September 13, 2017
Proverbs 17:9, 22
9 Whoever would foster love covers over an offense,
    but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.
22 A cheerful heart is good medicine,
    but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
New International Version (NIV)
               Are we offended?  The bar of offense seems to have been lowered in recent years.  One strategy in life is to be the “social proofreader.”  You know the type.  Some are always looking to catch someone in something.  When they do, they announce to all what they have discovered. 
                Proverbs suggests a better way.  If we want to foster love and give it a chance to grow, we could cover over the offenses of others.  I said to a friend recently, “Who would want to be known for their worst deed on their worst day?”  We can destroy relationships quickly simply by telling all that we know all the time.  Close friends can be separated by repeating offenses.  Watch for triangulation in relationships.  Who is trying to get us to join them against another today?  How will we respond to them?
                 A. A. Milne gave us a picture of different personality types in his Winnie the Pooh stories.  On the one hand, a cheerful heart is good medicine.  Cardiologists confirm that this is true.  Joyful, happy people are healthier on the whole than curmudgeons.  Think of Tigger – bounding and bouncing through life singing, “The wonderful thing about tiggers is tiggers are wonderful things.”  By contrast consider self-pitying Eeyore, devoid of energy, draining others.    We love all types of personalities.  But since you get to choose today, be cheerful.  You will live longer and help others along the way.
Pray with me:
Father who made Abraham your friend, help us to live as sheltering trees of friendship for others today.  When we are tempted to tell something painful, help us to ask, “is it true?” and “is it necessary.”  Fill us with your joy so that we are life-giving and not life-draining to others.    In Jesus’ name.  Amen.
I want to invite you to join me in memorizing 52 passages this year from the 2017 set of Fighter Verses.  You can find the Fighter Verses App at the App Store on your phones or via this link  http://fighterverses.com/the-verses/fighter-verses/As we study the Bible this year, let's look at each text and learn what it says about God. 
Joyfully, 
Duane 
About Duane Archives
Subscribe to our email list.