Tag Archives: proverbs

Bible Gleanings, devotions

A Soft Answer | Bible Gleanings | October 26-27, 2024

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The vile voicemails and pestering phone calls wouldn’t stop. Michael Weisser was the newly installed rabbi of the oldest Jewish congregation in Lincoln, Nebraska, and a local KKK leader tried to run him out of town by harassing him over the phone. As the intimidation intensified, Michael and his wife started receiving hate mail with messages such as, “The KKK is watching you, scum.” They even received unsettling packages with white supremacist brochures and pamphlets. The Weissers didn’t know what to do, until Michael got an idea: return good for evil.

After doing some research, Michael learned that the man’s name was Larry Trapp, and he began leaving Trapp voicemails as well—but not the kind you’d expect. On one occasion, Weisser left a message, saying, “Larry, there’s a lot of love out there. You’re not getting any of it. Don’t you want some?” One day, Larry answered the phone angrily, and Michael responded to the wheelchair-bound KKK leader, “I know you’re in a wheelchair and I thought maybe I could take you to the grocery store or something.” The fervor of Trapp’s fury subsided and he replied, “That’s nice of you, but I’ve got that covered. Thanks anyway.”

Michael eventually got through to Larry through similar conversations and acts of kindness. According to the New York Times, Larry resigned from the Ku Klux Klan on November 16, 1991, and he and Michael became good friends. The Weissers even converted their living room into a bedroom for Larry when his health declined, and he died in the same loving home that he once threatened. Although Michael didn’t believe in the Old Testament’s book of Proverbs, he certainly believed in the effectiveness of what Solomon wrote in Proverbs 15:1, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Michael also unknowingly practiced the words of Proverbs 25:15, which says, “With patience a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue will break a bone.” 1

This Jewish rabbi exemplified what all Christians should do: speak softly to the spiteful. Someone with a fiery spirit of fury will only be fueled if we respond with the same level of anger. However, someone’s anger can often be extinguished by the water of a soft answer. Believers can diffuse distressing situations with hostile persons by choosing their words carefully and remaining calm. When a believer’s speech is “seasoned with salt,” it may often smother flames of hostility (cf. Col. 4:6). 

The greatest Jew—Jesus—also exemplified this. During His unjust trial before Pilate, Jesus never lost His cool (Matt. 27:11-14). When Peter rashly cut off the guard’s ear, Jesus calmly told him to put his sword away (Matt. 26:52-54). Even while being crucified, Christ did not pray a curse upon His enemies—He prayed for their forgiveness (Luke 23:34). Try responding to the scornful with a soft answer, and you may be surprised by the results.

  1. This story has also been told in Jonah Berger’s insightful book, How to Change Anyone’s Mind on pp. 51-60. ↩︎

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, and their three dogs, Susie, Aries, and Dot. Brandon and Dakota are also foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and a religious columnist for the Advance Yeoman newspaper in Ballard County, Kentucky. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. His columns are also featured in the Times-Argus newspaper of Central City, Kentucky, West Kentucky News of western Kentucky, and the online blog, Reforming the Heart.

Pick up a copy of Brandon’s latest book, Fundamentals for the Faithful, which explains the importance of all the basics which every believer should know:

Bible Gleanings, devotions

A Terrific Tapestry | Bible Gleanings | August 24-25, 2024

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The rear view is a mess, but the front view is a masterpiece. That is what you’ll see if you glance at both sides of a tapestry. Tapestries are an ancient art form that requires an extraordinary amount of forethought and expertise. And to make one, a weaver will arrange threads vertically on a loom and then interweave threads of different colors horizontally. The end result is a breathtaking portrait which showcases the skill and creativity of the weaver.

However, the most striking feature of a tapestry is its backside, which looks like regurgitated rainbow spaghetti or a ball of yarn that an angry toddler twisted up. The back of tapestries are chaotic and unpleasant, lacking structure and meaning. But, simply turn it over and you’ll find that the weaver knew what he or she was doing. The front side view reveals that each thread, knot, and braid has a role to play and a pivotal purpose. It all depends on how you look at it.

That is how your life is in the grand scheme of God’s providential plan. He is weaving together every joy and sorrow, every day and every tomorrow, as part of His beautiful plan for your life. By stitching together every triumph you enjoy and every trouble you despise, He is creating a breathtaking tapestry which points to His handiwork. The Lord is the master weaver who knows exactly what He is doing. As Paul famously declared in Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

Unfortunately, all we can see is the backside of our life’s tapestry, which is rarely resplendent. Perhaps all we see are unanswered prayers and seemingly senseless suffering that looks like a jumbled disaster of threads and knots. But, no matter how much our lives may look like a mess, the Scripture is clear that everything has a place in the glorious masterpiece that the Lord is putting together (Eph. 1:11). And although we cannot see the whole picture, our simple but strenuous role is to trust that God is weaving something wonderful together. As Solomon wisely counseled, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Prov. 3:5, KJV). 

