Daily Devotional
Betty Miller shares her daily devotionals which are based on the book of Proverbs in the
Bible.
The Wisdom of God
Verses for the Day:
Proverbs 14:10-11(KJV):
10 The heart knoweth his own bitterness; and a stranger doth not
intermeddle with his joy.
11 The house of the wicked shall be overthrown: but the tabernacle of the upright shall
flourish.
Thoughts for the Day:
The book of Proverbs in
these verses simply states some facts about the heart of man and reveals the destination
of the wicked person and the righteous person. Verse 10 says that every
heart will know bitterness at times, and the heart of man shall also know joy that no
other man can share. These emotions are common to all men; however, bitterness can destroy
men, if they do not know how to respond to the things in life that can cause bitterness.
As Christians, we are commanded to put away all resentful and
bitter thoughts toward others and yield to God's spirit of forgiveness
and love. Bitterness has destroyed many lives. It is like a spiritual cancer that
eats away the soul with hatred and unforgiveness. The scripture is very clear that
if we want our sins forgiven, we must forgive those that would persecute and use us and do
evil against us.
Hebrews 12:14-15: "Follow peace with all men, and holiness,
without which no man shall see the Lord:
15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness
springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled."
Matthew 6:14-15: "For if ye forgive men their trespasses,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your
trespasses."
As Christians we can walk in love, forgiveness and joy if we ask our Lord
to fill us with these attributes. He just asks us to make a decision to love and forgive
and His part is to supply us with the proper emotions and attitude toward others. If we
ask Him to fill us with the Holy Spirit, we will find that we can walk in the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-26:
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
Proverbs 14:11 in our selected text, says that the house
of a wicked man will fall, while the tent or tabernacle (house) of the upright shall
flourish and prosper. When a person that is wicked falls, his life and bad influence
also takes those down that are around him. That is why we are admonished in
scripture to be careful whom we choose as our mates, our partners and our friends. If they
are wicked, we will suffer by our association with them. On the positive side, we
will also be blessed and prosper if we make godly alliances. Every young person should
diligently seek the Lord to make sure the person who is to be their life partner is the
right choice for them. So many people choose their mates out of emotion or lust,
and they suffer if their mate is lacking in character.
Our carnal emotions need to be cleansed as they are not
necessarily the sign of love. The true definition
of love is "God is love." If God is not in a relationship it is not love, but
lust. What this world calls love is really lust since it is built on what the other person
does for me, not what I can do for him or her. If the other person fails to keep up his
end of the bargain, a divorce occurs because the offended mate is no longer pleased. This
is the attitude of the world's so-called "love." God's love loves without
receiving back; God's love is forgiving and patient. God's love is gentle and kind. God's
love waits. God's love sacrifices.
I Corinthians 13 gives us a beautiful definition of real love. Man's
emotions are not a reliable gauge upon which to establish a marriage relationship. We must
know in the Spirit that it is God's will. It is much better to marry for character than
for emotion. Emotions fluctuate; character doesn't. Emotions are in the soulish realm.
Unless the carnal mind has been renewed, Satan can tempt us with emotions or feelings of love
for someone of his choosing if we yield to him. (If he did not have this in his power, he could not split up
marriages.) "Falling in love" is Satan's way. The very expression of these words
should tell us something. A Christian should not "fall" into any trap.
Marriage, in a Christian's life, should be based on a decision directed by the Holy
Spirit. A Christian's love for another is a commitment. Of course, the Lord will supply
the emotions for the mate He sends, but that should not be the criterion for making the
decision to marry. The Lord should be sought, and whatever He speaks to us we should do.
He knows the future and what is best for us. If we trust Him He will not fail us in this
or any other important area. Women or men who allow emotions to rule them will never be
victorious Christians. Emotions should always follow, never lead us in our decision
making.
The house of the righteous will flourish because those who
love the Lord will make Him Lord of that house, and it will stand if those in the house
follow and obey him. My husband and I have been married for 24 years at this writing and
we have never had a fight nor a hateful argument. Most people or shocked when I make this
statement. Yes, Bud and I have disagreed about certain things over the years, but since we
knew the Lord all of our married life and have learned early in our walk how to settle a
disagreement the way the Bible tells us, we have always followed those principles and thus
prevented strife in our home. When we do not agree on something, we both seek the
Lord and ask Him to be our referee and show us which one is right about the matter.
It may be one of us, or sometimes both of us who are wrong. Sometime the Lord has an entirely
different solution to our problem. We simply ask the Lord to show us His mind and He has
never failed to show us what to do when we have different opinions about something.
We thank the Lord that He is the Lord of our house.
Prayer for the Day:
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for the
wonderful godly husband that You gave me. I am most appreciative. Help me to
be the loving supportive wife that he needs. Forgive me when I fail to live up to
the things that a Christian wife should exemplify. Lord, help me to be the person I
should be in all of my relationships with others. I thank you for a forgiving heart
when I feel I have been wronged by anyone. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and Your
love every day so that those in my house will always be blessed. I ask this in the
name of Jesus, our Saviour. Amen.
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