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:
13 The slothful
man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.
14 The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the LORD
shall fall therein.
Proverbs 22:13-14 (AMP):
13 The sluggard says, There
is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!
14 The mouth of a loose women is a deep pit (for ensnaring wild animals); he with
whom the Lord is indignant and who is abhorrent to Him will fall into it.
Thoughts for the Day:
These verses in Proverbs
record the cry of the slothful, and also give men a warning about listening to
loose women.
Verse 13 is quoting the cry of a person whom the Bible calls "slothful."
A slothful person is one who is lazy and
irresponsible. They are always running away from responsibility with any kind
of excuse. In this verse they give the reason as being -- there is danger in
the streets, a lion is outside and I will be killed if I venture out.
Now, it could have been, there was a lion outside; however, this was not the
real reason this man did not want to go out. If there had been an
announcement that there truly was a lion loose, this slothful man just saw an
opportunity to use this as an excuse to keep from doing his duty or going to
work.
When someone
becomes habitually lazy, and continues to use circumstances and excuses to keep
from taking their responsibility, they can also be susceptible to other things
affecting them, like fear and a wild imagination. The slothful man in this verse
might have become paranoid after so many times of avoiding work. Fear just
overtook him, and his imagination told him that he would be slain by a lion.
It really does not matter how the devil was able to keep him slothful; either
way, he cannot recover from this kind of thinking without the desire to change.
If the man would turn to the Lord, God would deliver him from his old nature,
and he could find satisfaction in working, instead of avoiding it.
There is another
scripture that speaks about how people, who refuse any hardship, will not be
able to reap a harvest. In Ecclesiastes we are told that people who
wait until the weather is perfect, to plant or harvest, will not be able to sow
or reap their crops. Sometimes the weather will not be exactly what you would
like it to be to get the job done. We must have an overcoming spirit to be able
to accomplish things in this world, as there are obstacles that must be
conquered to accomplish our goals. As Christians, we can rely on God's grace and
strength to help us do this.
Ecclesiastes
11:4:
He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall
not reap.
Verse 14
warns men to avoid talking with loose and immoral women as they can be seduced,
if they listen to their flattery and convincing words. This verse
describes how men can be trapped, as her tempting words are like a pit, that is
dug and then covered over, so that an unsuspecting animal will walk right over
it and fall in. Of course, the reverse is true also, as lustful men can lure
unsuspecting females too, but since King Solomon wrote these Proverbs, he
addresses this from a male standpoint. The kind of men who fall into this sort
of trap are those who ignore God's Word and His advice, as they are prideful and
think they can get away with resisting God's principles. The Bible says
that God resists the proud. He is indignant toward them because they have
refused His ways.
James 4:6-8:
6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but
giveth grace unto the humble.
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from
you.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye
sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Prayer for the Day:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for your Words to us in the book of Proverbs, the wonderful book of
wisdom. Lord, help us to learn from this book, and avoid the things that are not
good, which You have shown us through these verses. Lord, deliver me from
any laziness and slothful habits that keep me from doing and enjoying my work.
Give me strength to do all that You would call me to do. Lord, keep me
pure and deliver me from evil. I submit to You and Your will, and I will resist
the devil and his temptations with Your Word, and I expect him to flee from me.
I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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