I’ve been reviewing the past year, and it seems like this little cosmos we call our ‘world’ has been spinning wildly, and out of control, nearly all year long! But as I go back further and look deeper, I’m not convinced it’s anything new . . . just the current spin on an old story that’s captured our attention differently, because it’s been affecting us so differently over the last 295 days – the WHO declared Covid-19 a global pandemic on March 11th; so we started Facebook live-streaming on Sunday the 15th; and Washington State went into the first phase of our lock-down on the 23rd; then the death of George Floyd on May 25th instigated an explosion of reaction in civil unrest and violence around the world; followed by the elections on November 3rd . . . more unrest and violence . . .
Simplistically speaking, the pain in our society – both culturally and individually – is always the result of sin. I’m not suggesting natural disasters are the result of sin or are divine retribution for the sin of mankind, but manmade disasters and social upheaval, whether in the cultural cosmos or in our personal lives and individual families, are the effects and ravages of sin in our individual lives that bleeds out into culture on every level!
Yes. It really is that simple – sin . . . foolishness . . . rebellion . . . self-will . . . evil . . . that little three-letter word our culture and even many Christians are loath to say – “Sin.” And Solomon uses the word in Proverbs, in the context of evil and foolishness and strife and . . . all the negative stuff. And then he inserts the word Proverbs is famous for – wisdom – as the antidote to all evil and sin! He even personifies Wisdom, as a woman, in his writings, and Paul Young casts her as the beautiful character in the grotto in his mythical book, The Shack . . . so if you wanna know what to do to get out of a mess, just look around for Wisdom . . .
Well, it’s January 2021, and I’m looking around for Wisdom, so I’m starting my devotional year out in Proverbs, again. Wanna join me? Thanks! I like traveling companions! Welcome to the journey!
Shalom, D.P.
Devotional Reading Calendar – January 2021
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| **31** Prov. 31 |
1 Prov. 1 |
2 Prov. 2 |
||||
| 3 Prov. 3 |
4 Prov. 4 |
5 Prov. 5 |
6 Prov. 6 |
7 Prov. 7 |
8 Prov. 8 |
9 Prov. 9 |
| 10 Prov. 10 |
11 Prov. 11 |
12 Prov. 12 |
13 Prov. 13 |
14 Prov. 14 |
15 Prov. 15 |
16 Prov. 16 |
| 17 Prov. 17 |
18 Prov. 18 |
19 Prov. 19 |
20 Prov. 20 |
21 Prov. 21 |
22 Prov. 22 |
23 Prov. 23 |
| 24 Prov. 24 |
25 Prov. 25 |
26 Prov. 26 |
27 Prov. 27 |
28 Prov. 28 |
29 Prov. 29 |
30 Prov. 30 |