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 15:13-14(KJV):
13 A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is
broken.
14 The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but the mouth of fools
feedeth on foolishness.
Proverbs 15:13-14(Amp):
13 A glad heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken.
14 The mind of him who has understanding, seeks knowledge, inquires after and craves it,
but the mouths of (self-confident) fools feed on folly.
Thoughts for the Day:
In these verses in Proverbs we find
a comparison between a merry heart and a sorrowful heart. Verse 13
tells us that you can tell the condition of a man's heart by looking at his
countenance (his facial appearance). When people are happy, you can tell
by the sparkle in their eyes, their smile and their cheerful attitude. When they
are older, they will even have what we call "smile wrinkles" instead of the
wrinkles caused by frowning. Indeed, facial looks reveal a lot about
a person. Even children speak up when they see someone who is unkind. Just by
say, "That is a mean man."
You can also read on a person's face when they have
sorrow in their heart, especially when you know a person. We have all experienced someone
saying to us, when we were troubled about something, "What is wrong? Are you worried
about something?" We all have experiences in our lives that cause us to be
broken-hearted about an incident. The scripture tells us that if we allow this sorrow of
heart to continue, it can break our spirits.
How can we get over heart break over the loss of
someone or something? We must give the person or situation to the Lord and ask Him
to remove the sorrow and grief from our hearts. We can keep the good memories of a
lost loved one, but we must not allow the enemy to torment us with the grief of our loss.
God will replace the emptiness we feel from the loss of a mate, a child, a friend or a
home, if we ask Him to do this. Jesus died on the cross, not only to give us eternal life,
but He also died to take our grief and sorrows. Jesus Christ, on the cross bore all of our
iniquities, pain, sickness and sorrow. Since He took them, we do not have to take these
things, but rather receive our salvation, healing, deliverance and peace by faith.
Isaiah 53:4-6:
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him
stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the
chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the
LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
In our study verses, Proverbs verse 14 tells us that if
we have God's understanding, we can ask Him for the knowledge to overcome every trial and
problem we face. God is bigger than our grief, sorrow, pain and every problem that
any of us could face. We must never blame Him for our troubles, as the devil is the
trouble maker, not our Lord. God is there for us, to help us overcome anything the
enemy has done, or is trying to do. God is the one that will rescue us and help us in our
hour of need. However, we must not be like the fool who feeds on his folly.
This is a person who is continually mouthing his troubles and blaming others,
including God, for his circumstances. He feeds on self-pity and rehearses his
problems to all who will listen. We must give our heartaches and troubles to God and
keep a cheerful attitude no matter what is going on in our lives. We need to remember,
this too, shall pass as God is eternal and has a good plan for our future.
Prayer for
the Day:
Father God, Thank You for always being
there for me no matter what I face. I can honestly say that You have never failed
me, even in my most intense trials. I have not always understood why I was going
through certain things; however, I do not have to understand because You are God and You
are in control, in spite of my lack of understanding. I know that all You require of me is
to trust You, and look to You in faith and You will come and save me, and bring me an
answer. You always have, and You always will, because you are faithful. You never fail any
of us who look to You. I have failed You, Lord, by my doubt and unbelief at times, but You
have never failed me. Help us all to trust You more. I ask this in the name of
the Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
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