Don’t Faint

The devising of foolishness is sin, And the scoffer is an abomination to men.If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small.

Proverbs 24:9-10 (NKJV)

Maybe you’ve been the victim of someone’s divisive ways. Many women feel that their mothers-in-law are against them, always looking for a way to put a wedge in their families or to belittle them. A message now to that mother-in-law: this is foolishness. You are tearing down your own family. Please don’t do that. No one gains.

If you are the one hurt by someone’s sinful actions, do you feel that you’re going to faint, shrivel up, or just give up? I have felt like that many times; we come to the end of ourselves. In times like this, God has a promise and word picture for us in Isaiah 40:31, “But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (NKJV).

John Wesley, founder of the Methodist church, had an unhappy marriage. His wife was jealous and vindictive. However, he often said that he attributed most of his success to his wife, for she kept him on his knees. Because he was kept on his knees, he was humble and useful.

The easy roads are crowded,

And the level roads are jammed;

The pleasant little rivers

With the drifting folks are crammed. . . .

But the steeps that call for courage,

And that task that’s hard to do

In the end result in glory

For the never-wavering few.

—EDGAR A. GUEST IN “THE FEW”

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Through the years, I’ve had my share of troublemakers. I’ll be honest, I haven’t always handled it well. I’ve let the things they do and say get under my skin. I’ve imagined all the clever things I could say that would set them straight. But at some point I always realize that the greatest battle is not with the troublemaker. My greatest battle is always the war within me, in my thought life and attitudes. How about you? In reality we should thank those people. Yes—as it turns out, they are just one more tool God can use to mold us and draw us close.

One Year Bible Reading

Isaiah 57:15–59:21; Philippians 1:1-26; Psalm 71:1-24; Proverbs 24:9-10