Proverbs 16:7 (Dissected and Defined):
When a man’s ways (course of life) please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace (to be reconciled) with him.
Daily Devo Paraphrase: When I graduated from our Christian School, my best friend joined me in running from God and we became horribly addicted to drugs. However, he got more involved in the drug culture than I. He became a well known drug dealer in our town. He would buy $100K worth of drugs in Miami and turn it into $250K in 7 days. Eventually he was arrested in the biggest drug bust in our city’s history. He turned states evidence on many of our friends. He was hated by many in our community.
I was running from God, but gave my life back to God in 1993. I often wanted to reach out to him, but I didn’t know where he was incarcerated. I couldn’t ask anyone. He was hated in our community.
One day, in 1995 I was driving down the road and I was shocked to hear his voice on the radio. He was giving a testimony—from a prison cell, I assumed. God had changed his life! I was gladly amazed. I called the radio station hoping I could find which institution housed him so that I could write him. They took my name and said they would get back to me.
The next day, my friend called me. I was shocked. He had been paroled from his life sentence! He was a free man and serving God in the same town he had once pillaged with his poison. He asked to meet me a local diner called Gill’s Diner. I agreed, but sat in the back of the restaurant for fear of “him” being seen. The last I knew he had death threats on his life. When he arrived, I saw a man who had the presence of God on his countenance.
I was shocked! I said to him, “Aren’t you scared to come around here? People would like to see you dead.” I’ll never forget his response to me. He said, “Steve, when a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.” Tim Conti has served faithfully and publicly ever since and no one has bothered him. That’s all I have to say about this verse.
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