Proverbs 29:8... Who Do You Look Like?

    ⁸ Mockers stir up a city, 
       but the wise turn away anger.

-Proverbs 29:8

As a child, whenever my parents introduced me to their friends, a weird ritual would take place...  My new adult acquaintance would study my face and say to my parents, “He looks just like you.”  My mother and father (faking surprise or maybe they really forgot someone else said the same thing 3 hours before) would ask, “You think so?”  At that point more study took place and the curious adult would ascribe each of my facial features to one of my parents.

Displaying God's DNA

While that ritual seemed odd as a child, I have come to learn that this practice is somewhat universal.  In fact, parents seem to find it complimentary!  There’s a special kind of pride a mom or dad feels upon hearing people say, “That baby looks just like you!”  Proverbs 29:8 prompted me to realize that 'God the Father' feels the same way about us.  

The Lord wants people to see us and say things like…

“That’s a child of God!”

“Did you see how well she remained calm in the heated conversation?  She must be a Christian!”

“Did you see what he did for that stranger in need?  He has a heart just like his Heavenly Father!”

(See Matthew 5:43-48 and Ephesians 5:1-6)

What Do You Want to Be Called?

 Proverbs 29:8 identifies an opportunity we encounter daily to reflect our Heavenly Father’s wisdom and love.  The scripture says, “Mockers stir up a city, but the wise turn away anger.”  Whereas mockers relish the chance to fan the flames of confusion, the wise (i.e. Children of God) desire to create peace. 

Jesus said, “⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”  (See Matthew 5:9)

Our neighborhoods, workplaces and churches are full of troubled people.  Think about the number of folks encountering marital strife, financial woes and work related stress?  These situations all represent opportunities to labor as “peacemakers.”

Being a Peacemaker 

Here are a few ways to serve as a peacemaker….

• Model God’s Peace…  When we became Christians, God did not make us immune to life’s challenges.  We still encounter tough situations.  These situations are opportunities to display God’s peace in our lives.  Trials allow us to show our confidence in God’s ability to transform tough circumstances into beneficial outcomes.  (See John 16:33, James 1:2-4 and Romans 8:28)

• Speak God’s Peace…  We encounter people that are frustrated by something daily.  Use these instances to share a comforting word, thought or scripture.  Today a co-worker told me that a loved one was in a difficult situation.  I asked the person’s name and shared that I’d remember the person in my prayers.  My act affirmed the power of prayer.  Allow people to experience God’s presence and peace through your encouraging words and actions.  Your peace filled words could reap immeasurable results in the life of your listener.   (See Acts 3:1-10)

• Introduce God’s Peace…  Pray for an opportunity to introduce people to Christ.  Many of us have no problem introducing people to talk show gurus, new restaurants or great books but we falter at the thought of introducing them to “Christ as The Answer.”  There's no one in your social network worth meeting more than Jesus!!!  This is an intro your friends will literally be ETERNALLY thankful you made!  (See Matthew 5:14-15 and Mark 8:34-38)

I Want People to See More of God’s Features in Me!

Proverbs 28:1... Building with Boldness

 ¹ The wicked man flees though no one pursues, 

       but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

Proverbs 28:1

Proverbs 28:1 reminds us that as Christians we have no reason to fear life’s challenges.  Why?

God’s "Trade In" Program

God has the Best "Trade In" Program in the universe!  When we accepted Christ as our Savior, we accepted the fact that Jesus literally died (or accepted the penalty) for our sins.  In paying the penalty for our sin’s, the Bible says Jesus made us “righteous” in God’s sight (See 2 Corinthians 5:17-21). 

How’s that for a trade?!  We gave Jesus sin, shame, suffering and death and we received abundant life, adoption into God’s family, the power to positively influence those around us and a new title… Righteous (See John 10:10, Galatians 4:4-7, Matthew 5:13 and 2 Corinthians 5:17-21).  Hence, when Proverbs 28:1 says, “The righteous are as bold as lions.”  It’s talking about you!

Self Righteousness vs. God’s Righteousness

It’s important not to confuse God’s righteousness with Self Righteousness.  Salvation (i.e. Being made right in God’s sight) is not something we earned.  We could not afford it.  It is a gift from God.  Pure and simple… A gift.  Jesus didn’t die on the cross because he owed us.  He didn’t die on the cross because we were smarter, kinder or cooler than other people.  Nope!  Salvation has nothing to do with anything we did.  It is a gift inspired by God’s love.  If you accepted Christ as Savior, gratitude, thanksgiving and humility are the proper responses not self-righteousness  (See Ephesians 2:8-9).

