- 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
- 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
Daily DEVO 