Are You Value-Added?

(Prov 16:27 NIrV) A worthless man plans to do evil things. His words are like a burning fire.

Over the next four verses Solomon will describe the man of Belial. The Hebrew word for "worthless" in this text is Belial (or Beliyaal), which is actually a proper name. Not a name as in something your parents would name you, but rather a name created by the society of the time to describe a man that was adding no value to his community. The name means: worthless, good for nothing, unprofitable, and useless.

In these verses Solomon gives us different portraits of wickedness as he refers to troublemakers of various kinds: those who plot evil (v.27), who stir up strife (v.28), who lead others into violence (v.29), and who are steadfast in sin (v.30). We will stick with verse 27 today.

The first portrait of the man of Belial Solomon paints is that of one who spends his time plotting, planning, and devising evil schemes. While this man is wicked and he knows it, he is not content with being wicked himself. He spends time planning ways to stir up contention and strife in the lives of others. If that were not bad enough, he uses his tongue (his words) like a blowtorch, scorching and injuring all those he speaks to. This man fully understands the power of the tongue and he seeks to use it as a weapon of mass destruction. He is called "worthless" because He has no Godly value. He does not add value to any place he goes.

This is definitely not a picture of what you want to be as a believer. God has called you to be light and salt. The Father expects you to add value everywhere you go. Your family should be better because you are in it. Your workplace should benefit from your presence. Everywhere you go, every project you sign on to, every organization you connect with, everything you put your hands on, should be better because you are involved.

You should strive to the anti-man of Belial. Instead of spending your days thinking of ways to be disruptive, you spend your days thinking of ways to be a blessing. You plot, plan, and scheme for God.

You put creative energy towards Godly projects and you allow the imaginative nature the Father has given you to be used for good, for His glory, and for His purposes.
Not only that, but you too understand the power of the tongue and you are determined to harness it for God's glory. You speak words of life and not death, blessing and not cursing, peace and not turmoil, hope and never despair. You go around building people up with your words. Your words help encourage the discouraged, enlighten the wayward, and bring peace to the troubled. You are an ambassador for good and you spread goodness everywhere you go.

So what does this mean to you? I think I have already said it. But it is worth repeating. It means that you should strive to be the anti-man of Belial, the anti-worthless man, the anti-man of strife. You have God in you and he should be in you so strong that you can't help but add value to every place that your feet tread.

Father, I declare, by faith, that I am "value added" everywhere I go. I am the anti-man of Belial. My mind is fixed and focused on You. My imagination is conditioned to creatively think of ways to promote You and Your kingdom purposes. I spend quality time thinking of ways to be a blessing to others. I am a creative force in Your Kingdom, for Your glory. Furthermore, I harness the power of the tongue and I unleash it for good. I speak life into every person I come in contact with. Send me, today, to the downtrodden, so that You can encourage them through me. Send me, today, to the confused, so that You can shed light on their situation through me. Use me as a weapon, as a tool, as an instrument of Your glory - today and every day. I am light and salt and I add value to every place my feet tread! In Jesus' name. Amen!