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 6:1-3(KJV):  "My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,
2 Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.
3 Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.

Proverbs 6:1-3(Amplified): "My son, if you have become security for your neighbor, if you have given your pledge for a stranger or another, 2 You are snared with the words of your lips, you are caught in the speech of your mouth. 3 Do this now (at once and earnestly), my son, and deliver yourself, when you have put yourself in to the power of your neighbor; go, bestir and humble yourself, and beg your neighbor (to pay his debt and release you).

Thoughts for the Day:

Proverbs, the book of wisdom, gives us some financial advice in the area of relationships. In verse 1, the father advises his son not to become security for another.  In our culture today, this would be advice not to co-sign a bank loan for another person.  It would also mean not to guarantee someone else's loan. Many friendships have been destroyed because this advice was not taken. Although the borrower may have the best of intentions, sometimes they are unable to pay their note off.

Does this mean we are not to help people if they ask us for help?  Certainly not! However, most loan requests are not emergency help loans, but are loans to help people live in a lifestyle greater than they can afford. These kinds of loans will inevitably become difficult to keep the payments up, and the one who has become security will be held accountable for the indebtedness. It is not kind to co-sign a note that will, in the end, not really be helpful to people who have not learned financial Biblical principals. Many people who go into debt for expenditures beyond their means, will, in time, leave the one who helped responsible for their debt.

We should always take every agreement that we sign very seriously.  We are giving our word to do something and this is a serous thing before God and men.  Verse 2 says that when we are security for someone, we must keep our promise because we have given our word and therefore, we are snared with our lips.  We are bound to keep our word, even when it hurts.  All of us have, at times, "sworn to our own hurt."  Many times, when I told someone I would do something, I have wished that I had not done so, as I had to keep my word even when it was difficult to do so. God expects us, as His children, to keep our word just as He keeps His Word.

Psalm 15:4b: ".... but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not."

What if we are already in a situation where we have given our word or pledged security on someone's note? Verse 3 gives us some good advice. First, we should pray and humble ourselves before the Lord and confess the mistake we have made. Then we need to ask the Lord to make a way for us to get out of the situation in a way that it will not destroy our relationship with the one we have become security for. Then we should humble ourselves before the one we have co-signed the note for and ask them to seek a way so that we can be released from the financial bondage. We are responsible as long as the note is in force so this puts us under their power.  None of us knows what the future holds; therefore, it is very unwise to be responsible for something that could fall back on us to pay.  Of course, if you are very wealthy and it would not hurt you to repay the loan, you may want to help the person.  You may even want to pay their debt for them and give them a fresh start. The bottom line is to always ask the Lord for His guidance and wisdom in these matters.

Prayer for the Day:

Dear Father,  I am thankful that You care about the practical matters in this life. Lord, I am asking for Your wisdom and guidance in our financial affairs, as well as all areas of our lives. Father, I ask You to be Lord over our finances.  I am asking that You help my husband and I to put all of our financial affairs in divine order.  I ask for a generous heart to give when You tell me to give, but I also ask for wisdom and grace to restrain from giving, when I should not give to certain individuals. You know my heart, please remove the wrong ideas I might have in the area of finances and let me have the mind of Christ in all of our financial dealings with others. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.