This is one of those proverbs that is hard to disagree with and it leaves me saying, “okay, what do I do with this one?”

Very few people have ever seen a gold ring in a pig’s snout – nor do they ever need to. It’s a complete waste. Most of us, however, have seen beautiful women who lacked good taste or good manners or were indiscreet. Our society seems to flaunt indiscretion now. Most women reading this, I daresay, have good taste and are discreet. Some of you know beautiful young people and have input into their lives. This devotional is for you.

You have influence and can shape the way that person thinks and feels about themselves (young men and women alike), but my guess is you have to be careful so that you don’t come across as judgmental or condescending. Keep up with the encouragement. Bathe that young person in prayer. The kids we come across today are in desperate need of someone to care for them and appreciate them. You can be that person. Perhaps these kids come from broken homes and they blame themselves for things they should never have to live with.

You have more influence than you realize.

As Believers we recognize that Jesus paid the debt we couldn’t possibly pay. He took the sin upon Himself on the cross, the righteous for the unrighteous. We didn’t deserve it, but He did it anyhow. Our destination was once an eternity in Hell, we now enjoy fellowship with Jesus and entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven.

We are free, paid for in whole by the Blood of Christ. There was nothing we could do to earn that salvation, for, as the Scriptures tell us, our righteousness is like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).

In our busyness we forget that sometimes.

As a Believer, do you realize that the Lord delights in you? Read that verse again, this time aloud.

If you realized this simple truth even for two minutes a day, how would it change your thinking and outlook?

• How would your self-esteem improve?
• How would your interactions with others change?
• How would the image of yourself change?
• How would your image of God the Father improve?

Is there any “downside” at all to committing to just two minutes a day just to meditate on this one truth?

At times I feel bad for those who don’t know Christ. No only do they miss the joys of living a fruitful, abundant life here on earth, but they miss the glories of being with Jesus in heaven as well. The Bible says in Romans 1:20 that in the end “they are without excuse,” but it still pains me to think of the fate of the lost.

Are we doing all we can to point them in the right direction? I understand that the Holy Spirit woos and draws and convicts them, as He continues to do with us.

And here’s a sobering question, when others look at you what do they see? Are their perceptions of Godly things clouded by your political convictions? Do they see anger and complaining and bitterness in you? Have you asked someone you trust about these things? You might be surprised at the answer.

I just want to be sure that I, by my actions and attitudes, am not hindering others in their search for the Kingdom.

Jesus said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” John 10:10 (NKJV). I don’t think we truly understand the principle of an abundant life.

I strive and wrestle and try to come to grips with the things that life throws our way. I suspect we all do.

But the abundant life Jesus tells us about is much more than the wealth we see all around us; the abundant life is Jesus himself.

Memorize that verse. Let it sink in. Let it permeate your soul.

The abundant life is Jesus himself.

We fall into traps of envying the wealthy. It’s a trap but we often don’t recognize it as such. We think and dream about all the good it can do, all the good causes we could support. But money burns up and what do you have left?

Nothing but smoke and ashes.

Shouldn’t that tell us something?

We don’t see it now, especially when we’re in the thick of things. We don’t see the rewards other than the temporal comments such as “thank you” or “you did a great job.” Occasionally we’ll get the recognition for a job well done, but often it will get overlooked and passed over for more important things. God, of course, remembers it all and has all of those rewards just waiting for us, though I believe that bowing before God Himself will be reward enough when the time comes.

Sometimes, though, the temporary reward may be knowing that you did the right thing when it wasn’t easy or possible.

As discussed yesterday, guarding our hearts is so critical in maintaining a sweet spirit about us. We have to guard what goes in because if we continue to feed it with wrong and ungodly ideas, we will become cynical and ruthless.

In an age of “looking out for Number One,” it is the rare individual who is truly kind towards others. In fact, it’s not difficult at all to be a contrast to the world’s viewpoint.

But, it is essential that we guard our hearts.

Every day.

This is an interesting set of contrasts. We have seen both in everyday life, and we have seen the genders switched and it’s still true.

Most of us know kindhearted men and women. These are the people we want to be around. Often they are humble and servant like. If they aren’t careful, others will take advantage of them.

Ruthless people, however, are polar opposites of kindhearted people. If wealth is their goal, they’ll use any means possible to achieve it. More often than not, they will be the people taking advantage of others, including the kindhearted folks.

Surprisingly enough, as we become cynical and uncaring, the jump to ruthlessness isn’t all that far. The Bible also says we should “above all else, guard our hearts for it is the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 4:23. That’s the key to maintaining a kind spirit.

We make a lot of promises that we don’t keep. Promises aren’t bad if we keep them but we often make them in haste. Then when we have failed to keep the promise, we feel guilty.

And we should.

Promises mean something.

The Bible also states that we are to let our “yes” be “yes” and let our “no” be “no”. It’s not a bad concept if you think about it.