright and warm, like the first light after a dark night, and it just gets brighter and better as you walk along it. The other path is the way of the wicked. Unlike the first path, it is shrouded in deep darkness. So much so that one can’t see where they are walking, and they stumble over things they cannot see along the path. The son is being asked to consider which path seems better to him. The one that is warm, illuminated, and leads to life. Or the one that is dark, filled with obstacles, and leads to death. How about for you? While with our words we may of course say the path of righteousness is the one we’d choose, yet if we were to turn and look behind us to examine what path we’ve been walking along, which path would we find? Thankfully, even if the way of the wicked has been the path we’ve gone, today can be the day we change paths. Today we can begin following God’s word and today we can begin to pursue God in our life. Maybe yesterday wasn’t that, nor the many days before, but today can be. See the benefit of the righteous path, and the deadliness of the way of the wicked, and choose the path that wisdom speaks is best…the path of following the Lord. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2912
Chapter 5
Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love. Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman and embrace the bosom of an adulteress? Proverbs 5:18-20 – Why is a good question here. Why would you go after something that is only going to bring temporary pleasure and long lasting pain? Here it’s talking deeper than just not cheating on your girl or guy. God is asking this in relation to His connection with you. When you have something so beautiful with Him, why would you let go of all that to chase some temporary pleasure knowing it’s going to cause lasting problems? That’s what the pursuit of sin is. Remember the beauty of what you have with God and be willing to look past the temptation of the pleasure and see what you will be left with once the pleasure is gone. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 676
My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding…Proverbs 5:1 – There is more “wisdom and understanding” we can be attentive to than just what God is offering us. Notice how the father in our passage says “my” understanding and “my” wisdom. In life our enemy is going to supply all sorts of false wisdom we can run after and lean into. Things like wrong teachings, pride, selfishness. Things that when we follow them governor our life in a certain way. Be careful then to follow the wise words of Jesus that we see all throughout scripture. The rest of this psalm paints a clear picture of what can happen when we chase after the wrong wisdom. Let’s seek a life that doesn’t even walk by the door of such things. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1687
Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well. Should your springs be scattered abroad, streams of water in the streets? Proverbs 5:15-16 – Understanding the context of this verse is key. Solomon is writing to his son to avoid adultery at all costs. He tells his son that when one gives themselves away to the seductress, we are giving away so much more than we ever imagined. Our honor, our wealth, our health, and our life is taken from us when we turn to the sinful lusts that are around us. We then are to instead “drink water from our own cistern.” Rather than finding sexual refreshment in the streets, we are to turn to the well of fresh water that God has provided in our spouse. What’s so beautiful about this is God is showing He is aware that humans have sexual desires, for He created such desires Himself! He also gave us a way to satisfy those desires in a holy way, through sex in a marriage. Why should spend our lives drinking sewer water in the gutter that offers only temporary refreshment of our thirst but carries with it disease that can take our life? God has a fresh and satisfying well of water to enjoy in our spouse. What if though you do not have a spouse to turn to handle those desires with? Then turn to the Lord as your well. Pray, ask for Him to deal with those desires at this time since there is no spouse in your story, and seek to find your delight in Him. Not having a physical “well” to find godly satisfactions in is not an excuse to turn to sinful ways of dealing with our desires. Be patient and be prayerful, and most importantly remain holy in this area. The cost of the “forbidden woman” is far greater than you can imagine. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2913
Chapter 6
Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned? Proverbs 6:27 – We’d answer no to this question pretty quickly. That of course if you’re holding fire close to your chest then your shirt will catch on fire. What this passage is saying is what you’re close to will have an impact on you. A best friend who you are with all the time who is really into the party life will have an impact on you. Daily coming to God’s Word will have an impact on you. So the question isn’t if it will have an impact, but what have you brought close? What is something that you are holding onto tightly, spending a lot of time with, and filling your thoughts over? Many things aren’t bad, like reading the Bible, so don’t only take this as a message to rid yourself of things. Just listen to what scripture is saying here, what you bring close will burn you. It may burn to hurt you or burn to refine you. Which will happen to you is up to you by what you’ll bring close. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 677
…she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? Proverbs 6:8-9 – Maybe it’s because I’m here at summer camp, but man is this hitting home for me with importance of the gospel message. Have you prepared for tomorrow? The passage begins with speaking on if we’ve made any agreements with neighbors/strangers and to settle them so we aren’t under the control of them. God wants us to settle our debt with sin and satan so we can be free in Him. That though can only happen by placing our trust in Jesus. Let’s not lie here not taking care of this important task. Prepare for tomorrow. The promise of tomorrow is here for everyone, but where you will be spending that tomorrow depends on your choice today. Choose Jesus and choose life. Know while I’m in the midst of taking care of many middle schoolers this week, if you want to talk about how to start a walk with Jesus, we’ll for sure find time to chat. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1688
There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers. Proverbs 6:16-19 – Giving his son some practical wisdom, Solomon outlines a few things that are detestable to the Lord. As we look through the list given in the verses, see that the final “thing” the Lord hates is actually the result of all the previous six. For when we are proud and deceptive, and when we shed innocent blood, when we plan wicked things against people, when chase after evil, and when lie about people…it’s going to cause discord and division between people. This is far from the Lord’s heart. He desires unity and peace among His people. Whenever His people are following His word individually, then collectively they will be unified. Yet when division finds itself within the body, you know the culprit is because something the Lord hates has been allowed into the body…sin. Whether it’s pride, deception, or something else that is sinful, you can be assured that when sin is granted access it will sow discord and division. We then ought to be actively seeking out how such things the Lord hates may be creeping in our lives and into our church family. Let’s us seek unity as far as we can seek it, and let’s silence the influence of things that break unity. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2914
Chapter 7
And I have seen among the simple, I have perceived among the youths, a young man lacking sense, passing along the street near her corner, taking the road to her house in the twilight, in the evening, at the time of night and darkness. Proverbs 7:7-9 – It’s one thing to find yourself in a place where you weren’t expecting a temptation to come around, it’s a whole different story when you know that this temptation is going to be there and you pursue that path anyways. That’s what we have in our passage. This young man knowingly walks down the path to her house. How many times has that been you? Where you know what temptation is going to be at the end of that path yet you walk down it anyway. Be wiser than that. You know how that path ends for you, if not, read verses 22-23 of this chapter. Choose the path that will bring you healing not death. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 678
Keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye; bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart. Proverbs 7:2-3 – How are you making it impossible for yourself to forget the word God has given to you? Here’s some ways I’ve used. Screenshot a Bible verse and make it the wallpaper on your phone. Have a routine time of meeting up with another believer to talk about your walk with. Choose daily to journal about what you read in scripture. Choose to say yes to adventures that may seem scary but you know are God led so you can find new opportunities to see God’s provision. The message of love God gives us truly is life to all and life to us. Let’s make sure we are doing all we can to keep it in front of us. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1689
Let not your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths, for many a victim has she laid low, and all her slain are a mighty throng. Proverbs 7:25-26 – Once again Solomon is teaching about the foolishness of turning to the wayward ways of adultery. After sharing a story of witnessing a young man being allured into sexual immorality by an adulterous woman, Solomon closes out his warning by telling his son to not turn his heart towards her way and to not even walk down her path. He tells him to open his eyes and see all the victims that she has taken out, even the mighty have fallen by her hands. If such things happened to them, such will happen to you. Let us too be wise enough to consider our paths before turning down them. For if a path is filled with corpses, why would we expect to find life down that path? If a path has only offered its followers sorrow, why would we expect to find joy by going down it? Sinful paths have a long history of promising excitement, riches, blessings, and a satisfaction of all desires, but we can look back on the many lives who fell prey to such promises and see if they really received such things. Did they? No, as the last verse in this chapter even says, “her house is the way to Hell.” All that has ever been found down the path towards sin is pain, destruction, and death. Be wise then about the paths you take. If it is turning you away from the Lord and obedience to Him, then know it is a path that has already been taken by many before you and their corpses fill the ditches along the road as proof. Follow the path that leads you to the Lord, and the sure promise of life is what you will find. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2915
Chapter 8
Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth, before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world. When he established the heavens, I was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him, like a master workman, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man. Proverbs 8:23-31 – While this is from wisdom’s point of view, I just wanted to share this section of scripture with you today. Remember the same powerful God that did all this is the one who loves you deeply and is wholeheartedly for you. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 679