Adoption into God’s Family

As a result of accepting Christ as our Savior, the Bible also declares that we became Children of God (See John 1:10-13, Romans 8:15-17 and Galatians 4:4-7).  Wow!  God is King!  This means we are members of “Thee Royal Family!”  Being royalty has its privileges and possessing a “powerful, loving, disciplined boldness” is one of them (See 2 Timothy 1:7).

Building an Abundant Life with Godly Boldness

Here are three ways to productively and powerfully leverage the boldness that God has invested in you…

• Boldly Converse with God in Prayer...  Want Advice?  Anxious?  Worried?  Try praying.  God loves talking to us.  There are several scriptures encouraging us to pray at all the times about all matters (See Philippians 4:6 and 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).  God is never too busy for you.  Turn thoughts of worry into conversations with your Heavenly Father.  Instead of thinking, “How am I going to accomplish X, Y and Z?”  Simply pray, “God, I know You know the best way to accomplish X, Y and Z.  Please reveal it to me.”    God not only wants you to pursue Him in prayer… He wants you to boldly approach him in prayer (See Hebrew 4:14-16)

• Boldly Overcome Challenges to Live Victorious and Productive Lives...  Your boldness is a differentiating factor.  Unleash it!  God’s boldness placed in you will motivate you to step up when others are stepping back.  The Bible says that you are more than a conqueror, can do all things and that your relationship with Christ will cause you to be productive (See Romans 8:37, Philippians 4:13 and John 15:1-8).

• Boldy Communicate the Power of Christ in Words and Deeds...  Your boldness will produce results in your life.  Your results will create attention and provide you with influence.  Boldly use that power, attention and influence to live a life that says, “My success is a result of God’s love, direction and grace.  Want to achieve greatness?  Let me introduce you to Jesus!”  It’s the best gift you can give to God, friends and enemies!  (See Matthew 5:13-16)

Today I Will Boldly Approach Every Opportunity and Challenge!    

Proverbs 27:23-27... Maximizing Talent

²³ Know the state of your flocks,

      and put your heart into caring for your herds,
 ²⁴ for riches don’t last forever,
      and the crown might not be passed to the next generation.
 ²⁵ After the hay is harvested and the new crop appears
      and the mountain grasses are gathered in,
 ²⁶ your sheep will provide wool for clothing,
      and your goats will provide the price of a field.
 ²⁷ And you will have enough goats’ milk for yourself,
      your family, and your servant girls.

Proverbs 27:23-27

While reading Proverbs I stumbled over a fact that’s both exhilarating and inspiring… Here it is…  We are all amazing individuals!!!  That’s right… I am amazing.  You’re are amazing.  Your loved ones are amazing.  Our adversaries are even amazing.  This is probably the reason God tells us to love our enemies!  (See Psalm 139:13-14 and Matthew 5:42-44)

God Did It!

Before my head exploded with the air of self-importance due to my “amazingness,” another fact transformed potential arrogance into humility and gratitude.  We are amazing for one reason… God made us.  As Christians the Bible assures us that..

• We are God’s Workmanship (See Ephesians 2:10).
• We each have Good (and God-Centered) Purposes (See Ephesians 2:10).
• We have all been Equipped with Everything We Need to Achieve an Abundant Life (Philippians 4:19; Hebrews 13:20-21 and Philippians 4:13).

    
God’s Done His Part…. Now It's Our Turn!

If the above is true, why aren't we all experiencing victorious lives?  The answer is captured in a concept called “Talent Management. ”  While God has given each of us very specific skills and gifts, our job is to manage those talents in a way that maximizes them (See Romans 12:4-8).  Being "amazing" is ordinary but being "effective" is great (See Matthew 20:25-28).  Great people focus on maximizing their gifts!

Maximizing Your Talents

Proverbs 27:23-27 provides a crash course in Maximizing our Talents.  This text tells us we can make the most of our gifts by…

• Taking a Realistic Inventory… Proverbs 27:23 encourages us to “Know the state of [our] flocks…”  In other words, identify your strengths and maximize them.  Understand your short comings and overcome them.  While you may never be the best at your shortcomings, you can improve them to a satisfactory level.  This will ensure that your current weaknesses do not become permanent limitations.   While dealing with weaknesses is important, you’ll want to spend the majority of your time building upon your strengths. 

