Proverbs 25:14

Like clouds and wind without rain
is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give.

Those who have gone on a short mission trip from Tenth to Barranquilla, Colombia and have experienced a rain storm can tell you how serious rain is there. I have been living in Philadelphia for more than four years, and I have not seen a storm as those I used to see in my hometown. The sky becomes very dark and people know that they should find a shelter as soon as they can because roads there are not prepared for these rains storms. Rivers form in the principal avenues of the city. 

This verse we are looking at today has two parts. The first one is a short illustration and the second is an explanation of the illustration. As clouds and wind announce the coming of rain, a man who boasts compromises his word with the person to whom he made the promise.

There are two things we can learn from this verse, and I would like to illustrate them with two other verses from the Bible. Matthew 5:37 says: "Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil." James 4:13-14 says: "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit'—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes."

These two verses are reminders of our human condition.  Though we might have a serious intention of doing something or giving something to someone, we cannot be certain that we would be able to do it because only God is in control of all circumstances. We should rather be humble when we speak to others and promise something. We need to recognize in every moment of our lives that we depend on God for everything even for each beat of our hearts, therefore we have nothing to boast of other than Christ who loved us to the point of giving his life for us.

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Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By Enrique Leal. © 2024 Tenth Presbyterian Church. Website: tenth.org