The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate. Proverbs8:13 – When God speaks and verbiage like this is used, pay attention. He says He hates certain things. Pride, something in our culture that is celebrated and embraced, God hates. Arrogance, thinking you’re better than everyone else, God hates that way of thinking. Using our words in way they were never designed to be used, God hates. If then you knew that your significant other hates something deeply wouldn’t you steer clear of it for them? Maybe you don’t have that same distain for it but because you love them you’ll stay away from it. Our love for God should lead us to walk away from things He hates. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1690
Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord, but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.” Proverbs 8:34-36 – As I write this devotion, Black Friday is coming soon and the ladies in my house are very excited about it. They are planning out which stores they are going to go to, and which ones they’ll wait at the doors to get in quickly. As we read this chapter, wisdom is speaking and urging us to pursue it just like this. Watch and wait daily at my doors, be ready to rush and pursue wisdom. For it is available and more precious than the finest of gold. Wisdom was with the Lord as He created the perfectness of creation and wisdom is available to be with us in our daily lives. Wisdom though must be pursued. No one is going to get that special Black Friday deal by just sitting at home not going after the deal. Nor will wisdom be found accidently or just land in our laps. We must pursue wisdom by seeking it out daily in God’s word and in community with other believers who have walked this life of faith longer than us. Let this not be an overly confusing task either, for God is not seeking to make this difficult to pursue and find. Pray for wisdom, read scripture, listen to wise and trusted counsel, and make every effort to be often seeking such things out. For Solomon outlines clearly for us in these verses the end of someone’s life who is content in their foolishness and doesn’t seek out Godly wisdom. Find life, blessing, riches, and favor from the Lord by letting wisdom by your pursuit. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2916
Chapter 9
Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight. Proverbs 9:6 – If the reward of wisdom that we have seen written about here in these past few chapters sounds appealing to you, then you must know that change is a necessity. You can never find the rewards of following the wise path while heading in the direction of the unwise. The first word of our verse today says it all, “Leave.” That’s a choice and a change. So what way must you leave in order to walk in wisdom. Is a certain relationship causing you to make unwise choices? Is sleeping in on Sunday mornings helping you make wise choices? Is letting that way of thinking continue helping you make wise choices? Ask yourself what simple ways must you leave in order to be on the right, wiser path. Until the change is made, don’t expect the reward of wisdom. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 680
“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” And to him who lacks sense she says, “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” Proverbs 9:16-17 – What I see here that’s interesting is that “folly” speaks the same words as “wisdom.” Verse 4 and 5 say almost the exact thing, making it hard to discern which is right. And what’s something else we see in the passage? Verse 12 says folly is loud. So not only will folly be trying to lead you away from wisdom with the same speech, it will seek to be a louder voice than wisdom. Be on your guard then for the voice of folly. Be sure to lean deeply into your pursuit of God’s word, which is true wisdom. Lean on and latch onto others who are seeking wisdom. Folly is tempting you away but God is inviting you close. Listen to wisdom and steer yourself in the path toward Jesus. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1691
If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; if you scoff, you alone will bear it. Proverbs 9:12 – Solomon is once again comparing the life that follows after wisdom to the life that settles in folly. If one chooses to be wise, meaning contextually that they have a reverence for the Lord and a deep pursuit of His word and ways, we see in our passage that they are wise for themselves. Yet so is the opposite, if one scoffs at wisdom and chooses folly as their path in life, they’ll bear that alone too. Now is this meaning that our choice of wisdom or follow only affects us? That our choice to pursue God or reject God is only going to impact our life? Not at all, if you choose to be wise and follow the ways of the Lord, or if you choose to follow and reject the ways of the Lord, everyone around you will taste the effects of that choice. Yet who will be the one who feels the most impact of that choice? You. We must understand this choice of wisdom/folly, pursuing God or not pursuing God, is a choice that not only impacts our day-to-day lives, but it effects our eternity. If we reject the teachings of the Lord and we turn from His word, then certainly we will not find the peace, joy, and blessings that He offers in this life, but even more serious than that is we will miss out on the eternal salvation from our sin. Know then today this call out from wisdom to sit at her table and eat her food is truly a call to sit at the Lord’s table and eat of His blessing of life for eternity. Wisdom embraces the truth of the Lord, folly rejects it altogether. Be not wise in your own eyes, but instead fear the Lord and turn from evil. Answer the call that is being made from the heights to come and be with the Lord in His house and enjoy the life only He can give. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2917
Chapter 10
He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame. Proverbs 10:5 – What’s your harvest that you are supposed to be gathering? Even while I live in Kansas I don’t do the whole farming life so this verse doesn’t apply to me that way. Which is fine because I believe it has an even deeper meaning than just the superficial. When in Matthew 9:37 it speaks about how plentiful the harvest is yet how few the workers are, is it just talking about crops? No, it’s saying we have a purpose from God and we need to get on it. For us our purpose is to share the love of God with everyone and to worship Him. So let’s be prudent, or responsible, children of God and take care of our harvest before it’s too late. Remember there are people today in this season of your life that you may never have the same connection with like you do now again. Let’s begin the work of sharing. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 681
What the wicked dreads will come upon him, but the desire of the righteous will be granted. When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more, but the righteous is established forever. Proverbs 10:24-25 – If you are pursuing a walk with Jesus today, then you have no reason to fear tomorrow. God, who knows your thoughts from afar, who knows your true desires in life, will provide for you in your tomorrow. What the verse also speaks to is the tomorrow of those that are seeking something other than Jesus. What they dread to come will come, that the wicked will be no more. What your tomorrow will hold is decided by your choices today. You can have deep peace concerning tomorrow if you choose today to follow Jesus. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1692
Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him. Proverbs 10:26 – As we step into the next dozen or so chapters, let us understand that each verse will be its own proverb and have its unique meaning. So rarely will they connect with the following verses and are to be understood by themselves. Here we see a description being given to us on how a sluggard, a lazy person, is to those who he serves. He is like vinegar to the teeth and smoke in the eyes. Vinegar to the teeth is irritating and painful, and so is standing by a fire and getting smoke in your eyes. The thought then is the one who is lazy at carrying out their master’s command is irritating to the master and painful to him. As we then take that into our context, how irritating is a follower of Jesus to Jesus who is sluggish in carrying out his mission? God is telling us that when we have a command from Him, we ought to never be sluggish in carrying it out. We are commanded to love one another, to forgive one another, to serve one another, and to share the Gospel (alongside side other things too). How often though do we find ourselves “lazy” in doing such things? Procrastinating, saying we’re not ready for that yet, saying we will when that other person does _____. Let us as followers of God be quick to be faithful to His commands. Being like smoke to the eyes of the Lord, irritating and painful, should cause us to quicken our step today in our obedience to His word. Be faithful and be diligent in your faithfulness. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2918
Chapter 11
One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. Proverbs 11:24-25 – Here we see a lesson that heavily goes against much of what the world says. We learn from this passage that those who give out have more. Those who give encouragement will find support for themselves. Those that help will find help. Those that hold back from giving anything will find themselves lacking help when they need it. Don’t listen to the lie that to make it to the top you have to hold all that you have close to you and never share. Giving out is what will create the trust and bonds with people that will have your back when you need it and will help you get to where you’re going. Giving, not withholding, is what will push you into further success. Always remember that healthy relationships with people and God is far more valuable than any dollar amount you can have in your bank account. Invest in what really matters. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 682
When the wicked dies, his hope will perish, and the expectation of wealth perishes too. Proverbs 11:7 – His hope will die. That’s a scary thing to read and dwell on. Hope is the thing that keeps us going. When life is rough, our hope is what inspires us to move to take another step. Yet here, hope dies. For the wicked, his hope perishes. This means all the things he is expecting to save him in his day of trouble die and fade, making it impossible for them to be there for him when he needs them. His own strength perishes, wealth perishes, his position perishes. We need a place to put our hope that will never perish. The only one in all of existence that can be our source of never-perishing hope is Jesus. All other things perish and can’t stand the test of time like Jesus. Chase after Jesus then, the only source of hope that will fully provide when you need it most. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1693
