The sign above hangs in my den.  It has painted a beautiful picture in my head for years; therefore, I decided to try to capture my “mind’s masterpiece” on canvas.

Week 14’s painting:

“Apple of Gold in Silver Setting”

Week 14-“Apple of Gold in Silver Setting”

Proverbs 25:12

“The right word at the right time
is like a custom-made piece of jewelry,
And a wise friend’s timely reprimand
is like a gold ring slipped on your finger.” (Proverbs 25:11-12 MSG)

“Timely advice is lovely,
like golden apples in a silver basket.” (NLT)

“A well-spoken word at just the right moment
is like golden apples in settings of silver.” (The Voice)

“A word spoken at the right time
is like gold apples on a silver tray.” (HCSB)

“Like apples of gold in settings of silver
Is a word spoken in right circumstances.”  (NASB)

I think you get the point, but I love all of these translations, so I decided to share.

Saying the right thing at the right time in the right way is wisdom!

Grace without truth is meaningless.

Truth without grace is mean.

Grace plus truth is wisdom!

Have you ever received a piece of advice from someone and you absolutely knew it was true and good but the timing and delivery were stinky, at best?

In 2007, just before I went “all-in” with Jesus, I remember being in a season of suffering and sorrow, some unexplained and some self-induced.  I was suffering from unexplained headaches and numbness in my hands .  I was fighting a private personal battle and I had just been in a golf cart wreck, where my daughter was driving.

I was battered and bruised, inside and out.

I can remember sitting at Chuck E. Cheese for a birthday party, discussing life with some moms, when one of them looked at me with a snarky expression and said, “Do you think God may be trying to tell you something?”

She was spot on, but needless to say, the timing (a child’s birthday party with a bunch of mama’s listening in) and the snarky delivery were less than tactful and sent me into a pit of shame and embarrassment.

What the enemy (She was not the enemy but she was the delivery man that day:) meant to destroy me with was actually one of many sparks in a catalyst for a life change.  Only by the grace of God did I receive the message and forgive the messenger.

I learned a great lesson that day:

If what I am saying lines up with God’s will BUT my motivation is to point out the flaw in someone else versus point them to Jesus, then I need to keep my mouth shut.

 If my motivation is to expose the sin of another versus to shine the brilliant loving light of Christ, then I need to quickly flip the flashlight to the log in my own eye.

Remember Job, “…the man who was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.”(Job 1:1)  According to Job 28:28, “The fear of the Lord-that is wisdom and to shun evil is understanding;” therefore we know Job to be wise and full of understanding.

 God says of Job, “There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright…”(Job 1:8)) And in the next breath we see Job lose all of his earthly treasure: wealth, family, health and reputation. Job is a clear example of how bad things do happen to good people in our broken world, but how we respond to misfortune is the true test of our heart condition.

The question should not be WHY ME; it should be WHY NOT ME.

“…The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21 NASB)

Job’s friends started out awesome-THEY GAVE HIM THE GIFT OF PRESENCE AND SILENCE!

Unfortunately,

his friend’s took a turn for the worse and threw wisdom out the window.

Job’s friends started talking:

 “well-spoken words BUT like rotten apples in a rusty trash can.”

While Job “did not say anything wicked and his tongue did not utter lies”(Job 27:4),  Job clung so tightly to his own integrity that he missed the seeds of bitterness toward his crummy friends being planted.

It was not until Job prayed for his friends that the Lord restored his life; therefore, I am reminded that the seeds of unforgiveness and bitterness are sneaky little buggers.

For example:

I have a strong dislike for judgementalness, prejudice, and cynicism, but if I allow that dislike to dominate my heart,  I will quickly lose sight of my LOVE motivation.  Holding a grudge actually releases the seeds of bitterness and unforgiveness, and they quickly take root.

The only way to uproot them is prayer, prayer for those who have hurt us and others, prayer for the judgemental, prejudiced and cynical.

We must love our enemies.

“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44 NIV)

Corrie ten Boom and her family were Dutch christians, who helped save many Jews during the Holocaust of WWII.  She and her sister were arrested for hiding the Jews.  Corrie’s sister died in the concentration camp, but Corrie lived to tell their story. She would have been totally justified by human standards to hold a grudge and hate, but Corrie chose forgiveness and love instead.

Corrie ten Boom was a beautiful example of one who was blameless and upright. She feared the Lord and shunned evil.  She was wise and her whole life showed it.  Below are just a few of her quotes.

Corrie Ten Boom Quotes:

“Discernment is God’s call to intercession, never to fault-finding.”

“The first step on the way to victory is to recognize the enemy.”

“Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden.”

“40 Powerful Quotes from Corrie Ten Boom” at crosswalk.com

So,

today,

Where do find ourselves in this post?

Are we wise? Do we fear the Lord and shun evil?

Are we asking the question WHY ME or WHY NOT ME?

Are we praying or fault-finding?

Do we recognize that the enemy is not “people,” although he uses them to do his bidding?

“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12 NLT) 

Are we dwelling on our burdens or turning our concerns into prayers?

Are our words

 “rotten apples in a rusty trashcan”

or

“apples of gold in silver settings?”