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 29:10-11 (KJV):
10 The bloodthirsty hate the upright: but the just seek his soul.
11 A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.

Proverbs 29:10-11 (AMP):
10 The bloodthirsty hate the blameless man, but the upright care for and seek (to save) his life.
11 A (self-confident) fool utters all his anger, but a wise man holds it back and stills it.

Thoughts for the Day:

These verses from Proverbs tell us that murderers hate righteous people, while the righteous seek ways to see that evil men's souls are saved. Also, a foolish man will speak all that is on his mind, including his angry thoughts, while a wise man will use restraint and hold back his anger until he knows how to deal with a situation wisely.

It has been true throughout the ages that evil men seek to kill righteous men. The reason is because the deeds of a righteous man are an example of goodness, and by comparison will expose what kind of deeds the wicked man is doing. An evil man will not want his deeds shown for what they are, so they will attempt to silence good men. The first account of this is found in the Bible when Cain slew Abel, his own brother. Abel was obedient to God's plan for offering sacrifices, while Cain decided to offer his sacrifice differently, violating God's instructions. When God accepted Abel's offering and favored him for his obedience, and God had no respect for Cain's offering, it made Cain very angry. This uncontrolled anger led Cain to murder his own brother.

1 John 3:11-16:
11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.
13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.
14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

At the root of all murder is hatred and anger. This is the reason that we must learn to control our feelings of anger because it can lead to hatred and murder. As Christians, we are bound to a higher law than just our outward actions.  God looks on our hearts, and therefore, if we hate a brother or sister in Christ, it is the same as murder to God. We must ask God to deliver us of all hatred so that we are not guilty of murder in God's eyes.

Proverbs 29:11 states that a self-confident fool will utter all of his indiscriminate and angry thoughts, instead of restraining them, while a wise man will control himself and wait until he can deal with his thoughts and anger in a proper manner.  How should we deal with anger?  There are two kinds of anger, righteous anger and selfish, prideful anger. The Bible tells us that God, Himself, is angry about certain things. God is angry at the sins of the wicked because of how those sins hurt people. He loves the sinner but hates the wicked deeds they do.

Psalm 7:11: God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.

Most people also become angry when they see injustice and evil men hurting innocent people. This is righteous anger. This kind of anger should spur us to do something good that will help those who are victims of evil.  However, the anger that leads to murder is a prideful anger, as this kind of anger comes when someone feels they did not get what they wanted. It is a selfish anger. The way we must deal with unrighteous anger is to ask God to remove it from our hearts and give us His perspective of the situation that caused us to feel angry.  We are not to vent our anger on others.  Some psychologists tell people to go outside and throw things when they feel anger, as it will make them feel better. This is not how the Bible tells us to deal with it. We are to give our feelings to God and ask Him to give us His feelings in the matter, and deliver us from all that is not of Him.

We are not only supposed to restrain our anger, but the latter half of verse 10 in today's study tells us that we are to also seek how we can win the soul of the one who caused us anger. As Christians, we are to overcome evil with good.  We are not to respond with hate and anger toward those who seek our destruction, but we are to pray for them and try to find ways to win them to the Lord or change them for the better.

Romans 12:17-21:
17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Prayer for the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You that You are a just God and You will deal with the wicked in the world.  Lord, I choose to forgive all of those who have done any evil toward me.  Father, deliver them from being used of the devil.  Save those who do not know You. Deliver those who are deceived and have embraced anger and hatred in their own souls. Lord, show me ways to overcome evil in the world.  Help me to reach out and be an instrument of change when I see injustice and wrongs being committed against others. Give me wisdom and love to overcome evil with good.  I ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.