Proverbs 14:22-27 says,...

Today's verses are Proverbs 14:22-27, which read,

v.22 - Will they not go astray who devise evil?  But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good.

So the path of those who devise evil leads to a further distance from God but to those who devise good the path includes kindness and truth.  Some of these proverbs are so obvious as we have stated before but they need to be driven into our minds of the facts.  Not following after God's instruction leads to sinful activities and those lead us to distance ourselves even further from Him.  Following after God's instruction leads to God honoring activities and words and those lead us to experiencing more of His kindness and truth.  

v.23 - In all labor there is profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

So many times we have just mere talk.  We say a lot of things that we don't follow through on.  We never experience the full impact of God because we know if we actually do what we say we are going to do that it could involve some pain or labor.  We are so comfortable with comfort that we have elevated our comfort above our honoring and glorifying of God.  The labor, pain or grief of recognizing that we are just giving mere talk to God can lead to profit as we bow and submit to Him.

v.24 - The crown of the wise is their riches, but the folly of fools is foolishness.

The first part of the proverb is restating how following after the wisdom of God brings upon us from Him a crown or a head covering of honor of His riches.  We receive so much from God when we follow after Him that is like nothing that the world can offer.  As we said last night, God's grace, the giving of His redeeming anointment, His Son Jesus Christ, to be crucified and elevated so that we can be elevated or risen to God's presence is matched by no other grace.  

The second part of the proverb gives us the vicious cycle of not following after God.  If you don't follow after God then you will receive more foolishness and that leads to more foolishness and that leads to more foolishness and so on and so on.  Our folly brings more folly and never the giving of God's riches upon us.

v.25 - A truthful witness saves lives, but he who utters lies is treacherous.

I think you can take this proverb both in a physical sense and a spiritual sense.  Physically, lives are saved when we give truthful witness and make sure that truth is known so it can be acted upon.  Many lives have been saved by the truth coming out about criminals that would have killed more but their potential victims were spared because that truth was acted upon.

Spiritually, lives are saved because God has chosen to use us who follow after Him to share the truth of Him with others.  They hear and see the effects of the gospel that is upon us and are drawn by God to Himself to experience salvation.  It is God who saves, not us, but we speak and live that truthful witness.  The scary part of the proverb is that when we don't live that life, we are spreading lies or we are just merely talking superficially and gives the hearer a false picture and fodder for Satan to use for his favor.

v.26, 27 - In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, and his children will have refuge.  The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may avoid the snares of death.

A great way to end today's devotional is to look at the positive.  When I follow after the instruction of the Lord meaning when I fear the Lord with reverence and awe to apply His wisdom to my life then I receive strong confidence, refuge, the fountain of life, and avoid the snares of death.

Strong confidence is mighty trust.  Refuge is protective shelter.  The fountain of life is a deep spring of life giving substance.  The snares of death are to turn aside from the lures or baits of Satan that lead to life taking from the presence of God.  How blessed are we who seek and strive after God.  We receive a peace from Him that produces something within us to stand when it seems that we shouldn't be able to.  We sense His protective wings over us.  We drink from a well of pure water that replenishes us to continue on.  We see His hand guide us around, over, under and through evil schemes that we don't partake of that would lead us away from Him rather than to Him.

As we said yesterday, when God blows the trumpet when times get tough, don't run away from Him but rather run to Him so you will experience His power displayed before you.  I think many times we don't see God work because we are not close to Him in our words and actions to see His power.  Let's pray.

"Lord keep pounding us with the obvious.  Folly is bad and wisdom is good.  May we desire and long for Your riches given by You to us and experience the benefits that only You can provide.  We are blessed to feel and experience them to sustain us even the lowest points of our lives.  I want to be able to hear Your trumpet call so I can come running to You.  Amen."

Pastor Adam