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
27:21 (KJV): As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man
to his praise.
Proverbs
27:21 (AMP): As the refining pot for silver and the furnace for gold (bring
forth all the impurities of the metal), so let a man be in his trial of praise
(ridding himself of all that is base or insincere; for a man is judged by what
he praises and of what he boasts.
Thoughts for the Day:
This verse
from Proverbs tells us, just as the refining process
of silver and gold brings out the impurities in them, praise given to a man
will also bring out the impurities in him. One of the hardest things for any man
or woman to handle is when other men praise them, or they come into a position
of fame and success. The fallen nature of man will always want to take credit
for the things that he achieves in this world. Now certainly men are to be
commended when they accomplish good things, but we must all keep in mind that
none of us could do anything without the grace and favor of God in our lives.
Without God we could do absolutely nothing. The Bible warns us not to boast
about what we have done or what we plan to do, but rather realize that
everything that we are able to accomplish is because a great and loving God gave
each of us the breath of life. God has a wonderful plan for every human being
and what He desires of us is to surrender our lives to Him and allow Him to
reveal to us what that plan is.
Proverbs 27:1:
Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.
We must all remain
humble before God and remember that whatever we do without God, amounts to
nothing. When our works are tried by fire, if they were carnal things, done in
our flesh, they will simply burn up. One of the ways those works are tried is
when other men praise us. We must always give the praise and glory to God
for our accomplishments. The Lord spoke something to my heart years ago
when He said this to me, "Betty, I want to do a work in you to set you free from
man's opinions of you. I want you to come to the place in Me that the
praises of men will not cause you to feel exalted in pride, nor will their
criticisms cause you to become fearful or discouraged. If you will offer the
praises to me and discuss the criticisms with Me, you will not become lifted up
in pride, nor knocked down by fear. Only by abiding in Me can you know this
freedom."
If our works are
things God commissioned us to do, then when the fiery trials in this life come,
they will only be used to purify us, so that we come forth as pure gold and bring
much glory to God. If we give our lives to God and abide in Him, He gives us an
amazing promise; we can ask what we will and He will do it. If we are truly
abiding in Him, we would not ask anything amiss, that is why we are assured that
our prayers would be answered! God wants to work in us, with us, and through us,
so that we bear much fruit for Him!
John 15:4-8:
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except
it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the
same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and
men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and
it shall be done unto you.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my
disciples.
Prayer for the Day:
Dear Heavenly Father,
I am humbled that You would use me as an instrument of Your love in this earth.
I stand in awe at the amazing plans You have for everyone of us who will come to
You, and allow You to live Your life through us. I am so happy to be a part of
Your family. Lord, I ask that You deliver me from all pride and fear, and
especially the fear of man. May I always be more concerned what You think
about me, than what men may think of me. I ask this in the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Amen.
