Papa Pat Tiny Devotionals

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, Kenneth still hasn’t told me his flight number. (got it, now! ) It is by his deeds that a lad distinguishes himself If his conduct is pure and right. Proverbs 20:11, NASB I think the sentence structure suffered in the translation, because I thought: ‘Well, how about all those lads without pure and right conduct? How do THEY distinguish themselves?’ But I don’t think that’s a response the writer was trying to get. I THINK what he was saying is better rendered as:  ‘Even when they are small, it’s their behavior that shows which kids have good character.’  Most of the English translations reflect that meaning.  This is an EXCELLENT point to start making with your children when they are small, because it SEEMS to them that they are mostly known by their family. When adults greet children, it’s usually with some variation of “Aren’t you Amy and Bob’s son?” At...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, pad Thai noodles for lunch! The king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion, But his favor is like dew on the grass. Proverbs 19:12, NASB Lions roar for multiple reasons, and I suppose the same thing is true of a ruler’s wrath.  A main reason lions roar is to warn off other lions. That roar says:  ‘This is my turf; if you come any closer, we have a problem.’ Rulers warn others off, too. From March of 1973 to August of 1975, I was part of a roar in Germany. There were up to 250,000 US troops stationed there, as a roar that told the Soviet Union not to invade. Today, our roar in Germany is muted. Sometimes, the boss lion will roar to stop other members of the pride from fighting. It triggers a social response; the combatants will stop fighting to join the roaring. I suppose a peace-keeping mission is somewhat comparable for rulers. Lions also roar as a show of s...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, Vanessa is back home! Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, But humility goes before honor. Proverbs 18:12, NASB Prescriptive, or descriptive? Correlation, or causation? If it’s prescriptive, we conclude that the haughty heart PRODUCES destruction, and humility PRODUCES honor. That’s causation. If it’s descriptive, then this verse sheds no light on the relationship between attitudes and end states, just that they are both seen together. That’s correlation. Some people don’t seem to believe in causation. I once heard a man boast of the amount of alcohol, drugs, and violence in his life, and then say that his family was cursed. As far as he was concerned, his family’s outlaw behavior was just correlated (he didn’t use that word) with the graveyard and prisons. He seemed to think that bad stuff was going to happen to him anyway, so he might as well get drunk and...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, Vanessa is coming home today! A rebellious man seeks only evil, So a cruel messenger will be sent against him. Proverbs 17:11, NASB Sometimes I pretend to be a rebellious man, but I’m really not, and everyone around me knows I’m just playing. When playing that character,  I DON’T LIKE NUTHIN! ...and I disagree with everything. Vanessa says “do you want a bowl of ice cream?” and I answer, “I’ve never eaten ice cream in my life, and you know it!”  My performance usually lasts about15 seconds, which is as long as I can stand it, and about as long as my ‘audience’ can stand it.  A truly rebellious man finds fault in EVERYTHING; that’s one of the aspects of seeking only evil. It’s because they are no longer able to believe in the good; they can no longer believe in the good, because it’s really God they are in rebellion against. You have to see them in action...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, finish that, so we can go! A divine decision is in the lips of the king; His mouth should not err in judgment. Proverbs 16:10, NASB This verse is a great warning against being the boss. I say ‘boss’ although this says ‘king.’ I don’t know any kings, other than a toddler in Bogo City, Philippines. He IS a wonderful person, but I don’t think this verse is for him. Yet. So, I use ‘boss.’ There is ONE significant difference between the king referenced here, and the bosses we all know: the weight of the decision.  All the bosses I had made decisions about schedules, and training, and goals; while significant, those weren’t DIVINE decisions. Even hiring and firing weren’t divine.  The king? Some, maybe all, decisions are divine. Now, in America, we elect our rulers. Whether that’s any better than a king, I couldn’t say; still, it’s what we live with. While I don’t ...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, Remember Everyone Deployed! The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, But the prayer of the upright is His delight. Proverbs 15:8, NASB We are given three contrasting pairs in this verse: Sacrifice v prayer Wicked v upright Abomination v delight The practice of sacrifice is no longer a part of our religious/spiritual service, but it was once an essential part of the worship practices of our spiritual ancestors. Today, the term means that you deny or deprive yourself of something significant, to benefit another; as in parents ‘sacrifice’ purchasing a new car, so they can send the kids to camp. It’s GIGANTIC! But prayer? You can do that at the drop of a hat, and all it costs is the intent to do it. Being wicked is also an archaic term; we think all our villains are really just misunderstood. In the past, though, the wicked WERE going to steal your stuff,...