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 3:11-12(KJV): "My son, despise not the chastening of
the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:
12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he
delighteth."
Proverbs 3:11-12(Amplified): "My son, do not despise or
shrink from the chastening of the Lord -- His correction by punishment, or by subjection
to suffering or trial; neither be weary and impatient and loathe or abhor His reproof. 12
For whom the Lord loves He corrects, even as a father corrects the son in whom he
delights."
Thoughts for the Day:
If we want to become wise, we must receive God's
corrections (or as the above scripture says, "the Lord's chastening")
in our lives. In fact, we should pray for correction, so that we might remain on the right
path, because if we go astray we can be destroyed. Notice verse 12 says
that God corrects His children as an earthly father would correct his children. We
know that any good father does not injure his children when correcting them. When he
spanks or punishes his children, it is for the purpose of teaching or correcting them, so
that they learn proper behavior to avoid trouble and pain.
The main thing we need to understand about God is
that He does not send evil things to punish us. How does God teach us? God
teaches us by giving us the Holy Spirit as our teacher, and His book, the Bible, as our
study guide. Just as children go to school to learn, they must study to pass their tests.
If all a child does, is just listen to his teachers (allowing it to go in one ear and out
the other); and refuses to study, he will fail his tests and could even fail to pass on to
the next level of learning. He must apply what he hears to be successful. In like manner,
if we listen to and obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit; and we study the Bible and
apply it to our lives, we will be able to pass the tests (trials) of this life. However,
if we are rebellious or ignorant of the teachings of the Bible, we will suffer many things
that God never intended for us to suffer.
God does not send sickness, disease, accidents,
poverty or any other evil to teach us. Just as a natural father would never do
anything bad to his own child, but rather a good father is always there to protect and
care for his children. However, if the child through ignorance or disobedience gets
into trouble, and suffers an accident and hurts himself, the father quickly comes to the
aid of the child. Our heavenly Father loves us and came to redeem from the curse, not put
one on us. God does tell us in the Bible who the "trouble maker" is and how to
avoid his temptations and attacks. It is the devil that desires to harm us and cause our
downfall and destruction.
Some people claim it was through tragedy that they
came to the Lord. This may be true, but it was not God who devised the tragedy, but
rather it was the devil. God was simply there to help us and deliver from the
consequences of the tragedy. Tragedies in themselves never save anyone. It is
prayer and the Holy Spirit that brings us to salvation. John 6:44: "No man
can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at
the last day." People are saved because someone was praying them. In
fact, many tragedies lead to the death of people and if they do not know Jesus as their
savior, they end up in hell.
When we are faced with a trial, test or trouble, we
must never blame God for it; but rather turn to Him and praise Him for being there to help
us through the problem. Praise God, that we can call on Him to show us the way to overcome
our trouble and grow in God in the process. Now we should not praise Him for the
trouble, as He did not send it; however, we should praise Him for loving us and being
there to help us in the midst of our problems. Remember He loves us and delights Himself
in us!
Prayer for the Day:
Dear Heavenly Father, I do thank You for
all the times that You have corrected me. Please do not quit even if I cry about my
situation at times. I thank You that You love me enough to correct me and not allow
me to continue in the wrong way. I am sorry that I sometimes complain of my trials.
I want to rise above complaining and learn to trust You more. Help to
overcome the fears and doubts that I feel when I am facing trouble. Lord, I want to come
to the place when I am facing a test, that I will see the BIGNESS OF GOD and not the
bigness of my problem. I know that you love me and care for me, so give me patience,
grace, strength and Your wisdom to overcome all things that the enemy brings against me.
In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
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