Tiny Devotional for Tuesday, 05-30-2023

A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, it’s Alicia Ann’s 17th birthday. Got presents?

There is a kind who is pure in his own eyes,
Yet is not washed from his filthiness.
Proverbs 30:12 NASB

In Proverbs 30, Agur, son of Jakeh, supplies wisdom statements that didn’t fit in elsewhere. In this section (v 11-14), he lists people to avoid; FilthyGuy is one of them.

I spent time in the company of FilthyGuys on Marta buses some years back. 


In rush hour, the buses are packed. You can’t move, once the doors close, and people sit or stand in silence. That’s when I’d find myself next to FilthyGuy. 
The stench was eye-burning, sinus-opening, paint-melting BAD. This was an accumulation of DAYS of funk, NOT just missing the morning shower. Sometimes, FilthyGuy used a lot of cheap perfume; that was worse.  

Contact with FilthyGuy is bad, but contact with SpirituallyFilthyGuy is MUCH worse.
And the worst of all? If SpirituallyFilthyGuy is ME. 
It doesn’t happen overnight; it takes days or weeks. Gradually, anger, selfishness, and fear take over,  until no one wants to be around me. 

If I am spiritually filthy, is the solution to read the Bible? 
Consider: is the solution for the guy on the bus to read a hygiene book?

No, the solution, in both cases, is to APPLY what is written. The excellent discipline of Bible study can refresh your memory, but by the time you are an adult, you already know what is required:

  • Do justly
  • Love mercy
  • Walk humbly with your God

Personal application: when I harm someone, I promptly admit it, and then fix it. 

...and I’m out of words.


Peace be on your household.

Comments

  1. Mai CoopMay 30, 2023 at 3:34 PM

    Great good afternoon my friend! Such a great word…Application is key!

    ReplyDelete
  2. On Christ the Solid Rock I StandJune 2, 2023 at 6:23 AM

    Yes, Do Justly, Love Mercy and Walk Humbly. Praise God!

    ReplyDelete

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