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise. Proverbs 11:30 – While Solomon would not have had Paul’s writings yet to study, we see that Solomon understood the concept of the fruits of the Spirit. That the result of a life living in obedience to the Lord’s word is fruit that brings life to themselves, and as we see in the second part of the verse, to others as well. We see that the one who “captures souls” is wise. What this means is the one who is about sharing the Gospel and winning lives to the Lord is a wise person. While the gospel as we know it wasn’t on Solomon’s mind when he penned this proverb, he was meaning the one who leads people into a right relationship of obedience and faithfulness to the Lord is a wise person. God longs for His people to be wise like this. To be capturing souls. To be out in our daily lives at work and school and the gym and at home seeking to win lives to Jesus Christ. If we then are seeking out what is the wisest way to handle ourselves in life, let this verse be your answer. The wisest thing you can do in your life is be about people hearing the Gospel. Why is that the wisest thing? Because when that is what your life is about, then you are living in obedience to the Lord and that is a lifestyle the Lord is waiting to bless. Life for yourself is what you find in such a righteous life, and life for others is also found from such a life. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2919
Chapter 12
Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad. Proverbs 12:25 – What a practical word for us this morning. The anxiety in your heart is bringing you down. The worry is bringing you down. We see though that a good word can make one glad so let me today share a good word to help you with your anxiety. Read Matthew 6:25-34. You’ll see the God who loves you reminding you of how valuable you are to Him and also how capable He is of taking care of every aspect of your life. He tells you not to be filled with anxiety and worry about tomorrow because He is in control of tomorrow. Don’t let anxiety weight you down today, let the good Word of God lift your head when He tells you that you’re valuable to Him and He has your tomorrow securely in His hands. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 683
Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but those who plan peace have joy. Proverbs 12:20 – Plan peace. Other translations read “those who promote peace” or “to the counselors of peace.” Scripture is reminding us the ones who seeks out peace with God and peace with others finds joy. Let’s then check ourselves with this, how often are we the peacemaker? Does the way we speak, react, and act cultivate peace between others? Are we actively creating ways for people to find peace with God? Are we planning peace? Are we doing what we can with the time we’ve been given to promote peace between God and people or are we sitting back watching division remain? Here scripture tells you a direct way you can find joy in your life…plan peace. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1694
No one is established by wickedness, but the root of the righteous will never be moved. Proverbs 12:3 – As I read this proverb my thoughts go to the story Jesus told of the house built on the sand and the house built on the rock. That story gives such clarity to this idea of how lasting sinfulness and establishing our lives in wickedness is. We may find ourselves deep in sin, and even finding great worldly success attached to our sin. We may bring in loads of money, we may have the attention of the world, and we may have every fleshly desire satisfied in every way. While it seems like that life has it all, it’s truly a house built on the sand for nothing built upon wickedness lasts. Then when we see a humble life that is pursuing faithfulness, we may see it as lacking any success. Maybe there is not much in the back account, the social media followers are few, and fleshly desires are set aside rather then entertained. From a worldly perspective such a life seems to be a failure and waste, but from the perspective of Heaven such a righteous life is a castle built on a rock. It will withstand the wind and waves and will last for eternity. Scripture is calling us to make the decision which sort of life we long to be after. A life that fulfills temporarily our sinful desires but will eventually crumble leaving us with nothing, or a life that pursues Jesus that will steadily and eternally bring blessing. While it seems an easy choice, that choice is tested often as the pathway to sin opens for us. As tempting as the sin may be, remember that nothing lasting comes from such a path. If you want to be about something that truly lasts, be about Jesus. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2920
Chapter 13
Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless, but sin overthrows the wicked. Proverbs 13:6 – I want to highlight that last phrase today, “sin overthrows the wicked.” That for the wicked, the very thing they were banking on giving them purpose and life actually becomes the thing that strips both away. It’s much like if you had a team and you picked the team members and one in particular you thought was going to carry the team to the top. Yet everyone told you don’t bring them on because they were trouble but you did anyways. In the end, they ruined you. That’s was scripture is trying to keep you from. Sin, in its temptation, makes it seem like the team member that will take you all the way, but it will ruin you. It will take everything from you which is why Jesus chose to die on the cross to give you a means away from it. Listen to scripture’s wise instruction. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 684
The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. Proverbs 13:4 – Recently I was asked how do you help someone find joy and peace when all they exist in is discouragement and depression. My answer to them follows in line with what this verse promises us. It’s easy for us to say we want to have a daily walk with God. We can crave all the things it gives us; the joy, peace, rest, and strength that comes from Him. Yet if we never actually lean into our life with Him, then we find ourselves in the “sluggard’s” situation. Craving yet getting nothing. We can’t expected to be refilled when we choose not to chase after the one who refills. Do we want joy, peace, and rest? Then be diligent in your pursuit of Jesus daily and find what you are looking for. What you need is not only available but it’s being offered to you. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1695
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12 – This upcoming Sunday we will begin our advent series for Christmas by beginning with teaching on hope. When it comes to the Lord, hope is a confident expectation for we can be certain of what He promises. Yet, even with such a confidence, when the fulfillment of such promises are lengthy in time, it can be difficult for us and can make our “hearts sick.” We know He will bring peace, but we just aren’t seeing it yet. We know He’ll take care of our need, but the need is still present. In that wait is where we need one another’s encouragement to remain hopeful in the Lord. For He will come through, and the fulfilling of what He has promised will be worth any wait. Paul even wrote how even navigating these worldly troubles will be so worth it when we see heaven’s glory. For yes, the wait for the fulfillment of what God has promised to us can be beyond difficult and so trying to our faith. When He though comes through for us as He said He would, life is the result. Continue in your patience, continue to surround yourself with others who will encourage your waiting on the Lord, and do the same for them. You can be assured what God has promised He will fulfill, yet in the waiting for the fulfillment is where we need faith and one another. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2921
Chapter 14
A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot. Proverbs 14:30 – I wonder if this verse was part of Paul’s mindset when he wrote that he had learned the secret of being content in every situation. That being at peace about your life and the circumstances you are in is better than always longing for the life of someone else. Where you begin to trust that God has a reason for giving you what He has and what He hasn’t. Otherwise the life you’re looking at according to this verse is one where envy begins to rot away at your life eating its way through your peace and joy. Even if it means a drastic mindset change, begin pursing a contentment with what God has chosen to give you. Trust He really does know what He is doing in your life. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 685
Fools mock at the guilt offering, but the upright enjoy acceptance. Proverbs 14:9 – I wrote this note in my Bible a few years ago and I still just love the message of it. “Until you have become wise to your brokenness you won’t see the value of an offering and the acceptance it brings.” If you don’t believe you’re broken, then why give anything to God if He’s done nothing for you? The upright and wise though see their story differently. They know the brokenness they were once in and they see clearly all that God has done for them. They can look in a mirror and they know it’s only because of God they are standing there breathing. That’s why their reaction to an offering to God is so different than a fool’s, they know the One they are giving back to has saved their life. If then your story has been changed because of Jesus, does your attitude towards giving back to Him need a change as well? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1696
The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways, and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways. Proverbs 14:14 – I’ve never had the chance yet in my life to see an ocean, certainly not go out on a boat sailing within the ocean. Yet even though I’ve never done such things yet, I’m wise enough to know that it would not be smart of me to just turn the boat off and hope the boat stays right where I stopped it. I know there are strong currents that will take the boat far from where I stopped. I don’t have to use any fuel or expend any energy, but I’ll find myself drifting far away. Such is the one who “stops” in their walk with the Lord. The backslider may not be someone who is actively pursuing sinful things, just the person who has put a pause on their pursuit of God. Not praying, not reading scripture, not going to church…just doing life like everybody else. What we see in scripture being taught to us is such a life does not fill you with the good things of God, but it is a drifting into sin and the fruit that sin offers. Things like grief, loss, depression, worry, and pain. The message then is to understand that if we aren’t actively pursuing the Lord, we are actively drifting into sin. Both paths offer their fruit to us, we just must choose which fruit we want our ways to be filled with. Love, joy, peace, patience, etc.? Those are found on the path of actively pursuing the Lord. The life of a backsliding, lukewarm believer is saddening to the Lord and lacking of any good thing for the believer. Choose the path of a good, faithful walk after the Lord. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2922
Chapter 15
Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it. Proverbs 15:16 – What I’m noticing as I read through Proverbs is that the wise author truly saw the pointlessness of giving all you had to gaining worldly success. That living your life, and giving your life, for the pursuit of wealth and power really didn’t get you anywhere if the pursuit of God wasn’t there. We see that in today’s passage. That great treasure without God doesn’t compare to having little yet with God. Remember then today the best thing you can do to find true success in life is to pursue God. Yes, go hard at work, be creative and do your best at your goals because that’s honoring to God as well. Just don’t let the pursuit of what the world says to pursue distract you from your pursuit of God. Run after what will bring you what you really need. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 686
Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it. Proverbs 15:17 -I’ve had meals where all I had was simply some cheap trail mix and loved it and I’ve had fancy meals and hated it. Why? Because I’m cheap? Well, maybe a little, but what made the meal good/bad was the company and the health of those connections I was sitting with. See this passage reminds us what’s most important, the relationships in our life. Not what you eat, what you’re doing, or where you’re at, but who you’re with and the health of your relationship with them. Seek then to have love flow strongly within your relationships with others. If there is a lacking of peace or tension with someone today, seek to resolve that so love can flow freely again. If love is the piece that changes everything in a relationship for the good, then let’s not stop until it’s over and within every relationship we have. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1697
Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed. Proverbs 15:22 – In the leadership world, I’ve heard this quote spoken, “If you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together.” For we learn even from this proverb we alone can make plans. We are able to come up with grand ideas all by ourselves, but what we see is the result of bringing no one else along for the journey. Personal experience has shown me plans made alone often have issues that could have been avoided if other eyes other than just my own looked at the plans. I’ve also been humbled and seen how others can truly bring things to the plans I never could have or would have never even thought to bring. Listen then to the wisdom of this proverb, bring other people into your planning. Avoid avoidable mistakes, accomplish greater things than your plans could come up with alone, and go further than you could take yourself. Realize the enemy loves as well to work on us in isolation. He will take advantage of this working alone to fuel our pride, our anxiety, and our tensions we have in relationships. The enemy wants you to fail, but the Lord wants to see you succeed. Find those who are wise in the Lord and have demonstrated already a love for you in this life. Drop the pride in thinking you can do this alone, bring their eyes and experience into your planning, and see the Lord’s blessings on your plans when you handle them in the way He told you to. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2923
Chapter 16
The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble. Proverbs 16:4 – Hear today from this verse a message you may have needed spoken to you…you have a purpose. God made you and made you for your purpose. You were not given breath in your lungs and woken up today for no reason. You have a purpose. What is it? To love God and love people. Today your purpose is to grow deeper in your relationship with your Heavenly Father and to love those around you by sharing God’s love with them. Your freedom today is how you choose to do both of those things. Just don’t ever wake up thinking your life is without purpose. That’s just the enemy trying to stop you from fulfilling what God created you to do. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 687
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. Proverbs 16:25 – We can be wrong. As much as we study, as much as we plan, as much as we are sure that a direction for our life is right, we can be wrong. What’s worse is the consequence of our being wrong is death. We must then seek direction from someone greater than us. Greater than any human leader, greater than anyone around us. That’s where Jesus comes in. His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are higher than ours. The path He leads us on leads to life; the path we walk without Him leads to death. If then the path we choose on our own has the not just the risk of failure but the promise of death, why take even another step down that path? God is offering a new path that leads to life, joy, and peace. Turn to Him today and seek out a life with Him. – Mac – Daily DEVO 1698
Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body. Proverbs 16:24 – One day when I worked at the zoo, we had a zookeeper bring in fresh honeycomb harvested from the beehive at the zoo for us to eat. It was the freshest honey I’ve ever tasted and the sweetness of it was addicting. Any level of exhaustion we were dealing with after working that day was set aside for that moment completely because of the honeycomb’s sweetness in our mouth. Scripture says such are gracious words to those who speak them. When we speak words with gentleness and kindness, when we seek to encourage and build one another up, and when we demonstrate love with our words, we are taught in scripture this refreshes the soul and brings health to the body. While it is a blessing to have that said in scripture, we’ve experienced the truth of this in our own life when someone has spoken gracious and loving words to us. We felt seen, loved, and wanted…it was sweetness to our soul and health to our body. Let us have our words be like sweet honeycomb to those who hear our words. We won’t be about tearing people down or being bitter to their soul, but we’ll be grace-givers. Examining then how we spoke this past week at all our Thanksgivings gatherings, would you say your words added to the sweetness of the gathering or added to the bitterness? If bitterness, begin today by reaching out to those you hurt and begin speaking gracious words to them. Scripture says it will bring healing, let us trust God’s word won’t fail. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2924
Chapter 17
The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out. Proverbs 17:14 – I had written this note in my Bible awhile ago concerning this verse. “It will start small but will grow much larger and you can never predict the damage it will cause.” Never think that a grudge against someone or anger towards them won’t cause collateral damage. You may think it’s only going to damage the one you are directing your anger at but there are innocent bystanders like children, spouses, coworkers, and church family that will be hurt in the process of you letting out that anger towards someone. It’s like the opening of an dam during a flood, the water will rush out hitting anything in its path, including the things you wish to protect. That’s why this verse says quit before even the fight starts. Forgive and find forgiveness. While that may be a hit to your pride, it’s better than lifelong damage to the ones you love because you let your bitterness flow. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 688
Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends. Proverbs 17:9 – When it says “covers an offense” don’t think of someone trying to hide a wrong done so they don’t get in trouble. It’s meaning they are seeking to not dwell on the wrong done to them, to “cover it up” from their focus. Scripture says the person that seeks to not dwell on the hurt done to them is one who seeks love once again with others. This should be the way we respond to the hurt done to us. Not to dwell deeply on it, harboring anger and allowing evil thoughts to fester. This doesn’t mean we should always stay close to those who hurt us, the very next line speaks on how those who repeat a hurt creates separation between people. Our goal should always be to seek and show forgiveness. No matter the hurt, no matter who it is. Jesus is calling us to follow His lead on this and He never put qualifiers on His forgiveness. Seek love and peace always with others as far it depends on you. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1699
Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent. Proverbs 16:27-28 – Most of the proverbs don’t have a general theme to the chapter, but is simply a gathering and arranging of Solomon’s proverbs. Chapter 17 though has a small theme about seeking peace with one another. It teaches about seeking love to cover offenses in verse 9 and about the wisdom of setting aside strife so it doesn’t cause lasting damaging in verse 14. In these last two verses we see the wisdom of silence. Often the easy move is to speak and let the unchecked emotions fly. Someone hurt us, someone was rude to us, or someone did something to a loved one…and we open our mouth in response…and often what comes out is not a blessing. Scripture is reminding us that the peace-bringing, godly choice in these situations that are ripe for hurting one another is to hold your words and cool down. Words said in anger are usually not the best words we could say in a situation and handling another person in the heat of an argument usually leads to things we’ll have to seek forgiveness over later. Scripture says even a fool who gets this and remains silent at such times is deemed intelligent and wise. Force yourself then in situations to pause, breathe, and approach possibly volatile situations with a cool attitude that is not fueled by frustration or anger. Stay your words and possibly step away if needed for a moment. You will better love one another and better represent our Savior when you restrain your words in these heated times and instead approach with gentleness and patience. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2925
Chapter 18
A man’s spirit will endure sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear? Proverbs 18:14 – When you break down the word depression I see it lining up with our verse well. Depression is being downwardly press. We have an enemy who is pressing down on us with heavy weights keeping our face in the dirt rather than standing in joy and peace. I see that matching up with what our verse said about a crushed spirit. Who can keep going when their spirit is just being crushed and pressed down into the dirt? While I realize depression is a true struggle many people deal with, I also know how big and powerful our God is. Know if you battle depression and you know well this feeling of being crushed as the verse talks about, I’m not going to push aside your battle as something small. It’s real, but you must remember your God is real to and is much bigger than your depression. Maybe that’s why in verse 10, just a few verses before the one we’re looking at today, we see God being labeled a strong tower that the righteous can come to and find safety from their enemy. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 689
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. Proverbs 18:21 – Our tongue is spoken of quite often in scripture. The words that come out can be filled with worship to God and hate towards a brother all within the same breathe. Our passage today reminds us that we’ll partake in the fruit our words grow. If we speak love, then the fruit of peace, life, and togetherness are fruits we’ll partake in. If we speak hate, then the fruit of stress, death, and isolation are fruits we’ll have to eat. The words we speak determine what fruit we eat. Speak life and eat of the good fruit that brings you. What is one area of your life that often words of life aren’t the ones you use? Today seek out how you can begin changing the way you speak there so the fruit you are growing are things you actually want to partake in. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1700
