Tiny Devotional for Thursday, 04-04-2024

 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 into our brains, not things we put into our stomachs. The newspapers report on a LOT of wicked bread, by which I mean social-political issues that separate, rather than unify. And I think that those who immerse themselves in these controversies MUST be losing sleep. 

So: what are we soaking our brains in? Do we delight at a news article or op-ed piece trashing a candidate? When we hear of criminal activity, do we clench our hands in futile rage, or wish we could be a vigilante? At the extreme, are we secretly hoping for a civil war? 

OR:

Are we praying for our enemies? 

We are commanded to do that, you know.

Peace be on your household.