Something for Sarah

Proverbs 19:22 - "What a man desires is unfailing love; better to be poor than a liar."

Hmm. That is a quandry. It really didn't make alot of sense at first. This is from the NIV so I went to other translations for help. (I know, I know. The eleventh commandment forbids this but throw me a bone.)

"What is desirable in a man is his kindness, and it is better to be a poor man than a liar." NASB
"What is desired in a man is kindness, and a poor man is better than a liar." NKJV
"The desire of a man is his kindness: and a poor man is better than a liar." KJV

Now we have something to work with. It seems kindness is a recurring theme, here. I would agree, as a man, that kindness is a desirable quality. Kindness is a fruit of the Spirit which means that it comes from God upon salvation. The KJV, in Galatians, calls it gentleness, which sort of re-defines it for me. I've always thought of kindness as the quality that makes charity possible. You know, being a kind person means having a heart for giving, whether through monetary gifts or spending time giving our talents, blah, blah, blah. But gentleness is a different bird altogether. Gentleness, to me, is like humility. It's like having the ability to handle situations or people gently by putting aside our own wants or feelings, (see Philippians 2:3,4).

D.L. Moody said that gentleness is "love in society." That makes sense, I think. It is an open expression of love, observable in public which is exactly what we need if we are going to show Christ in us. Here's Matthew Henry's commentary on this verse:
"It is far better to have a heart to do good and want ability for it than to have ability for it and want a heart to do it. The poor man wishes you well, but can promise you nothing, because he has nothing to be kind with. The liar makes you believe he will do mighty things, but, when it comes to the setting, will do nothing."

The Carver commentary says, in summary, that it's better to be kind and have nothing to be kind with than to say you are kind without actually being that way.

I'm obviously no expert on Scripture, but I hope this helps, Sarah. And anyone else who reads this, pray for my dear friend Sarah who is away at school and I miss terribly. She's my only equal at "Cranium."