The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body. Proverbs 18:8 – This proverb is highlighting our natural desire to want to hear things we shouldn’t listen to. Gossip, rumors, inappropriate talk; all such things fall into the “whispering” category of this verse. The natural instinct for us is to gravitate towards such words as we would a tasty treat. We consume the words, and as the passage continues we see where such words end up…deep within us. They affect us and change us for words have such power. See the importance that we ought to be wise with what words we take in. Compare this to Jeremiah 15:16, “Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts.” The prophet is declaring he too ate some words, but it wasn’t the delicious, yet harmful, morsels of a whisperer, instead the words he took in were the words of the Lord. Consuming such words brought joy and delight to his heart. Know today you have the choice of what words you allow into your life and what words go down deep within you. You can filter our which people you listen to, what podcasts you listen to, what music you listen to, and even the amount of time you spend on social media. You also control how much time you spend in God’s word. Often things in our life seem totally out of our control, this though is something within our control. Choose today which meal you want to be taking in, the words of a whisperer or the words of the Lord? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2926
Chapter 19
The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth. Proverbs 19:24 – God is all about us having rest, but He isn’t a supporter of laziness. Imagine a bowl of soup and someone just flops their hand into the bowl and leaves it there. Not only are have they ruined their bowl of soup and made a mess, they don’t even get filled because they never even ate any of it. We see the wastefulness of that and God desires us to see the wastefulness laziness is in our life. The soup is the life God has given us. It’s warm and full of potential and provision. Yet if we find ourselves just lazily going through life never accomplishing the mission God has given us it’s like flopping our hand into a bowl of soup and leaving it there. We missed out on the possibilities and provision life with God could bring because we were to lazy to get up and do anything. Don’t let today be one where you do nothing within your walk with God. Read your Bible, pray, encourage someone, talk about Jesus with someone. Netflix is good, but doing God’s will for your life is so much better. How will you use your day? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 690
All a poor man’s brothers hate him; how much more do his friends go far from him! He pursues them with words, but does not have them. Proverbs 19:7 – When it says pursues them with words, it’s thought to mean the poor man is reminding his “friends” of the promises they made to always love and take care of him yet gets nothing from them in return. Yet even after studying this the true meaning I’m struggling to understand, but one message does come out of this to me this morning. Jesus isn’t like this poor man’s brother or friends. Jesus will remain in your story. For richer or for poorer, for better or for worse, Jesus is committed to you. You can remind Him of the promises He made to you and He’ll always fulfill them. Jesus isn’t going anywhere from your story. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac- Daily DEVO 1701
Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense. Proverbs 19:11 – Here we find a passage that has the potential to change lives and relationships if followed. First we see the pathway to becoming someone who is slow to getting angry…good sense. This is meaning the more wisdom we have the slower we will be to unleashing our anger on someone for something unworthy of such a response. We see the wise person is also willing to see the benefit of overlooking a wrong done to them. This is not meaning a wise person is content being a punching bag for people, but they are willing to see the bigger picture and the possible reasons behind another person’s hurtful actions. The wise person also knows how deeply they have been forgiven by the Lord and such a knowledge shapes how they pardon others. A wise person then is willing to not react quickly with anger and is willing to think clearly about a situation before responding. A wise person also understands hurt people hurt people, and remembers they too have hurt others and been forgiven, so they forgive like they’ve been forgiven. Can you see how this verse, if followed, can change lives and relationships? Imagine a relationship that anger wasn’t ever the first response and that when we mess up they aren’t about holding it over our heads but are willing to figure out how to make things right. This is the Lord with us, and this is the sort of life the Lord is calling His followers to live. Be wise, be slow to anger, be willing to forgive. The more we understand and cherish this is how the Lord has been with us, the more this will become our posture with other people. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2927
Chapter 20
Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love, but a faithful man who can find? Proverbs 20:6 – I’ve had many of the students at our church express they have seen this verse play out at their school, let’s see if you can relate as well. It’s speaking about the people who proclaim they have a faithful walk with God and love to boast about their holy deeds, yet there isn’t any real devotion to God outside of their words. Hence why it says a faithful man, one who actually does what he says he does for God, is hard to find. Maybe you to have seen people like this who say they’re a Christian but live a life quite opposite of their words. Rather than trashing those people, let’s just make sure we aren’t like that. Say you follow Jesus and live like you follow Jesus. While those who a faithful may be hard to find, let’s be those who are faithful trying to be found. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 691
Steadfast love and faithfulness preserve the king, and by steadfast love his throne is upheld. Proverbs 20:28 – Love is what preserves and upholds. Not power, not wealth, not armies, not knowledge, not reputation. Love. What will keep you and uphold your life is love. Let love be what you dwell deeply in and allow it to be intertwined within all you do. It will be what keeps you, holds you up, supports you, and carries you through life. Oh, and remember what 1 John 4:8 says about love…God is love. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1702
Who can say, “I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin”? Proverbs 20:9 – Anyone who can raise their hand and declare this verse is speaking of them is sorely mistaken. Our proverbs speaks of someone who is able to say they themselves have purified their heart, and they themselves have cleaned them up from their sinfulness. What a proud posture to take and what a foolish posture to have as well. We ourselves are never able to purify and clean ourselves up. Scripture is clear that outside of a relationship with the Lord, mankind is sinful, depraved, and unable to reach the holiness God is calling us to. If we ever wanted our story to be different than that, we must have another set of hands in our life doing the cleaning up of our life. Yes, that is humbling, and yes, that may be frustrating even to some. Yet when we finally come to accept this truth and embrace the holy hands of Jesus in our life, there we can find new life. Jesus can make our heart pure and Jesus can clean us up from our sin. Jesus makes us a new creation and causes the old us to pass away. Jesus is the one that makes us holy in God’s eyes. Settle today in the truth that alone we could never achieve such holiness, but embrace that truth that Jesus is here and not only is able to make us pure, He longs to do so. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2928
Chapter 21
No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the Lord. The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord. Proverbs 21:30-31 – Nothing is more powerful than God’s power. Nothing can keep standing without God’s allowance and help. What we see in these verses is an acknowledgment of God’s absolute majesty and strength. Today I hope you as well are taking the time to acknowledge the same. Remember His power and ability. Remember who He really is, the God who created the universe by speaking. If He is for us like He says He is, then truly no scheme of our enemy has any chance against God and those faithfully following Him. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 692
The Righteous One observes the house of the wicked; he throws the wicked down to ruin. Proverbs 21:12 – God sees what the wicked are doing. Often it can feel as if the enemy and those who oppose God are having so many victories in our world. Signs of opposition to all that from God also can seem to be nowhere to be found. It can cause us to become discouraged and hopeless. Read though what this verse tells us, God is watching and His plan is not for evil to have the victory. The wicked will be thrown into ruin and the enemy will lose. That’s the plan and that’s the truth we must rally behind. Yes, when we see the news or scroll on social media or even in some conversations we have at church the lies that the enemy is winning can be so overwhelming. Scripture though speaks the truth we need to hear and believe. God is watching and God is taking care of things. Trust He has everything under control. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1703
Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor. Proverbs 21:21 – As we read through proverbs its clear the writer understands the different paths in life we all can choose to pursue. We can choose the path that craves sin and evil things. On such a path we’ll be accepted and embraced by much of the world. We’ll find all our fleshly cravings temporarily satisfied and it will seem as if we are existing in total freedom from any higher power over our life. It will seem great…until it doesn’t anymore. What scripture is revealing is that life, righteousness, and honor does not come from a life of pursuing the evil things of the world. Instead what is offered to us is the opposite; dishonor and humiliation, unrighteousness and wickedness, and finally death instead of the life we were chasing after. Yet we can also choose the path of living in the right way that God calls us to live and choosing to live in a kind, merciful posture towards others. On that path is where we find our ability to stand holy with the Lord, to find honor in this life, and to have the life we so desperately long for and need. While yes there are many paths we can walk down in this life, see that there is only one path that leads to life. The path of following the Lord. Be wise enough to see beyond the scam of the enemy telling you that other paths will offer you more. What could be “more” than forgiveness of all your sins, Heaven for eternity, and a loving relationship with the all-powerful God who created the universe? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2929
Chapter 22
Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out, and quarreling and abuse will cease. Proverbs 22:10 –
Sometimes a disconnect from certain people will be the only way you can begin finding the peace you’ve been after. A scoffer is a disagreeable, unpleasant person; a type of person I would guess all of us have encountered once or twice. They are the ones that cause you the come home after work still worked up over things they said or did. They are the ones in your family that can’t make it through a holiday without causing a fuss. This passage says we are to drive them out so the damage they cause will leave to. In some cases like if this person was just a friend we could literally disconnect from them, but we can’t just not interact with our boss or not speak to our spouse so how can we “drive out the scoffer” with someone that is going to stay in our life? My advice is to drive them out of your worries by handing them over to God in prayer. That sounds churchy I know, but while you can’t drive them out of your life you can drive out the negative mindset surrounding them by leaning on God concerning them and handing them over to Him. Allow yourself you reach out to God with every encounter you have with these individuals to help you handle them. It’s amazing what can happen in a relationship with someone when God is invited into it. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 693
Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare. Proverbs 22:24-25 – You become like who spend time with. Here the example given is an angry man. If you spend all your time with those who let anger run unchecked in their life that will most likely begin to be a way you behave as well. This is true of so many things as well. Pride, hate, gossiping, laziness, apathy. Yet it can also work for our good. You can spend time with people who exude joy and compassion and that will have an effect on you as well. And the best example is the more time you spend with Jesus the more like Him you will become. So who right now are you around the most? If you became exactly like them in the way they live, act, and speak, are you good with that? Is that result closer to what God wants for you or further away? Be willing to make the changes on who you exist with not only for yourself but for God and the precious people in your life that look up to you. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1704
The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!” Proverbs 22:13 – Scripture, and especially Proverbs, does not speak highly of laziness. We’ve seen repeatedly scripture speak about the foolishness of laziness and how it will bring about the death of those who remain in it. Here we see the lazy man making excuses to justify his lack of action. “There’s a lion out there and I would die if I stepped out those doors!” This line was to show just how desperate the sluggard was to remain doing nothing, for there was no lion. It would be like us saying today, “I can’t go to work today, I may get run over by a train while one my way there!” Yes…it is possible that may happen, but extremely unlikely and not a valid excuse to remain home and do nothing. As I was studying though this passage, I couldn’t help but connect this with our Gospel efforts. How often do we say we can’t share because there’s a “lion” outside? “They’ll make fun of me if I share,” “I won’t be accepted there anymore,” “I don’t know enough scripture to share.” While it can be scary and it can be overwhelming to share the Gospel, when God gives us a command, we must understand excuses like this aren’t going to cut it. There very well may be a lion outside, but God’s made it clear He can handle a roaring lion. Refuse the temptation of laziness when it comes to sharing the Gospel. For when we stay indoors letting the “lions” keep us from sharing the good news, know there are many lost outside being consumed by the real enemy, never knowing there was a Savior there to save them. Stand out, step outside, and begin the work you’ve been called to do, and all the while trust Jesus can handle the lions. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2930
Chapter 23
Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day. Proverbs 23:17 – What is it about those who run after sinful, worldly things that makes you attracted to their life? Is it the rush they get? Is it the pleasure they are having? Is it the popularity that comes so easily with that lifestyle? How about the broken relationships because they only thought of their selfish desires? How about the years of guilt and shame that follows the moments of pleasure? How about the aloneness that comes once the party is over? You must remember that the life of sin has much more that comes with it than just the pleasure. Our enemy loves to try and make us forget about all the consequences that come after the high and party, we must though remember. I understand the temptations as well as you do, but I’ve also learned living a guilt-free, shame-free life because I’ve chosen to follow Jesus is so much better than a weekend of sinful pleasure. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 694
My son, if your heart is wise, my heart too will be glad. My inmost being will exult when your lips speak what is right. Proverbs 23:15-16 – I hear God as our Heavenly Father speaking this over us. If our heart is chasing after His wisdom it will make His heart glad. When we speak what is true and right His Spirit jumps for joy within Him. God loves seeing His children pursue Him and speaking His truth to others. How then can you make God’s heart glad today? What’s a way you can seek to know Him and His wise ways better today? What’s a way you can speak what is right today? Whatever your answer, set your heart after it today. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1705
Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding. Proverbs 23:23 – Solomon, the writer of Proverbs, has truly placed a high value on things like truth and wisdom. He has said they are better than the riches of the world and the most delectable treats. He has said that we are to pursue such things with our whole life, setting aside all foolish and deceptive things. Now he even says straightforwardly…buy it and never sell it. Truth, wisdom, instruction, and understanding are things worth paying the highest cost to get. While such things can’t literally be bought off a shelf at Walmart like flour or bread, such things can be sacrificed for. We can give our time to gaining such things, we can give up bad relationships, we can even give up our dreams to pursue what God is calling us to pursue. These are high costs, and we must be willing to pay it. While Solomon didn’t have this in mind when he wrote this proverb, we on the other side of the cross can take this idea of “Truth” a little further knowing that in John 14 Jesus calls Himself the Truth. No, we can’t buy Jesus, but we are certainly called to sacrifice for Him. To be willing to give up our sin and give up our wayward life for Him. For He is worthy of every cost, and why would we ever give up what we have with Christ for we could never find anything better in this world than Him! Pursue truth, pursue Jesus, and be willing to give up whatever cost may arise to have both. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2931
Chapter 24
If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. Proverbs 24:10 – So how can we make sure we don’t faint when the struggle comes? None of us want to be the one one the ground too exhausted to keep going when life brings about a struggle, so how can we increase our strength? Lean on a stronger person. In Ephesians 6:13 it speaks about placing on yourself the whole armor of God so that you can stand during the struggle and at the end of the struggle still be standing. Both Proverbs and Ephesians acknowledge the presence of struggles in our life but we also see we can have two different outcomes for our life from the struggles. On the ground passed out or remaining standing. The difference between the two is if you leaning on and taking in the strength of God in your story. Today, find some quality time with God somehow and let Him encourage and strengthen you. He is your means of remaining standing throughout and after the struggle. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 695
Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. Proverbs 24:11 – Wasn’t sure what your plans were today? Confused about your purpose today? Today’s passage then gives you your answer. Your plans and purpose today is to rescue those who are walking towards death and stumbling to their end. We have friends, neighbors, coworkers, and even family members who today if they passed away they wouldn’t spend their forever with Jesus. What then can you do today to rescue them from this end to their story? How can you tell them about Jesus? Know if you ever want to talk about Him or know how to start a relationship with Him, I’m always here to walk with your through all that. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1706
Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house. Proverbs 24:27 – A very practical proverb…prepare before you build. For only the fool would stand up and say, I’m going to build a house and start immediately hammering wood together. No plans were made, no supplies were bought, and the ground wasn’t prepared for the build. Solomon’s wisdom was to prepare before you build. Make sure the ground is level and hardened so you can begin building. Make sure you’ve gathered the supplies you need to begin the construction. After you’ve gotten everything ready and together, then build the house. Again, a practical proverb that speaks some great wisdom for all the house builders out there, but does this apply spiritually? Let us recall we too are house builders in a spiritually sense. In Matthew 7 we find the story Jesus gave of the man who built on the sand and the man who built on the rock. This passage was referring to the spiritual life we are building and what foundation we are building upon. We too can be impatient and find ourselves building our life on just whatever seems to hold us at the moment. We can forsake the planning and thinking ahead, and just start throwing things together to get further in life and gain more worldly wealth. God though is speaking words of wisdom to us, prepare before you build. Build on the right foundation and use the right supplies. God is the solid rock foundation we are called to build on and that ground is ready and prepared for us. God’s wisdom and ways are the right supplies to build with and they are too available. Today, begin building and keep building using such things, and then you will begin to see an honoring to the Lord house take shape. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2932
Chapter 25
Whoever sings songs to a heavy heart is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, and like vinegar on soda. Proverbs 25:20 – This passage might be exactly what you have been needing a reminder of. Often when we have someone in our life with a “heavy heart” meaning someone discouraged, grieving, or even depressed, we try so hard to figure our what to say to make things better. We search for the right words and the right things to do yet often we come up short and those things don’t end up having the results you wanted. So what can we do to help? Sometimes just being present with someone who has a heavy heart is what they need. No “singing songs” like the passage says, not trying to say the right phrase, just being there even silently with them can go along ways. Let them know you are there for them and with them and so is Jesus. Never underestimate the impact of just sitting with someone through something can have. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 696
Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the soul of his masters. Proverbs 25:13 – Do we refresh the soul of our Master who has sent us? We’ve been given a message and have been sent out to faithfully carry the message of God’s love to everyone. As I sit here in a hotel breakfast area writing this, seeing people here from all around that most likely I’ll never get a chance to see or speak to again, am I faithfully carrying the message here? They see me here with my Bible open studying it and praying, but am I open to speaking about it with them if the opportunity came? I suppose my point for today is be faithfully carrying the message at all times. With people you know and around people you don’t. Be a refreshing servant to God our loving master because we are faithfully carrying the message to those He has sent us to. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1707