Identifying Your Strengths
What are your strengths?  What comes easily to you?  What do you do in a special way that can’t be taught?  It may be speaking, singing, listening, analyzing, sewing, encouraging, advising, organizing, assisting…  God has blessed us all with special gifts.  Make sure you are not overlooking or undervaluing any of yours.  

• Passionately Refine Your Gifts… The second part of Proverbs 27:23 says, “…Put your heart into caring for your herds.”  This essentially means make the most of your talents.  Once you indentify your gifts, passionately develop them.  If you’re naturally a good speaker, practice will make will make you a great one.  If you’re naturally a good advisor, investing in the right courses  will make you a better one.  Gifts are diamonds in the rough.  They must be polished and developed (See 1 Corinthians 9:24-27).

• Look Past the “Middle” and Focus on the “After.”  Proverbs 27:25 says, “After you have…[identified your talents and developed them],” you will start to reap the fruits of effectiveness.  Here’s the problem… A lot of people start strong but somewhere in “the middle” they lose sight of the “after.”  The “after” represents both the reasons and the rewards.  Marathoners don’t run to simply experience exhaustion, leg cramps and muscle pain.  No… If someone successfully completes a marathon, it’s because they never lost sight of one thing… Crossing the Finish Line (See Hebrew 12:1-13)!

Jesus: The Ultimate Talent Maximizer  

Jesus identified His purpose and talents (See Luke 2:41-50). He utilized them again and again and again (See Matthew 4:23-25).  Simply put, He passionately developed them. During the toughest “middle” ever (i.e. Crucifixion) he focused on the “after” which was defeating death and giving you and I the right to have abundant life and a relationship with God the Father (See Philippians 2:5-11 and Ephesians 1:5)!

Jesus is the “After” to focus on!  When all else fails, look to Him to get you back online, back in line and to the finish line (See Philippians 3:12-14)!

Today I will Maximize the Gifts that God has Given Me!

Proverbs 26:2 ... Reputation Management

² Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest.

Proverbs 26:2

What do companies like Coca-Cola, BMW and Nike all have in common?   They each spend a fortune on branding.  Why?  Because these companies understand the power of a good name.  Coca-Cola sells a lot of sodas because they have convinced us that “Coke is it!”  BMW sells a lot of cars because in our minds they produce “The Ultimate Driving Machine.”  And Nike sells a lot of sports apparel because whatever our sport, Nike allows us to “Just Do It!”

A Good Name…

Like the companies above, each of us values a good name.  And if we do not, we should.  Proverbs 22:1 tells us, “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.”  Therefore, when we are the target of unwarranted criticism, the subject of malicious gossip, or forced to be the villain in someone else’s drama…

We experience pain, frustration, disappointment and even anger (See Psalm 35).  We tend to feel that the value of our good name has been significantly diminished.  While it is tempting to feel that all is lost (or at least some of it), Proverbs 26:2 reminds us that it’s not.

Lies and Unfair Character Attacks are Ineffective Weapons

Proverbs 26:2 points out that an “underserved curse” does not come to rest.  Here’s the way I picture this verse…

A lie or an unfair attack on your character is like a nuclear missile being launched with the intent to harm you.  When’s it launched, people notice it.   

Yet, Proverbs 26:2 confirms that there’s no need to worry because unfair attacks are like missiles that lose their power before they ever hit their target.

Reputation Management

Here are few things to remember when experiencing unfair attacks on your reputation…

• Unfair Attacks are Aimed at the Best of People.  The Bible has many instances of upright men and women being the targets of lies (See Genesis 39, Exodus 16:1-3 and 1Samuel 17:1-29).  Even Jesus, the Sinless Son of God, was the subject of unfounded accusations.  Jesus was accused of Blasphemy (i.e. Having no Respect or Reverence for God – See Matthew 9:1-8); Hanging out  with the Wrong Crowd  (See Matthew 9:9-13) and Relying Upon Demonic Powers  to Achieve Success (See Matthew 9:27-43)

• The Truth Will Prevail.  Truth lives forever.  Lies have a short life span.  (See Proverbs 12:19)

• God is Still in Control.  Unfounded and Unjust Attacks provide an opportunity for God to…
• Reveal His Power (See Acts 16:16-40)
• Repair Relationships (See Proverbs 16:7)
• Restore You and Your Reputation (See Isaiah 54:17; 1 Peter 3:8-9; 1 Peter 2:21-23 and Matthew 16:24-25)

I Will Trust God to Establish, Develop and Protect My Character and Reputation!

