Proclaiming God's Word To The Nations
 
 
Bible Daily Devotional from Proverbs
email friend

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.




| The Bible | Bible Answers | Bible Partners | Bible Studies | Bookstore | Christ Unlimited Ministries Information | Contact Us | Daily Devotional | Doctrinal Statement | Donations | Overcoming Life Digest | JesusPrayer Room | Tour Guide | Youth |

Home


Christ Unlimited Ministries
Ministry Directors: R. S. "Bud" & Betty Miller
P.O. Box 850
Dewey, AZ 86327, USA
(928) 632-8005
www.ChristUnlimited.com

Contact Us