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:
5 The thoughts of
the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to
want.
6 The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of
them that seek death.Proverbs 21:5-6 (AMP):
5 The thoughts of the
(steadily) diligent tend only to plenteousness, but every one who is impatient
and hasty hastens only to want.
6 Securing treasures by a lying tongue is a vapor driven to and fro; those who
seek them seek death.
These verses in Proverbs tells us that
certain good virtues produce wealth, while evil virtues lead to lack and death.
In verse 5 we are told that having plenty involves our thought life.
Negative thoughts bring about negative things in our lives, while positive
thoughts and a good outlook produce good things. The Bible tells us that
actually the things that manifest in our lives have a deeper origin, and that
place is in our hearts.
Proverbs 23:7a: "For as he thinketh
in his heart, so is he:----"
The heart of man is his spirit, while the mind
is in the soul. Man is a spirit, and he has a soul, and he lives in a
body. Of course, all men think with their minds, but it is the spirit man that
influences the mind. If a man is unregenerate and has not been "born
again," he will by his own sinful nature be influenced by ungodly imaginations.
Once we are "born again," we then are given a new nature and heart (spirit),
therefore we now have access to the Holy Spirit and the "mind of Christ."
If we yield to the influence of the Holy Spirit, we will do that which is right.
The devil will still try to tempt us by putting evil ideas in our minds and
tempting us in the flesh, but we now have the power of the Holy Spirit to cast
down those imaginations and put the devil to flight.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5:
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the
pulling down of strong holds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against
the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience
of Christ.
The Lord told Solomon in the Old Testament
that He would bless him financially so that he would have an inheritance for his
children, if he would serve God with a perfect heart and a willing mind.
1 Chronicles 28:9: And thou, Solomon my
son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and
with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all
the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee;
but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.
This scripture in our study also says that
wealth sought in haste will bring a man to want. We see that today with so
many people gambling. They spend their hard earned money in an attempt to
get rich quick and thousands of dollars are lost that could have been used in a
way that would have brought them to a prosperous position. Many people
are also tempted to invest in "get rich quick" schemes that result in the same
end -- they are a loser, they come to want.
Proverbs 28:20: A faithful man shall abound
with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.
Verse 6 of today's study also tells us
that trying to get wealth by lying will lead a person down a path to death. The
Bible tells us that "we shall reap what we sow." A modern day expression
is "what goes around, comes around." If a person lies, others will
lie to him, as the wrong kind of people will be attracted to him. Thieves
tend to run with thieves, and liars with liars, and because of the lack of
integrity in that kind of environment, each person will take advantage of the
other. There is an old saying that is so true and it is, "There is no honor
among thieves." Habitual liars and thieves have also been known to
be murderers, so death is also a highly likely possibility for people who lie to
get their riches.
Dear Father in Heaven, Thank you for
giving us your guidelines for every area of our lives. We know that when
we follow your ways and keep Your commandments we will enjoy blessings in this
life. Lord, help us to be honest in all of our dealings with money so that
we will be blessed. Forgive us when we have put money into the wrong
things. Lord, forgive those who have stolen from us and taken advantage of us.
We look to you to restore what was lost. Help us to be wise and not be tricked
into using our money in the wrong ways. May we use our money and resources
to not only take care of our responsibilities, but to also give, to help others
and to help get the gospel out to others. I ask this in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
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