The Saturday after the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Posted on October 25, 2025 by under
Scripture: Proverbs 14:21-31 (NKJV)
14:21 He who despises his neighbor sins; But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.
22 Do they not go astray who devise evil? But mercy and truth belong to those who devise good.
23 In all labor there is profit, but idle chatter leads only to poverty.
24 The crown of the wise is their riches, but the foolishness of fools is folly.
25 A true witness 6delivers souls, but a deceitful witness speaks lies.
26 In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and His children will have a place of refuge.
27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death.
28 In a multitude of people is a king’s honor, but in the lack of people is the downfall of a prince.
29 He who is slow to wrath has great understanding, but he who is impulsive exalts folly.
30 A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones.
31 He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, but he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.
Devotion
Many seek God’s “special plan” as if it were some hidden path of prosperity or extraordinary purpose. Yet Scripture shows God’s will chiefly in the vocations He assigns. Parents, workers, rulers, and children all have God-given callings. His will is served in ordinary faithfulness.
The Proverbs remind us that wisdom is not lofty, but lived. To be generous to the poor, to labor honestly, to rule justly—these are works pleasing to God. To despise one’s neighbor is sin; to show kindness is righteousness. The will of God is found not in hidden revelations but in the daily lives of His people.
Christ frees us from sin to serve in love. Therefore, the Christian need not chase after secret knowledge or worldly success. God is glorified when His children live faithfully where He has placed them. Humble obedience, grounded in His Word, reveals His wisdom more clearly than any grand “scheme”.
The Christian life is not about seeking greatness, but serving in love, confident that Christ Himself sanctifies even the smallest task. In Him, the most ordinary work done in faith becomes a holy service to God and a blessing to our neighbor.
Collect: O God, forasmuch as without Thee we are not able to please Thee: Mercifully grant that Thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
