Papa Pat Tiny Devotionals

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, Boost is an acceptable substitute for sour milk. The eye that mocks a father And scorns a mother, The ravens of the valley will pick it out, And the young eagles will eat it. Proverbs 30:17, NASB Okay. That right there? That's messed up. I didn't say it was wrong, so don't get confused. I said it was messed up, meaning that having birds eat your eyes because you were disobedient and disrespectful, seems like an over-reaction. So, I retreated into the Hebrew, looking for insight. Here's the insight: the English is a near-perfect translation; the only changes are that 'scorns' is literally “ וְתָבוּז לִיקֲּהַת־ " ( buz yeqaha ), which means 'despises to obey.' WHY THIS CANNOT BE TAKEN LITERALLY: your eye is not an independent agent, capable of mocking and scorning. Your eye is not capable of that, BUT your point of view can be. Your point of view i...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, I think the milk has gone bad. The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The Lord gives light to the eyes of both. Proverbs 29:13, NASB My first thought was: “Lord, WHY would You give light to the oppressor? Why not put them in darkness?” See, If God did it MY way, then the oppressor would be at a disadvantage, and the poor could advance. Isn't that desirable? Well, no, for a couple of reasons. In the first place, how is the oppressor going to SEE his oppressive ways, unless he has light? That might not matter, if you didn't care for the oppressor; just let them run into a wall, then loot the wreckage. Seems fair to me; but then, I'm not a Heavenly Father. Even as an earthly father, though, I understand that God loves the oppressor, just not his oppressive ways. He desires repentance, and how is THAT going to happen, if he's blind to what he is doing? In th...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, it's a breakfast burrito! The rich man is wise in his own eyes, But the poor who has understanding sees through him. Proverbs 28:11, NASB Why is it that riches and foolishness seem to go hand-in-hand? Why are we spending so much time trying to get rich? Riches shield us from the consequences of our behavior; and, since logical consequences are the best teachers we have access to, that cuts us off from learning. It works with simple matters, like home maintenance: if I am poor, and need to paint the bedroom, I have to learn how to paint, and do it myself. The rich person just hires someone else to do it for him. That's not a bad thing, by the way. Painters need to pay their bills just like we all do, and if everyone did their own painting, how would they get by?  The worst aspect of the learning-deprived rich person is that they don't really have to learn how to get along...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, whipped cream on your Cheerios (Tre says!). A prudent man sees evil and hides himself, The naive proceed and pay the penalty. Proverbs 27:12, NASB Note that the difference here is NOT what is seen; there's nothing that suggests that the naive person is blind to the danger. The difference is in how they react when danger is detected. The prudent person does NOT attack the danger. That's because the task in life is not to drive all danger away; it's to go from Point A to Point B. Unfortunately in this case, the path from A to B has danger lurking about; think of it as an ambush. The wise person doesn't even risk a small amount of danger in combating a bad thing that can be detected; he removes himself from the sight of the lurking evil. Probably, it's implicit in his action of hiding himself that he finds another way to get to Point B. After all: that was the plan ...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, Remember Everyone Deployed! The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; He is weary of bringing it to his mouth again. Proverbs 26:15, NASB Cleaning Up One of the reasons for the emphasis on washings in the Old Testament law is that they dined without forks and spoons. Knives, highly useful for stabbing, had long been adapted to the table;  the practice was to cut off a portion of food, pick it up with your fingers, and eat it. Alternatively, you dipped your bread in the dish, and soaked up the gravy that way. Alas for poor LazyBubba! He is likely to starve, because he can't even lift his fingers out of the common dish and feed his face.  Sluggards don't usually last in large families. Anyone who leaves his hand in the dish is likely to have it perforated by the knives of his more energetic siblings; if LazyBubba leaves his hand in the dish, he's blocking access to the f...

 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, fo...