Proverbs 25:26... The Importance of Spiritual Hygiene

²⁶ Like a muddied spring or a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked.

Proverbs 25:26

There is nothing that annoys me more than dust! 

Sin is a Bit Like Dust...

I spend all day cleaning my house and the next day (if the light hits the furniture correctly), what do I see?   Dust!  Dust is like sin… It never stops seeping into my house (See Genesis 4:7).  While we can live with dust, the one thing we cannot tolerate is unconfessed sin. 

Proverbs 25:26 warns us about the impact of sin.  It reminds us that sin is a pollutant that threatens to retard, limit or destroy our spiritual growth. 

Sin's Like Yeast...

Jesus compared sin to yeast in bread (See Matthew 16:5-12).  Yeast is the ingredient that causes bread to rise.  Dough without yeast produces flat crackers.  Jesus’ metaphor was meant to convey a point worth remembering… Just as it only takes a small amount of yeast to impact a whole batch of dough, it only takes a small amount of sin to negatively alter the progression our spiritual lives.

The Impact of Unconfessed Sin 

The affect of sin is tremendous…  Here are a few examples of the way it “muddies our wells."  Sin causes...

• Moral Apathy (See Hebrews 3:12-13),
• Decreased Productivity (or Spiritual Effectiveness),
• Increased Guilt  (See Psalm 32:1-5),
• And the Most Serious of all… A Broken Fellowship with God (See 1 John 1:5-7). 

The Bad News about Sin...

• Sin Impacts Us All (See 1 John 1:8-10)
• Sin is a Serious Threat... (See Romans 6:23)

The Good News is…

God tells us the way to handle sin in our lives!  The answer is to have great "Spiritual Hygiene."  Here are the basic steps to ensuring that unconfessed sin does not accumulate in your life...

• Know Jesus Christ is the Answer… He’s Paid the Cost for Us to be Free from Sin (See Isaiah 53:5-6; John 8:31-34; Romans 3:21-26; and Romans 5:6-11)

• Make Confession Part of You Daily and Ongoing Spiritual Routine… When Jesus taught us to pray, confession was an important part of the model (See 1 John 1:9 and Matthew 6:5-15)

• Allow God to be Your Strength… Once you confess your sins, fill your heart, soul and mind with God’s Word (See Matthew 4:1-11; Ephesians 6:10-18; Hebrew 12:1-4) 

I Will Exercise My Right to God’s Forgiveness!

Proverbs 24:10... Critical Moments

10 If you falter in times of trouble,

       how small is your strength!

-Proverbs 24:10

Almost every basketball player dreams of taking the winning shot with seconds remaining on the clock.  Almost every football player fantasized about catching the “Hail Mary” pass just before the game ends to clinch a victory for his team.  Almost every person imagines themselves making the right decisions at the right moments to deliver incredible results.

Critical Choices During Critical Moments 

Proverb 24:10 illuminates the importance of making wise, correct and productive choices during “Critical Moments.” 

God Cancels Pity Parties and Issues Challenges 

If you find yourself closer to your goal than you have ever been, yet feeling so far from it.  If you find yourself thinking…

“I don’t want to quit now… But I am so tired.

I want to go on... But I am so wounded.

I have invested so much… But my resources are not what they were when I first set out to overcome this challenge…”

Imagine God lifting up your weary head, looking into your tear swollen eyes, and saying with the resolve of one that has trained you and sees His power in you (see John 15:5),

“If you falter in times of trouble, 

       how small is your strength!” 

If these words don’t feel like a comforting caress on the back, it’s because they are not meant to be… These words are meant to serve as a spark that ignites the blaze of courage and strength that God has placed in you (See 2 Timothy 1:7).  

These words are meant to set into motion God’s “Plan B” that He’s hidden in “Plan A.”  

