Proverbs 14:28-31 says,...

Today's verses are Proverbs 14:28-31, which read,

v.28 - In a multitude of people is a king's glory, but in the dearth of people is a prince's ruin.

What is a dearth?  I had to look it up.  It is an ending or ceasing of something.  The good king is concerned with his people or subjects and therefore he rules with truth and justice and gains the loyalty and love of the people.  The prince is not as experienced as the king and many times doesn't understand the responsibility.  The prince will act selfishly and not in regard to the people and there is a ending or ceasing of their loyalty and love for the next in line.  The prince is cutting off the hand that is feeding him and probably thinking he knows better than his father, the king.

So many times we are like the prince.  We lose focus on the reason we are here and that is to give glory unto God.  We are here to serve God by loving Him and loving others.  Instead of experiencing glory or honor we inherit ruin or destruction.  We lose our impact on those around us when we focus on ourselves.

v.29 - He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who is quick-tempered exalts folly.

What does it mean to be slow to anger?  What does that look like?  The words mean to be long in giving your opinion.  You think much before you speak.  You ponder the consequences and all sides of the situation. Your initial response is to respond with the anger within you but you take it before God to hold onto in a sense while you take a second look.  It is interesting to note that the word for anger is to flare your nostrils.  Have you seen that before?  Have you done that before?  

What does it mean to be quick-tempered?  What does that look like?  The words mean to be short or impatient.  You speak before you think.  You experience the consequences quickly and all you see is your side of the situation.  Your initial response is to respond with the anger within you and you let it fly with no regard to taking it first to the Father.  The result is an exalting or a rising up of more folly or foolish living.  It doesn't help the situation but only makes it worse.  

How is your response to the situations that are thrown at you?  Would you be described as slow to anger or quick-tempered?  How fast are you to give your opinion?  Would a little time before the Father make a difference on what came out of your mouth?  The proverb says it does.

v.30 - A tranquil heart is life to the body, but passion is rottenness to the bones.

A tranquil heart is someone who has stress under control.  They know what to do with stress.  They put stress in its rightful place so that it doesn't rule with passion.  This dealing with stress has a big impact on the body and we know this for a fact as the doctors and scientists link some of the illnesses that we have directly to stress.  Our management of it can bring a better life or our mismanagement of it can bring a deterioration of our physical and mental self.  

Do I have a healing heart or a jealous heart?  Do I have a heart that is thinking of others by going to the Father for wisdom and understanding or do I have a heart that is thinking only of myself?  The healing heart in action brings life to others while the jealous heart brings a decaying of oneself.  

v.31 - He who oppresses the poor taunts his Maker, but he who is gracious to the needy honors Him.

Solomon gives us a practical situation to apply these proverbs about tending to our responsibilities, our responses, and our reactions.  What about the poor?  What about the ones who are in need?  What about the ones who have an outstretched hand to us?   Don't just think about those needing financial assistance.  I have a choice here.  I can oppress them.  I can make their lives more difficult.  I can make them feel even more poor or actually make them more poor.  Or I can be gracious to them.  I can show favor to them.  I can bend down to them.  I can encamp with them.

One action taunts God and one action honors Him.  Do I want to reproach God or jeopardize my position before Him by ignoring His commands or do I want to bring glory to Him or bring more weight to my understanding of who He is?   There is a connection between the poor, those in need, and with God.  I have a responsibility to think about and react to them in respect to my relationship with God.  What will that response be?  Will it be slow to allow God to form my words and actions or will it be quick to display more of my selfishness?  Will I be used of God to bring healing or will I bring about even more of a rotting of myself because I did not follow God's wisdom?  Enough questions, let's pray.

"Lord, how we are connected to others and also to You.  You have placed us together to love and care for each other.  Help me to see the poor in more ways then needing something financially.  Help me to see that I am poor and in need of You and in need of those who You have placed around me to help shape my life to be more like You.  Amen."

Pastor Adam