If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you. Proverbs 25:21-22 – Such verses are likely familiar ones to you for we see them referenced in Matthew 5 and Romans 12 by Jesus and Paul. Whether it was King Solomon, the Apostle Paul, or our Lord Jesus Christ saying it, we must handle our enemy differently than the world tells us to. This mean not celebrating when a person at work that annoys you gets ripped into by the boss. This means not enjoying the sight of the person you can’t stand “getting what’s coming to them.” This mean offering food and water if that’s what will help them. It also can mean giving a helping hand up or a listening ear in their times of trouble. Yes, this is so countercultural to do, but isn’t most everything of Jesus countercultural? What we will see is that our “enemies” won’t know how to handle such kindness being shown to them by you. David Guzik said it wonderfully, “We can destroy an enemy by making them our friend.” Think about that, you can exist today without any human enemies, at least from your point of view, by posturing ourselves in a way that we will treat all people with love, forgiveness, and kindness, just like we would a friend. No, they may still hate you and consider you an enemy, but we don’t have to mirror that back in return. Show love and show kindness even to the ones who have hurt you and allow God to use that obedience to Him to reshape your enemy’s heart. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2933
Chapter 26
For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases. Proverbs 26:20 – I have started many a campfire and have been caught in the middle of many an argument, especially within the church family. So I can clearly see the message given here and the value of it for us today. With a campfire the moment you stop putting wood into it is when it begins to die. Yes it may flare up for a bit but after that the fire will slowly start to die until it goes out because it has nothing to fuel it. So will the arguments and disunity between people. The more you allow it to be fed the more it will keep growing, yet the moment you stop feeding the fire of disunity is when you’ll begin to see the tension die down. So within the relationships you have that are tense, what’s feeding the fire? Choice words, lack of words, lack of forgiveness? How could removing those types of “fuel” impact the relationship? Know without fuel a fire will die, so will disunity when fuel stops being poured on it. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 697
Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips and harbors deceit in his heart; when he speaks graciously, believe him not, for there are seven abominations in his heart; though his hatred be covered with deception, his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly. Proverbs 26:24-26 – Hate has a way of finding itself a way out of you. Maybe you think the hate in your heart is being hidden so well from others by the words you say. You think no one can tell or ever will truly know how you feel about them because nothing mean is coming out of your mouth. Scripture reminds us that what we harbor in our heart eventually comes out and has devastating outcomes. The outcome of hate being released is broken relationships, shattered hopes, and death to peace. Hate should never harbor in our heart. Bring that hate to God, speak with Him about it, and give it to Him. He can handle the weight of that hate, but we can’t. Give to Him the things that if let out from their harbor would only cause pain to us and others. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1708
Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. Proverbs 26:12 – While the whole of Proverbs has not spoken well of “the fool,” this chapter truly speaks against him. Honor should never be given to a fool, a rod should be given to the fool’s back, and we should never even engage with the foolish for we’ll look foolish for even speaking with him. Proverbs truly illustrates the worthlessness and hopelessness for the fool, yet then we find verses like verse twelve and see that as low as a fool may be, there is even someone worse off than a fool. The man who is wise in his own eyes, the prideful man. Yet how do we determine if someone falls into the category of “wise in his own eyes?” One commentator said that a man who no longer seeks out divine guidance from the Lord proves he thinks he can handle life through his own wisdom. We are wise in our own eyes when we stop seeking out the Lord’s wisdom and help in life. What again does scripture say about such a person? There is more hope for a worthless fool than for a person that thinks they can do life without God. The path to the lowest in life one can get is to believe that in this life there is no need for God, no need for His wisdom, and no need for his help in this life. Even the fool who acknowledges their need of the Lord is better than the proud man who says He doesn’t need the Lord. Be wiser than that, see your deep need for the Lord. Be not wise in your own eyes but fear the Lord and turn from evil. Find wisdom and hope in life by coming to the place of acknowledgement of our need of both in this life. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2934
Chapter 27
When the grass is gone and the new growth appears and the vegetation of the mountains is gathered, the lambs will provide your clothing, and the goats the price of a field. Proverbs 27:25-26 – The removal of what shouldn’t be there is when growth and the enjoyment of the provision can take place. The passage says “when the grass is gone.” When the old grass is gone it opens up the opportunity for healthier grass to grow. So ask yourself what “old grass” needs to go so new growth can take place in your life? Is it an old habit, an old and unhealthy friendship, or maybe even an old mindset? Recognize often the growth you’re seeking can’t begin until the old is taken care of. You must make the choice, continue with the old grass and feed off what it gives you, or burn that old grass allowing new to grow and feed off all the abundance that comes with it. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 698
Like a bird that strays from its nest is a man who strays from his home. Proverbs 27:8 – Currently I’m on vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains, sitting outside listening to the birds sing in the morning. Currently I am 872 miles away from home. If I needed help moving something or someone to grab coffee with or someone to listen, it’s not as easy right now being so far away from home. I don’t have my people all around me like I do at home. Scripture is reminding us that if we walk away from home we walk away from the people that support us. Like a baby bird falling from its nest no longer receiving the nourishment it needs. Don’t get this wrong though, while I’m hundreds of miles away, you may only be 3 feet from someone but the relationship is so torn it feels like the other side of the planet. Here’s your message then, go back home. Heal what needs healed, forgive them, ask for forgiveness. Do whatever is needed to find peace. We all need to have a home to dwell in, let’s start the path back if we strayed away. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1709
One who is full loathes honey, but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet. Proverbs 27:7 – Likely we all know it’s a bad idea to go to the grocery store when you’re hungry. Your shopping cart will find itself full of more items than you need all because everything looks tasty to you when you’re hungry! This is the idea of this verse, while honey is sweet at all times, someone who is filled has no desire even for the sweetness of honey. Yet the person who is hungry, anything, even bitter foods sound good to them. On a practical level this makes sense, yet can we see how this resonates with our spiritual life? Jesus is sweeter than honey, always He and what He offers is good and sweet. Yet if we are full of things of this world, even the sweetness that Jesus offers doesn’t sounds good to us. We’ve satisfied our desires with sinful things that we reject the honey, the good things of Jesus. When though we haven’t feed ourselves on the world and all its sinfulness, we have room in our life for what Jesus offers. We are hungry for what He gives, even if sometimes what He gives is hard and difficult, we still long for it because we know what He gives is good for us. Are you then hungry for spiritual things? Do you desire time with Jesus and time with His people? Or are you “full,” not hungry at all for spiritual things and content with where you’re at? Know a heart that is satisfied with this world and has no longing for spiritual things is one that has filled itself with sin. Empty that life of sin, and find a hunger for the sweet honey that Jesus offers. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2935
Chapter 28
Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty. Proverbs 28:19 – Your dream may be the biggest worthless pursuit you could go after today. Meaning you wholeheartedly focusing on and chasing after your dream may be the very thing that leads you to the poverty this passage is speaking of. Why? Is it because your dream isn’t any good? Not at all, I’m sure if God has laid this dream in your heart it is great for you. Is the pursuit of your dream though interfering with the work you are called to do right here right now? Your dreams are so important, but remember the accomplishing well of what God has given to you in this current season of life is what will propel you to your dream. Forsaking the people, opportunities, and work to be done currently around you because you’re too caught up in the dreaming of the dream will only keep your dream further away from your grasp. Trust God knows the dream He placed in you and can bring it about better than you can. Then give your focus to what’s around you right now so today can be set up perfectly to support your tomorrow. – Daily DEVO 699
When a land transgresses, it has many rulers, but with a man of understanding and knowledge, its stability will long continue. Proverbs 28:2 – Don’t overstep your leadership. If you are the head leader then your goal is to seek understanding and knowledge to better lead your people with. If you are not the head leader, your role is to help the leaders above you be the best they can be. That means using your prayers, your talents, your time, and your forgiveness to help them be all that God is wanting them to be. When we chase after our own glorification, overstep our role, or dismiss the direction of our leaders is when the pain this passage speak of comes about. Now yes, all this is if they are seeking to follow God and do their best. If your leaders are doing their part, the question is then are you? Are you doing everything you can to help them be better so the whole becomes better? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1710
If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination. Proverbs 28:9 – Someone’s prayer being an abomination, something disgusting, to the Lord doesn’t sound like something we’d want to find in scripture. Shouldn’t God love our prayers, and doesn’t He tell us to pray without ceasing? So why would prayer ever be an abomination to Him? We must remember the context here, for who’s prayer is an abomination? The person who rejects and turns away from God’s word. Imagine trying to tell a message to someone, but they reject you every time you speak, and they refuse to listen to anything you have to say, but they want you to listen to everything they say to you. You wouldn’t have the same level of interest in their words to you as someone else who gladly listened to you when you spoke. God loves it when His people pray and does want them to continually be seeking time in prayer with Him, but God also wants people to listen to what He has to say too. God wants us to invest time in His words taking in all His words to us, cherishing the voice of our God in our life. Such a person is someone the Lord loves to hear the prayer of, but for the person who distains God’s word their voice is not as pleasing to the Lord. Be then someone who rejoices at hearing the word of God and someone who seeks it out deeply for we all want our words to the Lord to be something that He finds pleasure in hearing. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2936
