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 27:25-27 (KJV): 
25 The hay appeareth, and the tender grass showeth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered.
26 The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of the field.
27 And thou shalt have goats' milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens.

Proverbs 27:25-27 (AMP):
25 When the hay is gone, the tender grass shows itself, and herbs of the mountain are gathered in,
26 The lambs will be for your clothing, and the goats (will furnish you) the price of a field.
27 And there will be goats' milk enough for your food, for the food of your household, and for the maintenance of your maids.

Thoughts for the Day:

These verses from Proverbs give the farmer a plan for sustaining his business, and we can learn from these instructions and devise a model for planning and managing our households and enterprises today. The book of Proverbs is a very practical book and much of its focus is on how we should align our lives with God's wisdom in our every day affairs. One of its themes is instruction on how we should handle our money and business affairs. In this advice for the farmer, we can lay out a plan for our own businesses. 

Verse 25 talks about how the farmer each year harvests hay and mountain grasses and bundles them for winter use. After the hay is used up through the winter, then the Spring grass emerges so that the animals have food. This principle, when applied to a business or household, would simply mean we are to have a savings, reserve or inventory, so that when "winter seasons" come, we have something to use until the "growth of Spring" arrives again. This is especially important in businesses that are seasonal in nature, such as nurseries, tourist businesses, etc. Applied to households, one would need to have a savings, in case they needed to purchase a major appliance that wore out or any similar need such as this.

Verses 26 and 27 lay out a plan, or a budget, as to how they will operate the farm. The farmer's herd would be used as follows: the lamb's wool would be used for their clothing, some of the goats would be sold for meat to pay for the land, while reserving some of them to use as milk goats. The milk would then be used in several ways. First, the milk and its dairy by-products would be consumed for household use, with the surplus being sold, so that the servants could be paid their salary.

We can see from these instructions that to be successful in our homes or businesses, we must devise an operating plan and a budget.  There is a saying that is very true.  It is this. "People who fail to plan, plan to fail." So many people just drift along with no plans for anything.  If we are to accomplish anything personally or for the Lord, we must have a plan. The Lord will help us with our plan, if we will seek Him with our whole heart, and His plans will not fail.  People who are in trouble financially, can be encouraged to know that the Lord will give you a plan for getting out of debt. Sometimes the first step is to repent for our foolish or lustful spending, and our lack of being obedient to the Word of God in our giving. God wants to bless His people and the Bible is full of instructions as to how we should handle our money and our businesses. Some people rebel at the thought of planning and budgeting; however, according to the scriptures in today's study, it is clear we all need a plan of action. Also, here are some scriptures from the New Testament that give us some good advice, including the admonition not to be slothful in business.

Romans 12:10-17:
10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.

Prayer for the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father, I am amazed at all the good advice that I have discovered in Your Word. Lord, give me the grace to implement it into my daily living. Help me to lead a disciplined life, so that I am able to be a good steward over all that You have entrusted to me.  Thank you for Your daily provision. Give me Your plans, so that I might order my home and business according to Your Will for my life.  Give me divine ideas to help me conquer the areas in my life where I am attempting to solve problems that I have not been able to overcome, as of yet. I am thankful that in Christ, all things are possible, and that we are promised victory through the power of the Holy Spirit!  I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.