These words are meant to remind you, “I have specifically selected you (fill in your name) for this critical moment to fulfill my critical purpose.   I have given you everything you need to overcome every obstacle, to get up from every fall and to secure the victory.  Now do it!” (See Philippians 4:19, Philippians 4:13)

Things to Remember about Critical Moments

A few things to remember about critical moments…

• Critical moments are opportunities that God uses to display his power through you. (See 1 Samuel 17:20-26)
• Critical moments generally occur during inopportune times.  (See Matthew 14:22-30)
• Critical moments appear and disappear quickly but to handle them most productively requires advanced, consistent and disciplined preparation.  (See Matthew 25:1-13)
• Critical moments require God’s power and courage.  (See Judges 3:10; Judges 15:14; Judges 11:29-33) the Spirit of the Lord came.)

Two of the Most Critical Moments

The two most critical moments we ever face are…

• Accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior (See Romans 10:9)
• Deciding Daily to Deepen Our Relationship with God through Bible Study and Prayer (See 1 Peter 2:2; Matthew 4:4; Romans 10:17)

Hint: Saying YES to Both is the Correct Answer J

I Will Use My “Critical Moments” to Create a Testimony of God’s Love, Power, Mercy and Goodness!

Proverbs 23: Zealously Loving God

“Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the LORD” -Proverbs 23:17

Most of us have had moments in which we wondered…

 “What’s the point of doing the right thing?” 

“What’s the point of making tough but godly choices?”

“What’s the point of turning the other cheek?  Honestly, the guying doing the hitting seems to be in a better position than the guy doing the turning!”

The "Good Guys" Finish Last or Do They?

For me these moments tend to emerge when it seems like the “good guys (and gals)” are finishing last.  

An Understanding God

It’s challenging to see criminals with money to spare and hard working parents that can barely pay their bills.  Some days it’s tempting to envy the seemingly care-free lifestyles of the godless… It’s tempting to envy those that live by the code “God step out of the way!  I am in control and I am going to get what I want by any means necessary.”

God understands our challenge which is the reason he provided the insight recorded in Proverbs 23:17…

“Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the LORD”

Wow!  God understands my temptation!  The first piece of good news is that if you’ve ever envied the ungodly folks that seem to always get ahead, your normal and your God understands those feelings.  (See Hebrews 4:14-16)

Benefits of Trusting God

Additionally, while God blesses everyone (See Matthew 5:44-46), there are many benefits to “zealously fearing (respecting, obeying) the Lord.”  I will encourage you to reflect upon three:

• Godly Success is Long Lasting, Ungodly Success is Short Lived  (See Psalms 37:1-2; Psalms 1; Proverbs 11:18 )
• Godly Success results in a Productive Life, Ungodly Success results in Disaster (Psalm 125:5-6; Proverbs 22:8; Galatians 6:7-8; Joshua 1:8)
• Godly Success Produces Confidence and Peace, Ungodly Success Produces Anxiety (Psalm 32:10; Psalm 37:3-6; Isaiah 26:3-4; Psalm 20:7)

I will Zealously (Passionately) Follow the Lord!

Proverbs 22: Gaining A New Appreciation for Humility

^"4 Humility and the fear of the LORD 
       bring wealth and honor and life."

-Proverbs 22:4

As I was reading Proverbs 22, the 4^th verse immediately spoke to me.  It reminded me that sometimes God’s strategy tends to be the polar opposite of humanity’s. 

Societal Recipe for Success

We live in a world in which the popular recipe for success is…

1 Cup of Self-Centered Behavior

1.5 Heaps of Self Promotion

2 Tablespoons of Impatience

And a Dash of Unmerited Boldness

God's Strategy for Success

However in the 4^th verse of Proverbs 22 we hear God asserting a different strategy for success… Humility. 

“Humility…” Not a popular word in a culture obsessed with being number one.  You can find countless books devoted to the subject of “Becoming Successful”  but finding a book on “Being Humble” is a bit tougher!  Yet, God says that humility (defined as having a “modest opinion or estimate of one's own importance”) is a crucial element in achieving an abundant life.