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, the cats and dogs miss Vanessa. The house of the wicked will be destroyed, But the tent of the upright will flourish. Proverbs 14:11, NASB (‘House’ and ‘tent’ represent the beliefs, practices, and legacy of these two groups. It’s not perfect, but it will do. ) A bit after I started my study, I realized: “This is the OPPOSITE of the Three Little Pigs!” Destroyed: שָׁמַד (šāmaḏ) . My oldest son and I went to McHenry, Mississippi, in the wake of Katrina, and spent a week doing repair jobs. We saw much שָׁמַד , and there was NOTHING trivial about it. Major structures were just obliterated, steel beams twisted like soup noodles. We didn’t work on the worst damage; that work was accomplished by filling a dump truck with rubble. Flourishing:  פָּרַח (pāraḥ) .  Get all thought of camping out of your head; these are tent palaces we speak of, and they GROW. That’s ...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, fried chicken livers for lunch! Through insolence comes nothing but strife, But wisdom is with those who receive counsel. Proverbs 13:10, NASB A small-group meeting at church.   JUST before the group formally started, Bartholomew (aka Lo-Mew) approached me and said, “Pat, I need to ask your forgiveness. I’ve been feeling superior to you, and I got convicted of that.” “Hey, brother, no problem! Love conquers all!” was my reply. Do you think that little 30 second interaction was the END of it? That’s so cute! I just had time to give him a quick hug, then had to take my seat. Where I seethed. The voices in my head drowned everything else out: “who in the heck does that skinny, pencil-necked geek think he is?” “what does HE have to feel superior about?” ...repeat forever... There was PLENTY of insolence in that room, enough to go around. I’ll not speak to Lo-Mew’s ins...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, the Cheerios weren’t enough. He who tills his land will have plenty of bread, But he who pursues worthless things lacks sense. Proverbs 12:11, NASB Oh, the promises they made!  I can’t remember now how many of the advertisements in the back of Boys’ Life magazine I responded to before I realized I was NEVER going to get the massive rewards they listed. It seemed so simple: they sent me 12 boxes of greeting cards, I sold as many as I could, and then returned the unsold cards and the money, les my commission, and I’d become rich beyond my dreams! Didn’t work out like that. What it DID do, was change my perception. Those weren’t friends and family; they were CUSTOMERS! I didn’t want to play baseball, or eat pie with them; I wanted them to give me $3, and then let me go on to the next sale. Yes, I did that, when I was 10. Perhaps the best thing it did was teach me not...

A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAMES!!! With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor, But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered. Proverbs 11:9, NASB My initial response on reading this: I want to go find a godless person, and slap the taste out of their mouth. Something to know: not EVERY neighbor is righteous. That’s significant, because it’s only the righteous who will be delivered. The unrighteous? They are busted. Now, if that seems okay to you, then reflect on THIS: are YOU righteous? REALLY righteous? Because I’m not.  True, I haven’t broken any of the Ten Commandments, recently; not that you can PROVE, anyway. BUT! I built a garage without getting a building permit. And I haven’t returned phone calls. And there is BOUND to be something else! So, if a theoretical (because my real neighbors are nice) godless neighbor calls the cops on me, and an acronym agency...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, DOUGHNUTS FOR EVERYONE! She sits at the doorway of her house, On a seat by the high places of the city, Proverbs 9:14, NASB We visit the Woman of Folly for the last time this month.  Rather, this is the last time we read about her; you might have a real life encounter with her, so: be alert! She’s also alert, you know; she’s waiting to ambush the naive.  It reminds me of a spider.  That’s good, because I don’t LIKE spiders. That will help to keep me focused on the danger, and not the bait. You know who else is alert, and hanging out at the high places?  Wisdom! So, how are you to know which is which? They are both calling you, and me, and the other naive; how can we tell which one is good, and which one is bad? Here’s how we DON’T do it:  We DON’T enter her house!  Once we cross her threshold, Bad Things will happen. From the outside, thou...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, I ate the last banana. By me kings reign, And rulers decree justice. Proverbs 8:15, NASB Wisdom is speaking, and this is part of her resume. It’s pretty impressive! She sets things up, so that kings get to do king stuff. Check this out: Kings ( מֶלֶךְ , meleḵ ) reign ( מָלַךְ, mālaḵ ). See? The melek gets to malak! I was hoping we’d get another pun with the rulers, but no such luck: Rulers ( רָזַן, rāzan ) decree ( חָקַק,  ḥāqaq ) justice ( צֶדֶק, ṣeḏeq ).  