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:
25 The desire of
the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour.
26 He coveteth greedily all the day long: but the righteous giveth and spareth
not.
27 The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he bringeth
it with a wicked mind?Proverbs 21:25-27 (AMP):
25 The desire of the
slothful kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.
26 He covets greedily all the day long, but the (uncompromisingly) righteous
gives and does not withhold.
27 The sacrifice of the wicked is exceedingly disgusting and abhorrent (to the
Lord) - how much more when he brings it with evil intention?
These scriptures in Proverbs
tell us of the fate of those who refuse to work, and also those who make wicked
sacrifices, as opposed to those who are generous givers. Verse 25 states
that a slothful person, because of his laziness and refusal to work, will
eventually be destroyed. The dictionary definition of the word "slothful" is one
who is habitually lazy, idle, or indolent. The lazy soul described here does not
even want to provide for himself. We find many today who look to others to take
care of them, as they are too lazy to work. Certainly there are times when we
all must have help when hard times come to our door. However, this verse is
talking about a habitually lazy person, not a true needy person.
Verse 26
tells us that the slothful person is also greedy and covetous, and they live in
a "dream world." They are always desiring things, but they do not want to
take responsibility, and labor in order to obtain them. They will also
manipulate others to provide for them, or use people to get what they want. We
need to pray for these kinds of people, as the Lord desires to touch and change
their lives and give them a desire to live and work.
The righteous man
is entirely different; he gives and reaches out and does not try to withhold the
things that he is able to help others with. Those who are righteous do not have
to be told to give and help others, because when a person turns their life over
to Christ, he receives a new nature, and part of that nature is the desire to
give. God's nature is a giving nature. His gift of His Son, Jesus
Christ, demonstrates that. God did not withhold His most precious possession,
His own Son, but sacrificed Him, so that all mankind could be saved, if they
turned to Him.
John 3:16:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Verse 27,
in our study today, tells us that when the wicked sacrifice something, it is an
abomination to God. It is especially disgusting to God when a person gives
a gift with the wrong motives. God, of course, cannot be manipulated to do
things for us because we might offer to give up something as a sacrifice.
There is only one thing that will move the hand of God and that is our faith
and obedience. When a person just gives up something because they selfishly want
something in return from God, that constitutes a form of "tempting God." In the
Bible, some men known as Pharisees tried this and God did not respond favorably
to them.
Mark 8:11-12:
11 And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him
a sign from heaven, tempting him.
12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek
after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this
generation.
Because God knows
what is in the heart of every person, we cannot fool God as to our intentions,
and therefore the only way to come to God is in total surrender to His will. If
we come in the proper attitude to God, He will answer our questions and also
answer our prayers. In fact, any prayer prayed in faith, that is in line
with the Word of God, He will answer, if we believe.
1 John 3:22-23:
22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments,
and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son
Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
Dear Heavenly Father,
I am thankful that You hear us when we pray, and I know that You will answer
those prayers that I pray that are according to Your will. Lord, I know
that what You have stated in Your Word is Your will, so I can confidently ask You
for those things, and You will not turn me down. Help me not to waver in
faith when I pray, but believe in Your goodness and willingness to answer all
that I ask in Your Son, Jesus' name. Lord, deliver me from all unrighteousness,
and grant me grace to keep Your commandments. Give me the desire to study Your
Word more, so that I know how to pray. I ask this in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
|