MONDAY - October 5

Read. Proverbs 10:6-12
Blessings cover the head of the righteous,
    but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
7 The memory of the righteous is a blessing,
    but the name of the wicked rots.
8 The skilled mind accepts commands,
    but a foolish talker is ruined.
9 Those who walk in innocence walk with confidence,
    but those on crooked paths will be found out.
10 Those who wink an eye bring trouble;
    those who speak foolishly are ruined.
11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
    but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
12 Hate stirs up conflict,
    but love covers all offenses.

Reflect. With so many focused books and resources, we sometimes begin to think that marriage and family life is a unique, specialized field. In some ways, perhaps—yet the Bible often reminds us that the values that guide all healthy interactions apply, if anything, more strongly to our families. The principles in these seven Hebrew proverbs speak clearly, if not specifically, to family life.
• Verses 6-11 all contrast people who are honest, trustworthy and upright with those who
deceive, who reject wisdom in order to pursue their own ways and who do violence, if not physically then emotionally. In what ways have you felt the difference between marriages and families that embody the “righteous” attitudes and speech listed here with those torn by the “foolish” or “wicked” qualities?

• “Love covers all offenses” in verse 12 used the same Hebrew word as verse 11’s “the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.” Here, said commentator Paul Koptak, it meant “the covering that promotes healed relationships ... Hatred stirs up, love smoothes over. Discord and dissension spring from hatred, but love nurtures harmony.” When has love healed in your life, not by ignoring a problem, but by being the glue that points beyond the problem to an essential connection worth preserving?

Pray. God of love, make me wise and righteous in the best and broadest sense of those words. Give me a heart from which flow words that honestly help and heal in the lives of those I love most. Amen.


COMMUNITY PRAYER LIST


Doug Lawson. Collier. Glenn Ethridge. Adam Funderburk.  Mary Reber.  Linda Harmon. Betty Carolyn Ward. Albert Rasanke. Lois Robinson. Ross Henley. Tiny & Donald Creasman. Bill and Barbara Buchanan. Bonnie Brenner. Baker Family. Robert McKenzie Family. Kibler family. Carolyn Harlow. Jeff Green. Earl Graves. Mickey Huff. Huff & Welch families. Helen Leigh. Paul Huffman. Schools, Teachers, Staff, Parents, Students. Church regathering plans. Layman family. Charlene Withrow. Brandon Casteel. Dirk Orr family. Smith family. Crowder family. Lillard family. Family of Floyd Eaton. Family of Eddie Rynes. Robertson Family. Harmon Family. Nancy Ryan & family. Bobby Roberts. Elizabeth May & family. Melvin Rinehart. Susan Rogers. Brandon Haugh.


Acknowledgement:
Our current teaching series, The Power of Words, was adapted from a series developed by our partners at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection and used with permission. Many of the resources and graphics are provided by our partners. During this series, our Read.Reflect.Pray guide publishes the daily devotional guide (called Grow, Pray, Study) from our partners with minor adaptation.