Why?  I’d bet it’s because humbling ourselves allows us to live out the second part of verse 4 which is “fear (or a reverential respect) for the Lord and His Word.”  (See  John 14:23)

Humility Required

God essentially desires us to accomplish two goals and guess what they both require?  HUMILITY

God instructs us to…
-Honor, Obey, and Respect God and His word  (Humility Required) 
-And to Unselfishly Interact and Care for One Another (Humility Required) 
(See Matthew 22:36-40 and Matthew 5:17-20)

Put Humility to the Test

Casually read the 10 Commandments and you will see that each and every commandment requires us to do one thing and that’s to humble ourselves  so we can unselfishly consider others and ultimately obey the Lord. 

(See Exodus 20:1-21)

Want to Give God a Gift?

Humility is an act of faith.  It’s our gift... It's our sacrifice to God.  Our humility says to God, “I am going to focus on obeying you and trust you to take care of me.”  (See Hebrews 11:6 and Matthew 6:25-34)

The best part about humility is that Jesus declared in Matthew 23:12, “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”  

Jesus can take you higher than you ever imagined!

(See Ephesians 3:20)

Today I Will Energetically Humble Myself to God’s Guidance!

Proverbs 21:11… Asking The Right Questions

¹¹ When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom; 

       when a wise man is instructed, he gets knowledge.

Proverbs 21:11

Just beneath the surface of Proverbs 21:11 is a wonderful truth… As children of God,

We are able…

We are entitled…

We are designed to identify a lesson in every situation that we observe or encounter. 

The Wise Have Broader Learning Styles

While the “simple” or unwise seem to only learn from the most brutal modes of communication (i.e. punishment, penalty or a terrible outcome), the wise (i.e. those that pursue and listen to Godly insight) are able to learn through both outcomes and instruction.

 We Always Have a Reason to Rejoice

As a result of being able to learn from outcomes and instruction, this text reveals another great truth which is as Christians we can rejoice in all situations because we know there is a “blessing (gift-wrapped) in the circumstances.”(See James 1:2-5 and 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) 

The question is, “How do we get through the circumstances to access the blessings?”  The answer is two-fold…

1. Trust God

Trust that God’s in control and using every circumstance to benefit you.  (See Psalm 84:11 and Psalm 23:6)

Want to understand this principle more?  Study the life of Joseph in Genesis 37:1–50:26.  

Don’t have time?  Try the abbreviated version…  Genesis 37 and Genesis 50:15-21

2. Ask the Right Questions

While it’s natural to ask questions like…  

“Why me?”

“ How could this happen?”

“ What did I do to deserve this punishment?”    

DO NOT get stuck here!!! 

Move on to the questions that demonstrate spiritual maturity and produce growth!

As Christians we must take advantage of the privilege of going to God in prayer and asking questions that produce growth and maturity such as…

 “God, What lesson are You  teaching me through this challenge and/or blessing?”

“ How should I respond to make the most out of this opportunity?”

(See Proverbs 3:5-6)  

God has a blessing in every circumstance…

I want to find it!

Proverbs 20: The Problem with Strife

³ It is to a man's honor to avoid strife, 
       but every fool is quick to quarrel.

Ever had a blemish on your face?  Most of us know that the best thing to do is to leave it alone.  However, what do most of us do? 

WE STARE AT IT!

WE PRESS IT! 

WE SQUEEZE IT!

The result… We make it worse.

In the end we find ourselves thinking, “I wish I would have left that minor blemish alone.  No one really even noticed it before I decided to be a ‘bathroom dermatologist.’  Now I’ve inflamed and bruised it and everyone sees the damaged I’ve caused.”

Our interaction with our facial blemishes illustrate the moral of Proverbs 20:3.  While it is tempting to “pursue, put to rest or squash” every annoyance that we encounter,  it is generally more beneficial and demonstrates greater wisdom to avoid strife.

A Few Questions to Consider Before Engaging in Strife... 

• Is this worth my time?  Our time is valuable… Our days are numbered.  If you were to die the next moment would you say, “I am glad I spent my last moments yelling at the guy that almost hit me while texting in traffic (See Psalm 90:12)? 

• Will argumentative words or a strife filled interaction solve the situation? Would our time be better spent discussing the issues that trouble us with the Lord in prayer and seeking his advice via the wisdom found in His Holy Word, the Bible? (See Phillipians 4:5-7)? 

• Would our time be better spent praising God for the way He can use every situation, problem and/or gift to bless our lives (See James 1:2-5 and Romans 8:28)?

Circumstances Can Make Us Better or Bitter… The Choice is Ours!  

I Choose Better!