Papa Pat Tiny Devotionals

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, today is physical day. Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest Is a faithful messenger to those who send him, For he refreshes the soul of his masters. Proverbs 25:13, NASB This verse is an analogy: it compares the cold of snow with a faithful messenger, and it's intended to show how refreshing a faithful messenger is. For that to work as intended, the reader has to be familiar with snow at harvest time. The closest I've ever gotten to harvest is cutting the grass, and it rarely snows here in the foothills north of Atlanta. I do understand the benefits of a faithful messenger, though, so my learning is about harvest snow. And, after processing the verse, Farmer Jacob of 900 BC and I both understand the same thing; he learned that Part B, and I learned that Part A, are both soul refreshers. Did the scribes who transcribed Solomon's wisdom all those centuries ago cons

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, the dogs are napping. Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; Do not destroy his resting place; For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, But the wicked stumble in time of calamity. Proverbs 24:15-16, NASB Who does this verse protect? It's clear that it is a warning; it's written in the form of “Don't do THIS, because THAT.” And I have sung something similar to verse 16 as an encouragement about the what happens with a good man. Under that understanding, I interpret the verses as saying “Don't mess with the righteous, because I love them and will protect them.” This morning, though, I feel a bit bolder, somehow. I think the selection is a warning of DIRECT consequences to the wicked, not only “don't mess with those I love.” I think it's saying: “Don't mess with that kid. You might knock him down, once, but he

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, I think we have bran flakes. Listen to your father who begot you, And do not despise your mother when she is old. Proverbs 23:22, NASB There's an assumption in this verse that might not be totally relevant in 2024, which is that the father who begot the child is still involved in the adult child's life. Because we do NOT want modern culture (the world), our personal desires (the flesh) and evil influences (the devil) to drown out what God would say to us, we must try harder to find the truth in the verse. I'm not one who grew up with the father who begot me. However, I lived next door to my grandfather until my mother remarried when I was five, and my grandfather, then my stepfather filled that place in my life. It was the best work-around possible in the 1950s, and I'm grateful to have had the experience. As a teen I lived with my begetting father, and that's pr

A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, overcooked chicken wings are in the refrigerator. The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside; I will be killed in the streets!” Proverbs 22:13, NASB Sigh. I kid you not: this morning, I had decided I was going to deeply study the verse, defining Hebrew and the Greek words, and provide spiritual insights. And what do I get? The most transparent statements about laziness in the world.  Who could misunderstand the message here? Mr. LazyBones will fabricate any excuse to avoid having to go to work. Admittedly, there were times when I was gainfully employed that I wished for a snow day,  but I never stooped to the level of pretending predatory cats were lurking to eat me.  Depending on circumstances, we might not miss Mr. LazyBones' labor when he goes back to bed. If only his antisocial behavior stopped with laziness; but it DOESN'T stop there. He still has bills to pay, food to

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, Vanessa makes a wonderful ham-and-egg sandwich. He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor Will also cry himself and not be answered. Proverbs 21:13, NASB Helping Those in Need Recently, I wrote about the  daughters of the leech, who continually beg for your money and time. This verse goes to the rest of the picture, and illustrates why we can't solve a leech problem by closing our wallets and our hearts. If we do, chances are that when we wind up in need, we'll have nowhere to turn. I think part of the way this verse works has to do with the company we keep. Think about it: if you have decided ALL requests for help are bogus, you aren't going to want to have a conversation with a person who supports an orphanage. Instead, you'll be looking for people who share your contempt for the needy. You'll enjoy discussing the latest scam some loser tried to pull, right u

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, cold pizza by the slice. The hearing ear and the seeing eye, The Lord has made both of them. Proverbs 20:12, NASB This one has special meaning for me today. This morning in the Saturday Morning Men's Group, one of the brothers asked for prayer for his uncle, who is experiencing some heart-related health issues. It's not known at this time whether these are end-of-life concerns, but that is a possibility. According to brother Kendall, his Uncle George has for a long time been a significant influence for good in his community as well as in his family. He's had some diabetes-related problems over the years, but that's not what really spoke to me in itself; it was the way in which his uncle responded to those challenges.  As is often the case, the disease attacked his eyesight, first one eye, then both. I confess that would be VERY difficult for me, as a life-long bookwo