14 October 2009 Devotion for Today "A Fountain of Life" Proverbs 10:8-17

14 October 2009 Devotion for Today "A Fountain of Life" Proverbs 10:8-17

8 The wise in heart accept commands,
but a chattering fool comes to ruin.
9 The man of integrity walks securely,
but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.
10 He who winks maliciously causes grief,
and a chattering fool comes to ruin.
11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.
12 Hatred stirs up dissension,
but love covers over all wrongs.
13 Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning,
but a rod is for the back of him who lacks judgment.
14 Wise men store up knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.
15 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city,
but poverty is the ruin of the poor.
16 The wages of the righteous bring them life,
but the income of the wicked brings them punishment.
17 He who heeds discipline shows the way to life,
but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.
Proverbs 10: 8-17

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One of my children recently visited Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. He was particularly fascinated by "Old Faithful", one our nation's most famous geysers. Every half an hour, a blast of volcanic steam and water spews high into the air. It does this for several seconds and then settles back down again- waiting its turn to erupt again in another thirty minutes. Everyone rushes over to it to take pictures. Jared talked about a number of similar sights at the park, including the bubbling mud bogs that churn and gurgle; emitting a noxious sulfur smell. He said it attracts a lot of attention, but you cannot stand there and look for very long before the "rotten-egg" smell drives you away.

Today I want to share with you from one of my favorite proverbs of Solomon. In this passage he contrasts the wicked and the righteous, the fool and the wise, the man of integrity and the crooked, the hater and the lover, the rich and the poor, the disciplined and the ignorant. One would think that the positive or negative traits the author contrasts are synonymous; they are not. While some, for example, like the wise and the righteous share some commonalities, they are not always one in the same. In my opinion, the most appealing character is found in verse 11- "The mouth of the righteous." Solomon says that they are "a fountain of life." Indeed they are. One can tell much about a person in how they speak and by what they say. They are refreshing to be around- like a breath of fresh air. You find yourself going back to them again and again. Its not just that they are positive or even popular- but they are focusing on you. Like Old Faithful, you can always count on them to be timely with their encouragement, helpfulness, consideration and generosity. By generous I don't just mean that they are always giving you money as helpful as that might be. But they are generous in sharing their love and time with you. They bring the best out in you- and help you to reach your goals. They don't feel they have to compete with you. They are not jealous of you or what you have. Like a gushing fountain, their waters enable everything around them to green up and blossom.

Conversely, the wicked poisons the stream that flows past them to everyone it reaches. All the venom and vinegar of their soul pollutes the precious sources from which they and others drink. All you ever hear from them is bile and criticism. Like a bubbling bog, they too attract a lot of attention, but you can't stand to be around them for very long. The stench of their souls drive you from them. Nothing is ever right and they always paint others in a critical light. Particularly politicians. I don't always (sometimes, if ever) agree with what our politicians are doing or saying. But what amazes me more are the Christians I know who spend more time tearing down politicians (particularly our nation's President) than they spend in sharing their witness of Christ. Like the righteous and the wicked- having a conservatively political view is not the same thing as being a born-again, saved-by-grace Christ-follower. While they might be for some of the same things, we as believers have a higher calling. To be focused on harping on politicians is, in my mind, the same as being focused on this world's system that will one day be destroyed. If it isn't destroyed when Jesus comes again, no doubt we will find a way to destroy it ourselves.

Don't get me wrong, Christians have a place for bringing about change in this same system. And we all certainly reserve the right to express our opinions. But the greatest influence we can have over it is to gush that fountain of life higher and broader so that as many different people as possible want to drink out of our stream or warm up to the flow that is emitted from the depths of our souls. If Jesus Christ has indeed changed our heart, then we will be a fountain of life and blessing to others. You can well up a fountain of everlasting life to others.

Prayer: Dear Lord, I must admit that sometimes I don't well up to life much at all. In fact, bile and stench erupts from me more than I would like to see. Father help me to be a fountain of life, instead of a fountain of death to all whom I come in contact today.

Have a blessed day!