If there is any wordplay in that, I don’t see it.  The form of government Wisdom is working with is a monarchy, which means ‘one ruler,’ or king. The monarch doesn’t do it all, though. Under him are the rulers (some translations say ‘princes’) and they are responsible for implementing the king’s rule by establishing and enforcing laws. Absolute monarchy is no longer popular; even the 7 or 8 stron...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, with dentures, it’s possible to bite your own foot. I was due to offer peace offerings; Today I have paid my vows. Proverbs 7:14, NASB This is the Woman of Folly speaking. Is she using religious talk for seduction?  In the verse before, she grabbed the naive young man, and kissed him.  So, why bring up a religious obligation? Yes, it IS possible to use religious talk to mislead the innocent. If you aren’t aware of any of the massively public times this has happened, GOOD! I don’t want to talk about that stuff (still, be aware it can happen). I don’t think that is her primary intent, although there MIGHT be a little thrill she gets from using the Good to accomplish the Bad. I had to look it up.  The laws of peace offerings are found in Leviticus 7, and here’s the relevant bit: part of the peace offering goes to the priests, and the rest goes home with the...

A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, we LOVE finding new friends!  Do not enter the path of the wicked And do not proceed in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not pass by it; Turn away from it and pass on. Proverbs 4:14-15, NASB Do you notice that in these two verses, we get SIX DIFFERENT forms of the command?  Man, my mama would NEVER tell me six times not to do something! The max I’d ever get was two instructions; the third instruction was accompanied with some sort of encouragement.  At age 9, it went like this: “Close the freezer door; you can’t have a popsicle because it’s almost dinner time.” “You’ll spoil your appetite.” WHACK! “Get out of the house, don’t leave the yard, and don’t come inside until I call you!” NOTE: Mama never, not once, went too far with the ‘whack.’ I’m sure it was tempting from time to time, but I actually DID manage to learn SOME things, and I would vacate the premis...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, the beans and cornbread are ready (and delicious). Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor. Proverbs 3:16, NASB She carries some pretty potent items! I’m glad that this verse is about the Wise Woman, which is Wisdom personified. Today in small group at Liberty, I ratted out Vanessa for busting my chops every time I had to write something about the Woman of Folly.  Again, I say:  I’m not picking these verses!  I just write whatever is next in sequence. I do it that way on purpose, because there is less chance of my opinion overcoming the message found in Proverbs.  I appreciate both handfuls that Wisdom carries.  Long life, without riches and honor, could just be a prison sentence. There’s a cautionary tale in a Greek legend about a certain Tithonus, who was gifted with eternal life, but not eternal youth. That’s th...

A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, did you ever find that ice cream recipe? For her house sinks down to death And her tracks lead to the dead; Proverbs 2:18, NASB This section is a part of the warning the young man receives concerning hanging out with the wrong woman. If you know me, you know I don’t do horror. Never have; never will. It scares me too bad. I blame most of it on Walt Disney’s movie with the banshee.  Even though I don’t have a lot of knowledge about what makes horror movies (and books) super creepy, I’m going to say that a scene using this verse as the model is going to qualify. Just look at it: the house sinks down (some versions say inclines) to death. So, you’re on this dirt road in the late afternoon, and the trees are hanging over the road. Then, you see the house of the wicked woman; her lot slopes down, and there’s fog moving in. And as you get closer, you see footprints in the dir...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, Remember Everyone Deployed! My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent. Proverbs 1:10, NASB When my firstborn was a lad, we read the Proverb for the Day as a part of our daily devotional. After a few months, I discovered I was NOT looking forward to the first of the month, because it meant we’d be going back to Proverbs 1, and I wasn’t fond of the first 9 chapters. I thought they were mostly too bland. As I started the Tiny Devotionals, some distaste remained. That changed over time, and I think the difference is that I’m dealing with just one verse at a time, instead of three. I’ve just reviewed my Proverbs 1 posts, and I’m amazed at how significant those verses are! Now, NO advice is perfect; even if the advice is true, if the recipient doesn’t put it into play, then it’s wasted, maybe. I’ll take that risk, and offer this: If you don’t want your kid to be enticed ...