Proverbs 12:11-14
Farming is an every day activity. When you
work the land there is always something to do today, something that needs to be done today. If you think
about dairy production, those cows need to be milked every day, often two times
a day. So there can be no vacations, no time off. It is this day in, day out
activity that produces food.
Our proverbs for today begin with this
simple truth: if you work the land, you will get food. Everyone in their day
had some connection to the land. They either farmed themselves, or their work
supported those who did farm. If the farming stopped producing food, people
went hungry. There was no leeway to chance speculative investments. There was
no margin for error. Lives were on the line.
Being consistent in doing the right thing
every day gives us roots. When the storms of life come our direction, and they
will come to us all, we won’t be knocked off our foundation. But people whose
words are inflated versions of their hollow cores will end up under attack with
nowhere to go for protection. They want the protection of others, even if that
protection was obtained through wicked means.
Our words and our actions need to match. We
should not just be talking about making a difference in this dark evil world,
we should be living our lives in such a way that the world is different.
The darker the world becomes, the more the
light of Christ will shine. The greater the persecution, the greater God’s
sustaining presence. The more hatred, the more Christ’s love can flow through
us to a hurting world. The more vile the words thrown our direction, the more
loving the Good News of Jesus will sound.
It is precisely in times like this that Jesus
can shine forth. When there are a million dim places, a spotlight can blend in.
But when there is darkness, Christ’s light in us will shine. It will be
blinding to those who oppose Him. It will lead the way for those who seek Him.