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
27:12 (KJV): A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the
simple pass on, and are punished.
Proverbs
27:12 (AMP): A prudent man sees the evil and hides himself; but the simple pass
on and are punished (with suffering).
Thoughts for the Day:
This verse
from Proverbs states
that a man who is watchful will see the warning signs of impending trouble or
danger, and will plan on how to avoid it. There are many scriptures that have to
do with warning us about evil and the devil, as God gave mankind the Bible so
that we would know what to do, and what not to do. Each warning is accompanied
by a corresponding action, or remedy, that is needed to avert whatever problem
we might encounter. The biggest warning is given on how to avoid hell by giving
our lives to Jesus.
Certainly
there is a true suffering for Christ, but it is always by choice. It involves
laying down our lives for others. Jesus' suffering and death on the cross is the
greatest example of suffering for others.
Here are His words:
John 10:17-18:
17 Therefore doth my Father love me,
because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power
to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have
I received of my Father.
How do we suffer for Christ today? We
suffer for Christ by staying in a hard place, rather than fleeing, in
hopes that redemption might come to those that misunderstand us. We
suffer for Christ when we choose to fast instead of eat; when we leave
our comfortable homes and go to mission fields that are filthy and
pagan; when we turn the other cheek; when we pay a bill that is not our
own; when we "go the second mile"; when we rise at the midnight hour to
pray; and when we minister to others when it is not convenient for us.
There are many forms of suffering that are just as valid as the stripes
Paul bore in the New Testament, for the Lord's sake. We can endure
emotional and physical pain as we give up the things we could have in
this world for the kingdom of God's sake.
However, suffering with sickness is
not a form of suffering for Christ, as Jesus paid the price on Calvary
not only for our sin, but also for our sickness. The word in the Greek,
"sozo," is used interchangeably to mean "to save" and "to heal"
throughout the New Testament. He does not want us to keep our sickness
any more than He wants us to keep our sin. If He paid for it on the
cross, then we do not have to bear it today.
Isaiah 53:5: But he was wounded for
our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement
of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
When we do not have sufficient
knowledge to discern between suffering under Satan's hand and enduring
for Christ's sake, we can be deceived by the devil to accept things that
the Lord would not have us bear. A good way to deal with problems of
this nature would be to approach them with a submissive attitude before
the Lord, and ask Him to reveal what He would have us do. The Bible is
clear about what the will of God is in regard to many of life's
situations, so we do not have to pray about those. Submitting to
God, and resisting the devil with the Word of God, will overcome the
evils the devil throws at us.
James 4:7-8:
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.
Many honest and sincere Christians
have faithfully followed the first half of verse 7, but have
neglected the second by not really resisting the devil. We do this by
our faith in God and standing on the Word of God. Many have become
double-minded (believing something from Satan to be from God), and the
devil has been able to put needless suffering on them.
If God calls us to endure something, He will always
give us the peace, grace, and strength to pass through it victoriously.
However, if the devil is behind it, it will drain us, destroy our peace,
and eventually overcome us. Many people who endure sickness, thinking it
is suffering for the Lord, eventually die agonizing deaths, leaving
families with enormous doctor bills and drained emotions. In no way can
this be the Lord. Many of us have endured situations that were not God's
will because of a lack of knowledge of God's Word. We have not
understood
Psalm
17:8-9:
8 Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,
9 From the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who compass me about.
Prayer for the Day:
Dear Heavenly Father,
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