 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...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, have some Cheerios.     The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, But He loves one who pursues righteousness. Proverbs 15:9, NASB This proverb is not a perfect parallel, because it contrasts God feels about the WAY of the wicked with how He feels about the PERSON who pursues righteousness. That leaves a little room for the person who is behaving wickedly. We have a saying: 'hate the sin, love the sinner.'  That's not intended as an excuse for bad behavior, but it might be a small way in which we can understand the difference between who we are, and what we do. Certainly, what we do comes out of who we are, but: sometimes, I mess up. I don't believe for a moment that my overall desire to pursue righteousness is going to make my rudeness or impatience an okay thing for me. Yesterday, I attended a charming performance at church, conducted by our youth...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, donuts and beans! There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. Proverbs 14:12, NASB Have you ever been a schemer, or a dreamer? If you haven't been one, have you ever been involved with one? Schemers and dreamers always have a way that seems right to them. It always involves some fabulous pay-off that is coming pretty soon, now. And you can join in! All it will take is (everything you've got) just a small investment, and before you know it, the money is ROLLING in! Now, the difference between schemer/dreamer and the con man is that schemer/dreamers really DO believe that this time, their plans are going to succeed. The con man knows their scheme is bogus, and is only intended to separate you from your money and whatever other resources you might have access to.  But, the end result is the same: broken promises, and broken dreams. At least with...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, banana bread and GREAT coffee. Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles, But the one who gathers by labor increases it. Proverbs 13:11, NASB “Did you ever have a favorite shirt, one that you feel so groovy in? You don't even mind if it starts to fade; that only makes it lovelier still!” Donovan, “I Love My Shirt”  A shirt can be a form of wealth, as anyone who has ever owned a favorite shirt can confirm. It's not a simple function of the purchase price, although that may be a minor factor. Mostly, what contributes to the value of the shirt comes from memories associated with the shirt. Others may not value it, but you do. That also applies to money, the form of wealth implied in this verse. You've heard the expression 'Easy come, easy go.' It's true; if you have very little invested  in some money, you are far more likely to waste it on trivial things.  But if you h...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, it's RED Friday, so Remember Everyone Deployed. The wicked man desires the booty* of evil men, But the root of the righteous yields fruit. Proverbs 12:12, NASB * ”net” is the literal translation of מָצוֹד ( matsode ), but the NASB substitutes the word “booty.” That term is archaic, but it, and “net,” both refer to the ill-gotten gains of thievery and other illicit activities.  The wicked has unintentionally required a fairly complicated economic plan in order to get enough to eat. Someone else, or many people, have to produce twice as much as they need to live, in order for the wicked to prosper, or even survive. That forms the plot of at least three movies (7 Samurai, Magnificent 7, A Bug's Life), and numerous television shows. The wicked is a drain on the community, contributing nothing but fear. The righteous, on the other hand, produces in excess, and it's the RO...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, good luck, you are welcome to whatever. He who despises his neighbor lacks sense, But a man of understanding keeps silent. Proverbs 11:12, NASB Gardening for Health A lifetime ago, I lived in a tiny town (pop 4000) in rural Georgia. My two across-the-street neighbors were grandmotherly types, called by my young son Miz Yopp and Beekie. They did NOT get along with each other! I sang in the choir with Beekie's daughter, and I asked her if she knew the history there. She told me that a long time ago, Beekie had a small dog, and the small dog had gone to the bathroom in Miz Yopp's yard. I needed no further information, since I understood that for some large percentage of elderly Southern widows, their yard and gardens were an expression of themselves. So, as far as Miz Yopp was concerned, Beekie's dog had urinated on her shoes, not on her lawn. So, for decades after that, th...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, banana bread and Cheerios. On the lips of the discerning, wisdom is found, But a rod is for the back of him who lacks understanding. Proverbs 10:13, NASB Old School Discipline Question: Two birds perched in a tree. One made a decision to fly off. How many were left? Answer: TWO: because he only made a decision; he didn't act on it. I think that illustrates what this verse addresses. In the first line, the word translated as 'discerning' ( בִּין  , bene ) in some translations is rendered as 'the one who understands.' Both are accurate. The word in the second line (לֵב , lave ) is most often translated as 'heart;' it's implicit in this term that action is involved.  It's an important distinction, because otherwise, it might sound as if we advocate beating on someone who is just a little bit slow. That's NOT a technique designed to bond the learn...

A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, bring your own breakfast today. “Whoever is naive, let him turn in here,” And to him who lacks understanding she says, “Stolen water is sweet; And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” Proverbs 9:16-17, NASB Eating Stolen Food This is Folly speaking, but you can't tell that from her greeting. In fact. EXACTLY the same words are used by Wisdom in verse 4. Not similar; exactly the same. It's what follows after the greeting that sets them apart; in verse 5, Wisdom says 'come eat my food, and drink my wine,' while Folly says 'let's go steal some water and bread.' Note this: even if you disregard the illegality of stealing, what Folly offers is inferior to what Wisdom offers. All Folly has is bread and water, which is appropriate, because that's prison rations. Folly has to dress it up, essentially running an advertisement for it: 'Bread and water, sweet ...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, brown rice and salsa! By me kings reign, And rulers decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, All who judge rightly. Proverbs 8:15-16, NASB A Royal Court Wisdom has a pretty impressive resume, doesn't she? ALL who judge rightly depend on her. I don't know if we appreciate that, since we are living in a country that elects most of those corresponding to kings, princes, and nobles. If we don't like the way our government is going, we just vote the rascals out; if we have any formal process of evaluating whether they are ruling by wisdom or by folly, I have yet to see it. I have also yet to see any process of evaluating whether the voting population is operating in wisdom or folly. Of course, there is the process by which supporters of Candidate A proclaim the foolishness of supporters of Candidate B, and vice versa.  