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 21:13-14 (AMP):
13 Whoever stops his ears at
the cry of the poor will cry out himself and not be heard.
14 A gift in secret pacifies and turns away anger, and a bribe in the lap,
strong wrath.
These verses in
Proverbs warn us to be sensitive to the needs of the poor and to always
extend mercy and avoid using bribes to deal with angry situations. Verse 13
admonishes us to listen to the cries of the poor and help them. If we
ignore the plight of those less fortunate than we are, then when we have a need,
our cries will not be heard. Remember we reap what we sow. We can
store up "mercy" so that when we have a need for it, the Lord will be merciful
to us. None of us know what kind of trials we may face in the future and there
could be a need for someone to be merciful to us. When we show mercy to
the poor and weak and help them, the Lord in turn, will cause people to help us
in our time of need.
Matthew 5:7:
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. If we fail to help
the poor and needy, we are denying the faith. True faith in God will cause
us to reach out to the poor and helpless. We will do good works of helping
those in need and God will bless us for it.
James 2:15-17
(AMP):
15 If a brother or sister is poorly clad and lacks food for each day,
16 And one of you says to him, Goodbye! Keep (yourself) warm and well fed,
without giving him the necessities for the body, what good does that do?
17 So also faith if it does not have works (deeds and actions of obedience to
back it up), by itself is destitute of power -- (inoperative, dead).
We sin against God
when we know to do good and do not do it. This type of sin is called the
"sin of omission." We omit to do the things we should. Sins that we
commit are called "sins of commission." We do not want to be guilty of
either kind of sin.
James 4:17:
Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
Verse 14 in
today's study makes a statement regarding secret gifts and bribes. Webster's
Dictionary defines a bribe as: 1.) anything, especially money, given or
promised to induce a person to do something illegal or wrong. 2.) anything given
or promised to induce a person to do something against his wishes.
The book of Proverbs is not
only known for its wise sayings, but also for its practical observations.
Verse 14 states that a man who presents a gift to someone in
secret will be able to turn his anger away. This very statement suggests
that some kind of underhanded situation between these parties precipitated the
one becoming angry with the other one. When people have no morals they use "pay
offs" as gifts or bribes to deal with the anger of other people. This is
wrong and sinful for both parties involved.
Some people can be bought with a bribe or
gift, if they do not have strong moral convictions. Bribes come as temptations.
To overcome them, we must call on God to give us the strength and power to
resist any offer to do anything illegal or wrong. As Christians, we not only
should refuse any kind of bribes, but in the area of money, we should also
refuse anything that we know the Lord would disapprove of, such as gambling. If
we pray and remain humble, the Lord will give us favor when we need it to deal
with any kind of bad situation. We do not need to resort to methods of
manipulation or bribery.
Dear
Heavenly Father, I do appreciate all that You have given me. Lord, please
help me to overcome any selfishness or insecurity that would keep me from giving
to the poor and needy. Help me to be sensitive to the needs of others and
not just concerned about my own needs. Also, let me not be
neglectful to pray for those who may not have anyone praying for them. I
do pray for my family and friends, but Lord, enlarge my heart to reach out
beyond my circle of relationships, that I may pray for and give to those You would show me
that have needs. Let me always be merciful to those who need mercy and I thank
You for the many times You have shown mercy to me. I ask this in the name
of Jesus. Amen.
|