Chapter 29
An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked. Proverbs 29:27 – Who’s approval are you seeking? Or as the verse speaks on, who do you want to be disgusted with your way of living life? Do you want the righteous person, the person who has peace, purpose, joy, and love in their life, to look at your life and be turned off by it? Or would you rather the person who is wicked, the person who is destroying relationships and constantly unsatisfied with life turned off by your life? Which type of person do you want to be disgusted with you? Sure it’s a weird question, but it challenges us on how we choose to live. If we want the good person to be approving to our life, and at the same time the wicked person not approving, then we should live a life that is good and righteous. Ask yourself who do you want to attract and be approving of your life choices? If the people that always approve of you are living a messed up life themselves then maybe you need to check yourself a bit. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 700
The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe. Proverbs 29:25 – On our road trip we’ve been listening to an audiobook to fill the time. In it there is this middle school girl who is all-consumed with the way these two other girls in her school see her. Everything about her life is about their opinion of her. Even we can fall into this snare. How does our boss think, what does our neighbors think, what are the people behind us in church thinking when then see us? Scripture reminds us here fearing man and dwelling on their thoughts is only a snare that will lead us down. Trust in the Lord instead. Yes His path will most likely guide you in ways man won’t understand. That will result in ridicule and shame being thrown your way. Don’t fear man or what man has to say, trust in the Lord and you’ll be safe. Continue to pursue Him even when pursuing doesn’t fit the mold of those around you. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1711
Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law. Proverbs 29:18 – To understand what the passage is saying, let’s make sure we know what it’s not saying. Its not saying that when there are no prophecies begin given like we seeing in Old Testament times that we have problems, nor is it saying that if there is no visionary leadership being set that a people have problems. Prophetic vision, or your translation may say “revelation,” is referring to God’s Word. The words of scripture that have been given to us from the prophets and Apostles and disciples. When there is no proclamation of God’s words to a people and when there is no obedience to God’s word within a people, the people have nothing holding them back. While that sounds freeing and good, how often have we seen communities run smoothly for all when there is no law and order? Yes, without God’s word in our life directing us and even holding us back from certain things, there is certainly more freedom to partake in all the world’s offerings, but the one who is truly finding blessing in life is the one who keep God’s word. The person who is actually tasting freedom and actually experiencing the best life has to offer is that person who faithfully listens and obeys the word of God. For peace, rest, joy, and love is not found apart from the Lord. Such things are found only when we choose to let the Lord be Lord over our life and follow His ways. Do not be fooled by the temptation of casting off all religious restraints, such a choice only will lead to loss, pain, death, and Hell. God desires better for you than that, and He’s given you His word so that doesn’t have to be your life. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2937
Chapter 30
This is the way of an adulteress: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, “I have done no wrong.” Proverbs 30:20 – It’s hard for me to place my mind into the way of the “adulteress” in this passage. To do wrong and then have no regrets or not even to care that they did wrong. I suppose that’s the blessing of having the Holy Spirit, but that doesn’t resolve the problem. We have people in our life like the lady in the verse, people who don’t see their actions as wrong. How do we help them see not only are their actions sinful but that continuing to follow after sin is not going to go well for them? How do we help them see the change they need to make? Live out a clear example of what that change looks like within your own life. Likely you’ve experienced the brick wall of a conversation when you just try to tell someone doing wrong to change their ways. Never forget how much a faithful life following Jesus speaks to those seeing you. Let your life lived out in front of them be your proof as to the better way life can be lived so when the conversation does happen they have an idea of the type of life you’re inviting them to live. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 701
The leech has two daughters: Give and Give. Three things are never satisfied; four never say, “Enough”: Sheol, the barren womb, the land never satisfied with water, and the fire that never says, “Enough.” Proverbs 30:15-16 – Death and fire. Just two of the examples our passage gives of the “leech.” A leech is parasite who’s only desire is to take for itself. It’s never satisfied like a fire never burns through a forest and suddenly stops on its own because it’s “had enough.” How like this leech are we in our walk? Maybe with God we are constantly saying “give.” Give me help, give my family healing, give me direction. Is God opposed to us asking for those things? Of course not, just remember we’re in a relationship with someone and the giving needs to be both ways. Have you asked God today what He wants from you? What is it He desires for you to do or say? Yes, ask from God because He is our provider, but never forget to to ask of Him what He wants back from you today. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1712
If you have been foolish, exalting yourself, or if you have been devising evil, put your hand on your mouth. Proverbs 30:32 – Chapter 30 is written by a different writer than King Solomon, a man named Agur. Outside of this chapter he is not spoken of elsewhere in scripture, so we don’t know anything else about him other than the collectors of the proverbs deemed him a wise man. We see in one of his final verses a simple, yet oh so powerful, nugget of wisdom being given. If someone had been foolish, if they had been prideful and boasting about themselves, if they had been devising evil, if they had been doing all the things Proverbs up to this point had been directing people not to do…they should stop. Put your hand over your mouth, stop talking, and stop behaving in such a way. A very simple direction, yet life changing if followed. My desire is that people today acknowledge and recognize this can be their story to. Yes, they may have been foolish, prideful, evil, and doing everything scripture says not to do. That though doesn’t have to be their forever story, they can stop. Jesus is able to free us from the bonds of sin and the grip of Satan. He can break addictions, and He can change hearts. With Jesus’ help you can stop. Maybe that’s a message you needed to hear today spoken over your struggle with sin. Stopping is possible with Jesus. Freedom is possible with Jesus. Confess this sin to the Lord, bring the brothers and sisters of Christ that God has given you into this struggle, and lean daily on His help. God can help you put your hand on your mouth. God is able to help you stop; embrace His help. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2938
Chapter 31
What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, son of my womb? What are you doing, son of my vows? Proverbs31:2 – That’s a pretty amazing question to ask that I wonder if you can answer well. What are you doing? This mother is asking her son what are you doing concerning sinful things like adulterous women. Why are you even thinking about stepping onto that path?! You can feel her love yet concern for her son in the passage. God as well loves you and is concerned with your life. That’s why He’s asking you what are you doing. What are you doing back with that person I lead you away from? What are you doing with that thing in your hands again that I took away from your life? What are you doing holding that grudge again when I said let it go? However the question is made for your story, do you have a good enough answer to give to God as to why you’ve gone after that sin again? If you know you lack a good answer, let’s stop putting ourself in situations where the question is being asked of us. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 702
Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy. Proverbs 31:8-9 – Open your mouth so good can pour out of it, not so evil can enter it. Earlier in the passage, and all throughout this book we see lessons on how to be watchful of how you handle your mouth. Don’t use it to curse another, don’t use it to consume strong drink, don’t be careless with your words. Here though scripture tells us what to open our mouth for. To speak for those who can’t, to speak out for those cast out, to give a voice to those in need. Yes, our voice and words can be used to destroy but they can also be the support for those who have none. Open your mouth and use your words in a way that gives others what they need. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1713
“Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” Proverbs 31:29 – In chapter 31 we have a mother speaking into the life of her son seeking to help him think with his head, and not his flesh, when it came to the women in his life. She told him to pursue the excellent, virtuous women for his wife, and this proverb outlines much of what her character would be. Trustworthy, willing to work hard, smart, and wise. Able to take on the challenges that come, a blessing to her family, kind, and holy. She ultimately would be one that feared the Lord. When he would make his pursuit to find such a lady, he would be so blessed to have her and he would say the verse above, “Honey, you are amazing, and you surpass everyone else!” For the ladies reading this, note that this is not a passage that seeks to diminish the value or important of women, but is seeking to do the opposite. It is telling men that a holy woman in their life would change their life for the better in ways they would never imagine reaching on their own. Having such a wife would bring them honor, blessing, and would fill their lives with good. So ladies, seek to be such a lady even if a spouse is not in your story right now. Bring such honor and blessing to the family of God and the family God has given you at this time. Men, make sure the sort of lady your eyes are seeking after are ladies such as this passage speaks of. When you find her, treasure her like the precious gemstone she is, for she will bring more value to you than all the wealth in the world. Let us all remember though to be the ideal woman or man, it isn’t about anything worldly, it’s about fearing the Lord and following Him. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2939
Daily DEVO 