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Bible Daily Devotional from Proverbs
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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 25:19 (KJV): Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.

Proverbs 25:19 (AMP): Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth or a foot out of joint.

Thoughts for the Day:

This verse from Proverbs states that when anyone puts their confidence in someone who is unfaithful in a time of trouble, they will have a painful experience. A broken tooth or a foot our of joint, is not a pleasant condition.  We need to be careful where we place our confidence. If a man has been proven to be an unfaithful person, we should never expect to depend on them when trouble comes our way. We need to develop our friendships with faithful people who will not fail us in our hour of need. How do we know if a person will be faithful or not? The Bible teaches us that one way is to observe the things they do.  Even children are known by their actions.

Proverbs 20:11: Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.

Jesus also outlines in the New Testament some criteria for testing to see if someone is faithful or not.

Luke 16:10-12:
10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?

There are three things listed in these verses that determine if a person is faithful or not. The first one is to see how they deal in the small matters of life. Secondly, we can observe how they handle their money and lastly, how they take care of another person's property.

From our experience in pastoring for many years, my husband and I noticed that the people who never gave to help the church or to help others (with the excuse that they just didn't have enough money), never gave when they did have more. They never gave when they got a raise, or sold something, or came into some money.  On the other hand, those who gave out of their small incomes, would always continue giving when God blessed them with more and because they did, they would continue to be blessed more and more. Eventually, many of those who never gave ended up in worse condition than those who were poor. The Lord outlined in the Bible a pattern of giving 10% (a tithe) of our income to be used in the work of the Lord; therefore, if one is poor or rich, everyone can give proportionately which is not burdensome for anyone.

How people handle their money in other ways will also reveal if they are a faithful person or not, for instance, paying bills timely. The Bible says if we are not faithful with unrighteous mammon (deceitful riches, money and possessions), we will not be faithful with the things of God. Also, if we do not take care of things that belong to another and abuse them instead, then we will not take care of our own things.  However, if we are faithful stewards over other people's property, then we will be given our own. If we work for someone and we do not do a good job for them, then we will not do a good job, even if we had our own business.

According to today's verse, it would be wise not to trust in those who are unfaithful, and especially not to call on them when you are in trouble, unless you want further pain.  Choose a faithful friend instead. God is the best, faithful friend anyone can have and He will stand with us even if all others forsake us. We also need to be good and faithful people, as His children, so that others can come to us in their time of need and we will be there to help them.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24:
23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

Prayer for the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your faithfulness to me. Lord, I have failed You many times in my life; however, You have never failed me.  I am grateful for Your love and mercy to me when I have fallen down.  I appreciate all the times You have picked me up and helped me to keep on walking on the straight and narrow path of Your will.  Lord, strengthen me to be a faithful witness for You.  Help me not to put my confidence in men, but rather to lean on You and trust You to help me. I am thankful You have used many people over the years to help me, but I know it was You who gave me favor with them. Thank you. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.