July 22, 2008

Today's Reading - Proverbs 22
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Following Scripture Verses

1. A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.
2. The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all.
3. A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.
4. By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.
5. Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them.
6. Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
7. The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
8. He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail.
9. He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.
10. Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease.
11. He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend.
12. The eyes of the LORD preserve knowledge, and he overthroweth the words of the transgressor.
13. The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.
14. The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the LORD shall fall therein.
15. Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.
16. He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.
17. Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.
18. For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips.
19. That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee.
20. Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge,
21. That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?
22. Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate:
23. For the LORD will plead their cause, and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them.
24. Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go:
25. Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.
26. Be not thou one of them that strike hands, or of them that are sureties for debts.
27. If thou hast nothing to pay, why should he take away thy bed from under thee?
28. Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.
29. Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.

Today's Pathway:
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"Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease." - Proverbs 22:10

Unpleasant situations are often created by just one individual who is angry about something. He begins to shoot his mouth off about the thing or person that he doesn't like, and pretty soon he gets other people to side in with him. Eventually the entire group is upset; some because they agree with the complainer and some because they disagree with him, but they are all in a state of strife.

This occurs in families, among friends, in the work place, and in the church. In order to stop it, there are only two solutions. The first one would be that no one in the group ever gets upset. While this would be the best choice for all concerned, the reality is that none of us can control the attitude or speech of another. This then brings us to the second solution: throwing out the scorner.

There may be some situations where removal of a scorner may be nearly impossible, such as in an immediate family setting. However, in the other circumstances, it is easily done. Remove the troublemaker from your circle of friends. Stay away from him on the job, and remove him from his position if you have the authority. In a church setting, discipline should be applied until the man either repents or is removed. Even in a family situation you can make choices about which members of the family you will spend time with.

It does no good to hope that the problem will go away. Unless the man repents, which he probably will not do without some form of confrontation, the problem will persist. Therefore, if someone is a scorner, and bringing reproach and strife to your life, he must be rebuked, and if he will not harken to that, if possible, he must be removed. It is best for him, and best for all who are influenced and affected by him.

Pastor Mark J Montgomery