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 31:15-16 (KJV):
15 She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.

Proverbs 31:15-16 (AMP):
15 She rises while it is yet night and gets (spiritual) food for her household and assigns her maids their tasks.
16 She considers a (new) field before she buys or accepts it (expanding prudently and not courting neglect of her present duties by assuming other duties); with her savings (of time and strength) she plants fruitful vines in her vineyard.

Thoughts for the Day:

These verses from Proverbs tell us that the virtuous woman is one who is disciplined to rise early and make preparations spiritually, as well as physically, for the day at hand. She is also a capable business-woman who not only saves, but also has the wisdom to purchase land, and plant a vineyard. Those who are successful and accomplish anything in this world all have one thing in common, and that is a life of discipline.  Some people are just disciplined to rise early and plan their day, while those who are godly, may rise early, but their agenda is different -- they rise to pray and seek God before they begin their day. 

One of the best habits a person can develop is the habit of prayer and daily Bible reading.  This is where our spiritual strength and guidance come from.  I like to do what I call preventative prayers. When I have rushed out without prayer in the morning, and later on in the day run into problems, which force me to stop and pray, it is because I have failed to pray preventative prayers (those prayers that would have prevented the problem in the first place). The Lord spoke to me one time that if I prayed about my problems as much as I talked about my problems, I would not even have the problems.  Seeking God early equips us to not only hear God for our own guidance, but we can also help those who work for us or with us.  The virtuous woman will spiritually feed her household, as well as provide breakfast in the morning.

Verse 16 tells us this wise woman also had the ability to execute business negotiations. She found a field (a piece of land) and looked it over very carefully before she considered buying it. She also took into consideration as to how she would have the time and energy to plant and oversee the vineyard she planned on planting in this field.  Planning and organizing are both necessary skills to make any enterprise a success.  There is an old adage that says, "If we fail to plan, we will plan to fail."  Once plans are made, then the hard part of executing those plans comes into play.  Many people are exuberant upon starting a new project, but one must be steadfast, and dedicated to the task, if they aim to see their business a success.

This woman also knew she must not neglect other duties in order to launch out in this endeavor. Those who pursue business endeavors at the expense of neglecting their families are not pleasing to God.  It takes hard work and personal sacrifice to take care of both responsibilities properly, so one should "count the cost" before deciding to take on a business endeavor, on top of the domestic duties of family and home. One of the reasons some women become resentful is that many are holding down an outside job, along with the job of homemaking, and the two have become burdensome. The question of whether or not a woman should work outside the home and leave her children in the care of others has been a much debated one in the church. The ideal, especially when children are small, would be for the woman to stay home and rear the family. However, if a woman can handle her household responsibilities plus an outside job, the Scripture certainly does not forbid her from working away from home. The main thing is to follow the Lord's plan for your life and always do things in love. If the Lord is leading us to do something, He will provide all that we need to accomplish it.  And whatever we do, we should do it fervently as unto the Lord. We must never be slothful in our business, because how we run our business is a reflection of how much we are allowing the Lord to rule our lives.

Romans 12:10-13:
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.

Prayer for the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for giving me the grace and strength to accomplish all that You have called me to do.  Lord, help me to be more disciplined, especially in my prayer life. Give me a love for Your Word so that I never neglect the reading of the Bible. Help me to hear Your voice so that I can follow Your advice in all of my affairs. May I also reflect Your nature in all of my business dealings. May kindness and consideration be a part of my nature. Give me the grace to reach out and help others and to be hospitable to all who enter my home.  I ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.