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:
19 Fret not
thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked;
20 For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall
be put out.
Proverbs 24:19-20 (AMP):
19 Fret not because of
evildoers, neither be envious of the wicked,
20 For there shall be no reward for the evil man; the lamp of the wicked shall be
put out.
Thoughts for the Day:
These verses in Proverbs
tell us not to fret about anything the wicked may have, for evil men will have
no reward and no light given to them. Verse 19 tells us also, that we are
not to be envious about things that evil people may have. Fretting and envy are
not godly traits. Fretting is a form of worrying, and God's message to
Christians is that we are told not to worry. We are to cast our cares upon the
Lord, for He cares for us.
1 Peter 5:7: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Philippians 4:6-7 (AMP):
6 Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and
in everything by prayer and petition (definite requests) with thanksgiving
continue to make your wants known to God.
7 And God's peace shall be yours, (that tranquil state of a soul assured of its
salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its
earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace) which transcends all
understanding, shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in
Christ Jesus.
We are told to
remain grateful and thankful, no matter what kind of situation we find ourselves
in, and look to God in prayer for the needed answers to the problems of that
situation. When we do this, God furnishes His peace to us, even in a storm
or fearful circumstance. God's peace is one of the most wonderful gifts that He
gives to us because it is not dependant upon our circumstances. Every
child of God can testify to this, as we all face life's problems and many times
we should be worried or upset; however, because we pray, we are given His peace
that passes all human understanding.
Verse 20
declares that wicked men will not be rewarded of God. They do reap what they
sow, but they will never be given a reward from God, as the righteous man
receives. Jesus tells us that when He comes again, He is bringing a reward with
Him to give to every man according to the good works they have done on the
earth. We are not saved by our works, as salvation is a free gift of God, given
to all who repent of their sin and give their lives to Jesus Christ. However,
after we are saved, then the works that we do for the kingdom's sake are
recorded in a book, and at the coming of Christ, He will reward every man and
woman for things they did for Him.
Revelation
22:12: And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every
man according as his work shall be.
Verse 20
also states that the wicked shall have no light for guidance. Living in
darkness is an awful thing. One of the ways that Jesus is described is that He
is the light of the world and in Him is no darkness. In our modern world,
we have all experienced a time when our electricity has failed and we are left
in the dark. The first thing we do is to search for a flashlight or find a
candle to light. Those in spiritual darkness will find that spiritual light in
Jesus.
John 8:12: Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the
world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light
of life.
If we desire to
walk through this life in victory, there is only one way that we can do it.
We must follow Jesus, who is light and who gives light; otherwise we will
stumble in the dark. Our study verses tell us that the wicked shall have
their lamp or candle put out. Without light, there is no way someone can
walk safely in this life. We are given light to see the proper path, light to do
our tasks, light to see when things are dirty so we can clean them, light to
enjoy seeing things with our eyes. Light is God's blessing to us, along
with His peace that passes all understanding.
1 Peter 2:9-10:
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar
people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of
darkness into his marvellous light:
10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which
had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
Prayer for the Day:
Dear Heavenly Father,
I am grateful for the peace that You have given me. Thank You for
delivering me from worry and fear, so that I will not fret about the evil in the
world. I am also thankful for the guidance You daily give me, so that I can
walk in the light of Your ways. I do appreciate Your goodness toward me.
Teach me more about Your ways, so that I do not stumble on the path of life.
May I shine with Your light, so that others may see my good works and glorify my
Father in Heaven. I ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.
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