A person’s wisdom yields patience;
    it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense. - Proverbs 19:11

When I was younger, I got picked on a lot. Eventually, I told myself I would not let anyone get away with it ever again, and so I started fighting back. But I took it too far. 

It went to such an extreme that if one of my friends jokingly gave me a charlie horse in between classes, I would think of little else until I could get even. 

Somehow in my brain, I was afraid of looking like a wimp. 

So the slightest hint of an offense turned into a mission to get even. It was not fun. 

Thankfully, that season didn’t last very long, but the fear of looking like a push-over can still rear its sneaky little head. The desire to make sure no one‘s pulling anything over on me, no one‘s cheating me of anything, no one‘s mis-understanding, or falsely accusing me - it's so enticing. 

But here in Proverbs 19 it is very clear that wise people overlook offenses. They don’t need to get even. They don’t need to get back. In fact, wise people aren’t offended easily to begin with. They don’t get easily worked up. They don’t get easily bothered. 

Perhaps the rest of the world may even see them as doormats because it looks like they’re just taking punch after punch after punch. But in reality -- reality being how God's kingdom operates --- the angels look down and glory at the sons and daughters of King Jesus, who are following in the footsteps of the one who stood silent before his accusers, even unto death, knowing that he was about to overcome the world. 

Wise people can overlook offenses because they know they have overcome the world in Christ. They don’t need to get even because that’s not where their security is found.

Fools need things to be fair. Fools need to get worked up. Fools need to rant and rave on social media.

Because fools belong to the world. 

Those who belong to Jesus have been set free to overlook offenses.

May we walk in that freedom.

What offense might you need to overlook right now?

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The one who is gracious to the poor lends to the Lord, and the Lord will repay him for his good deeds. - Proverbs 19:17

The poor = the Lord. If you give to the poor, you are giving to the Lord.

Why is this the case?

Two reasons: 

1) By giving to the poor we are showing that we share God's heart for the vulnerable and the downcast. 

2) And by giving to the poor we are saying we trust God with our money and are free to let it go. 

And check it out -- it looks like we’re giving money away, but really, we’re lending to the Lord. And he’s going to pay us back.’He's going to provide for us. 

How can you "lend money" to the Lord this week?