When a man’s ways please the LORD,
he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. (Proverbs 16:7, ESV)
While the word often does come with negative connotations, not all consequences are bad. Your thesaurus will point to synonyms like outcomes or results or products. This is helpful to keep in mind when you’re fighting a mental battle against your golf swing. Not even your miscues all end in double and triple bogeys. In fact, one of the benefits of experience in golf is learning how to score decently when you’re not striking the ball well.
That said, you don’t want to bank on pars and birdies when you’re hitting it sideways. Balls that stymie behind trees, skip out of bounds, and bury in bunkers should send us a message: time for a lesson and time for some practice.
Now if you step away from golf and look at life more generally, you find that the bad outcomes should also be sending you a message. If the consequences of your actions keep going against you, it’s time to ask, “What should I be doing differently?”
When we say and do things that please God, we become peacemakers.You will often hear conversations about this kind of reflection when it comes to grave troubles—a DUI, bankruptcy, divorce. The proverbs repeat a moniker for those who do not step back from incidents like these to take a good look at what’s going on: fool. It is simply foolish to not take proper stock of our lives, especially when our behavior produces penal consequences.
But most of life is more subtle than that, particularly when it comes to relationships. Long before divorce papers are filed, for instance, insults and arguments and distrust should be warning signs that a good assessment is in order, maybe with the help of a pastor or counselor.
Still, today’s proverb shows us that there is one way to live that produces positive outcomes, even among those who call themselves our enemies. That way is the way of the Lord. When we say and do things that please God, we become peacemakers. In fact, we might say that if we keep finding ourselves at odds with others, the problem may well be ours; we aren’t pleasing God.
So step back today. Take a good look at your life. Are you following God’s will for your life, living in a way that honors him? It’s a way that wins all around.
—
Jeff Hopper
June 25, 2021
Copyright 2021 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
OTHER DEVOTIONS IN THIS SERIES
Oh, To Be Wise 1: Finding Wisdom
Oh, To Be Wise 2: Good Advice
Oh, To Be Wise 3: A Tested Heart
Oh, To Be Wise 4: A Guarded Heart
Oh, To Be Wise 6: The Right Word
Oh, To Be Wise 7: Loving Discipline
Oh, To Be Wise 8: Equal Before God
Oh, To Be Wise 9: Growing Stronger