Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, will be counted as cursing.
Proverbs 27:14
Lord how many times have my good intentions resulted in negative results? How many times have I tried to be a blessing only for it to land completely wrong? My mind right now races through many of the instances where I have not been received well and my desire to bless backfires. And I would ask You how many of those times have I thought that it was their problem, not realizing that it was in my delivery where the failing happened? Lord, I am convicted today because You remind me in Your Word not to let my good be evil spoken of. I often quote that verse but do not fully internalize what You meant by it. It is a call for me to do the work up front to make sure that the good I do is well received. In some cases it may mean not carrying out what I feel needs to be done when I want to. Or it could mean no action on my part. In essence, not doing it “early in the morning” but waiting until “midday,” especially when I have a “loud voice.” I ask Your forgiveness for my thoughtlessness regarding this and my actions. I pray for wisdom and discernment. Help me to rightly judge when to speak and when to keep quiet; when to act and when to observe; when to give and when to withhold. I so want to pour my life into the lives of others that I can be overzealous in doing so. Pull back on my reigns of my heart that I might follow Your lead and be guided by You remembering that a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. Amen.