There will come a day when we shall see our life’s tapestry from the frontside, but it will happen when God finishes it in heaven. One day, we will understand how every vexation and victory was necessary for God’s perfect plan to come together. As the Puritan Thomas Watson assured us, “Yet, in the end, all will be made clear and plain. Here we see but darkly as through a glass, but in heaven, the veil shall be pulled off, and we shall clearly see the love of God in all that befell us.” The terrific tapestry is coming together— just trust the process and the One doing the weaving.

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, and their three dogs, Susie, Aries, and Dot. Brandon and Dakota are also foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and a religious columnist for the Advance Yeoman newspaper in Ballard County, Kentucky. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. His columns are also featured in the Times-Argus newspaper of Central City, Kentucky, West Kentucky News of western Kentucky, and the online blog, Reforming the Heart.

Pick up a copy of Brandon’s latest book, Fundamentals for the Faithful, which explains the importance of all the basics which every believer should know:

Bible Gleanings, devotions, Sermons

Guard Your Heart | Bible Gleanings – August 12-13, 2023

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I stooped down to strain water from the stream. I filled my filter with the creek’s crystal clear hydration, and went to work. I know better than to drink unfiltered water when backpacking, no matter how clean it appears to be. Unseen bacteria and microscopic debris can cause infections and ailments when ingested, and a strong filter is required for making water in the outdoors drinkable. But, as I collected the water, I glanced to the right and noticed an unforeseen bacterial threat: my dog squatting in the stream and releasing a stream of her own.

I was sure that the sanitizing filter would sterilize the water, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I could have even waited until the yellow toxin passed by, but the water source was no longer “number one” in my opinion. Foreign chemicals were introduced to it, and it was a “wee” too contaminated. Therefore, I strolled up the stream to a sparkling spring, and hydrated myself there instead. And, every backpacking trip since then, my dog must wait on the bank so I may filter water with a peace of mind.

I was reminded in that moment of the wise words written by Solomon: “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Prov. 4:23). According to Solomon, the heart is like a gushing spring. The fountain of the heart naturally flows into our lives and the lives of others, just as a spring naturally flows into the forest to nourish vegetation and animals. And thus, the spring of the heart must be clean, for if it is polluted, contamination will gush into our life and the lives of everyone around us. Therefore, the believer must guard the heart “with all vigilance,” and pay close attention to what goes into the heart, since whatever goes in will inevitably come out.

As Charles H. Spurgeon once remarked, “We must keep our hearts pure; for if the heart be not pure, the life can not be pure. Whence come our carnality, covetousness, pride, sloth, and unbelief? Are they not all to be traced to the corruption of our hearts?” This is what Jesus taught, too. He cautioned, “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45; cf. Matt. 15:18-19).

That is why David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10, KJV). We must pray for this also, and we must keep a close eye on what enters our hearts. When sin does—whether from the flesh, the world, or the devil—our hearts are polluted. But, when Scripture does, our hearts are purified (John 17:17; Eph. 5:26).

Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.

Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).

For more devotional entries like this, check out Brandon’s latest book, Bible Gleanings Volume II, which features 100 daily devotionals gleaned from God’s word:

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Iron Your Shirt | Bible Gleanings – April 9-10, 2022

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It’s a bad habit. I’m trying to quit. But, like many suit-wearers, I find myself doing it almost every Sunday morning: ironing only the front of my shirt. What you see, then, is a five-star dress shirt—sleek and spruce without a single flaw. The suit coat conceals the wrinkles on the sleeves and yoke, so why not?

Even so, I don’t recommend this trick because there is one teensy drawback: you can never take the coat off! Thus, it is always better to iron the whole shirt. There is nothing to hide when the pleats and plackets are crisp and clean. You don’t have to hide wrinkles if there aren’t any. You can take the suit off without embarrassment when the inside looks as good as the outside. 

This is what the Bible calls integrity. It’s when the shirt looks as good as the suit—when your character matches your appearance. It is living in such a way that you have nothing to hide. Integrity is being the same person behind closed doors as you are on the stage of public life. Integrity irons the wrinkles on your character, freeing you to throw off the suits of pretense, falsehood, and hypocrisy.

There is no security in the sparkling tuxedo of false piety because it will eventually come off. Solomon thus warned, “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out” (Prov. 10:9). And when the shirt of your inner self is ironed by integrity, people who try to point out your “wrinkles” will be embarrassed. That’s why Peter said,

“But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame” (1 Peter 3:15-16).

Iron your shirt. Keep your character wrinkle-free like the Man whose character was perfect:

“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:21-23).

Obviously, your character will always have a few wrinkles. Perfection can only be attained in glory when you wear robes of white (Rev. 3:5). But, you can plug into the outlet of God’s sanctifying power to heat up the iron of integrity so the Lord may smoothen your character to look like His (2 Cor. 3:18).

Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.

Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).