I'm not sure that sheds any light on the situa...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, brunch today of Thai coconut chicken and brown rice. Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee. Proverbs 7:15, NASB Greetings! What a nice greeting! Too bad it's from a predator, who is greeting the naive young man with the intent of robbing him, and perhaps adding murder to robbery. He's not a STUPID young man; he's also not an ignorant young man. He's just naive. Specifically, he cannot realize that all those things his mama and daddy warned him about are happening RIGHT NOW.  Naively, he thinks the things he was warned against are very rare occurrences, that only happen to somebody else. He's wrong, in both counts.  He hears her say she has been looking for him, and he thinks “Wow, I must be something special, because this hot chick was looking for ME!”  Sorry, dude. She is lying to you. She wasn't looking for ...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, the ladies are still at the beach. When you walk about, they will guide you; When you sleep, they will watch over you; And when you awake, they will talk to you. Proverbs 6:22 Receiving Instruction from a Godly Aunt This verse is referring to the instructions of caring parents, and how those words will remain with you. If you are fortunate to have godly parents still living, these words will be blessing to you, but I think they find their greatest impact on those of us whose parents have gone across the Jordan. My mother passed in January of 2022, and there are still times when I think : “I need to ask Mama about that;” and then I remember that the time of asking Mama is past. This verse makes a promise, though, which is a comfort: the counsel I received from her for well over 60 years of my life is still with me. As instructed, I bound them to my heart, and tied them around my ...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, let's play with some grandkids! Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice in the wife of your youth. As a loving hind and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; Be exhilarated always with her love. Proverbs 5:18-19, NASB Exhilaration! This is why I didn't worry about my kids taking sex education in school; they had been raised reading from the book of Proverbs. Any child who grows up reading Proverbs receives sex education, in a beautiful, spiritual, yet practical presentation. Still, as lovely as these verses are: I'm wondering: did SOLOMON actually write this? After all, the man had 700 wives, and 300 concubines.  His daddy, King David, also had multiple wives and concubines; the apple didn't fall far from the tree, but it fell with significantly increased velocity. David didn't get CLOSE to his son's marital records. To be fair to Solomo...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, don't miss the bus to the beach! For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; And they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble. For they eat the bread of wickedness And drink the wine of violence. Proverbs 4:16-17, NASB Wicked Bread, Violent Wine I've heard that eating spicy food late at night makes you have bad dreams. Thus, it's not surprising to hear that people who eat wicked bread and drink violent wine have trouble sleeping. I don't know exactly what wicked bread is; I've baked bread, and never have I come across a recipe that says for me to add wickedness in with the honey and oil. So, I expect that this bread is figurative, not something you actually eat.  As far as the violent wine goes, that might be an actual thing, but I have no personal stories I want to share. I THINK that wicked bread and violent wine are standing in for things we put in...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, eat Cheerios, and do so cheerily! Her ways are pleasant ways And all her paths are peace. Proverbs 3:17, NASB This verse speaks of benefits of walking with wisdom; seeking after her, instead of seeking after selfishness. A superficial read of the verse suggests it promises peace for-ever-after, if we accept wisdom as our guide. The naive person, who foolishly believes that all will be peaches and cream if they make a few good choices, may then use unpleasant conflict as justification for abandoning the way. That's especially likely if they are really seeking an excuse to return to selfishness. That's a trivial understanding, not fit for the mature. The mature will correctly see that some unpleasantness is bound to happen to us all. As long as we deal with other people, some conflict will arise, even if we don't seek it.   Here's the key to understanding this verse: a...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, the name of the room changes, depending on the occupant. None who go to her return again, Nor do they reach the paths of life. Proverbs 2:19, NASB Sourpuss Life This verse tells us the outcome of pursuing folly, and especially of pursuing the woman of folly. While much of her attraction for the naive youth is founded in physical lust, she also is adept at causing other promises to be broken.  We saw this in verse 17, where she abandons the companion of her youth (by becoming an adulterer) and also abandons whatever instruction she has received in worshiping God.  For the naive youth, one who has yet to really KNOW the peace that comes from fidelity, this is an exciting prospect.  All he sees is bikinis and beaches when he turns away from the teaching he received from his parents; he has no idea that it's all going to turn to trash and remorse in time.  To the...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, leftovers from Sunday dinner are wonderful! If they say, “Come with us, Let us lie in wait for blood, Let us ambush the innocent without cause; Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, Even whole, as those who go down to the pit; Proverbs 1:11-12, NASB This is a part of the instructions a father and mother provide. They are describing the approach that sinners make to seduce us to a life of crime. Now, at first reading, this seems rather extreme, because it is CLEARLY advice against civilized morality. Surely, even the bad guys would couch their temptation in better language, wouldn't they? Instead of being obvious that they advocate amoral behavior, wouldn't they sweeten the deal, a bit, by using subtlety? I think not. Part of the attraction of the way of life they are advocating is defining it as banditry. “We are the baddest of the bad; Jesse James had NOTHING on us!” It...