Tiny Devotional for Monday, 09-11-2023

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 investigates, they can find SOMETHING I did wrong. 

It ain’t fair!

Godless person don’t care!

You know why they don’t care? Either because they THINK that if they rat out somebody else, then THEY won’t get in trouble for what they have done wrong; OR, because they just like causing trouble.

However!

Despite what I said earlier, I have SEEN the righteous delivered through knowledge. Very recently, I was there when a beautiful, sweet, smart, righteous person was delivered, because she HAD done wrong in the past, but was determined to do right now, even if it cost her freedom.

O Best Beloved, being righteous doesn’t require that you have never done anything wrong. It’s really a matter of the heart, and intent.   

Peace be on your household.

Comments

  1. Tommy CarthersSeptember 11, 2023 at 5:53 PM

    Well said.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 12, 2023 at 6:53 AM

    Her again!!! BTW, the verse does not say anything about "her". It's "his" mouth that destroys "his" neighbor. Leave her out of the drama "his" mouth caused.🦄

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Habakkuk21September 12, 2023 at 10:00 AM

      I regret that I have no idea what 'HER' you are speaking of.

      Delete
  3. Moose45RiderSeptember 12, 2023 at 7:00 PM

    I think this continues the wisdom of the "pen is mightier than the sword". It is also easier to take down another with words than getting close with a sword.

    ReplyDelete
  4. On Christ the Solid Rock I StandSeptember 14, 2023 at 6:19 PM

    Amen for this my Brother Pat, being righteous is a matter of the heart and intent. True statement. Praise God!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tiny Devotional for Wednesday, 05-08-2024

Image
 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, bring a treat for the puppy dogs. Wisdom speaks: I love those who love me; And those who diligently seek me will find me. Proverbs 8:17, NASB There is a double promise here. First, wisdom promises that this is NOT going to be a one-sided love affair. THAT'S a relief! Search your memory, for that crush you had on someone in the 6th grade that wasn't returned. Hopefully, that was the LAST time you found yourself in a one-way relationship, but we all had to learn.  Second, wisdom promises that all we have to do to find her is seek for her. We DON'T have to get dressed up with brains, education, or any achievements whatsoever; all we have to do is seek her, and she will be found. This may be a promise that can only be appreciated by someone who has had to make their living in sales (or recruiting). I did that for too many years, slaving away on the road or on the telephone, ...
Read more

Tiny Devotional for Saturday, 05-04-2024

Image
 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, May the Fourth be with you! But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until the full day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know over what they stumble. Proverbs 4:18-19, NASB   The preceding four verses warn us away from following after evil, and describes those who do so. Then, we are told WHY we should follow the path of the righteous, followed by the reason not to follow the path of the wicked. Perhaps this is the right way of teaching. This morning, I have had to deal with repercussions of someone hijacking Vanessa's Facebook account. Using this formula, how would I instruct a potential hacker?  Don't be a hacker. People who hack accounts look for ways to take advantage of other people's identities. People who use systems the way intended are able to exchange information with confidence, to include...
Read more

I will NOT share space with Four Horsemen today!

Image
Today is the sixth anniversary of the day that Vanessa and I were united in Holy Matrimony. We eloped.  The email I sent out to close friends and family said: Unless you are very prompt about checking your email, by the time you read this, we will be married. It's scheduled as a stealth event (no invites, etc) just after the 5:00 PM service at Liberty Church. Vanessa and Pat  The reason for the elopement? Except for our church family, and one or two of our bio-family, we were catching great big gobs of resistance, and some astounding roadblocks. I think most of it was well-intentioned; people didn't want us to 'rush into things.' They didn't want us to have to face the rigors of living as a mixed race couple in the south. There were some SERIOUS questions about my health, and my ability to provide proper parenting to Kenneth and Alicia, who, at ages 6 & 5, were starting first grade and kindergarten. Yeah, got that; we had spent a LOT of time working on those iss...
Read more