Proclaiming God's Word To The Nations
 
 
Bible Daily Devotional from Proverbs
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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 10:4-5:(KJV): "He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.
5 He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame."

Thoughts for the Day:

These verses in Proverbs deal with a practical matter of work ethics. One of the reasons for poverty is laziness, or what the Bible refers to as "slothfulness" throughout scripture. In verse 4 the scripture says that one will become poor if he deals with a "slack hand."  This means being remiss about the things that we have charge over by "falling down" on the job, or "slacking off" in our work duties. Many people in today's society have this type of approach to their jobs.  They do the least amount of work that they can do without jeopardizing their job. These kind of people will always be poor and have to accept the lesser paying jobs because they will never be promoted. 

On the other hand, those who are diligent in their places of employment will be promoted. Good employers are looking for the kind of helpers who do their jobs in an excellent manner, as these are the ones that will be promoted and given more responsibility and a raise in salary. I know that sometimes employers are not fair, and do not appreciate a good worker enough to raise their salaries; however, we must realize, as Christians, that we are working not just to please our employer, but most of all, we are doing our jobs to please our Master and Lord. If we take this attitude, the Lord will be the one that rewards us, as He sees our labors and our heart to please Him.

Ephesians 6:5-9: "Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; 6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; 7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: 8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. 9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him."

In the scripture above, employees would be in the servant (performing services) position, while the boss would be in the "master's" position. Notice that the Lord has instructions for both employees and employers.  As employees, we must submit to the employer's orders (as long as they are not immoral or against the scripture); while employers will be held accountable if they threaten and intimidate their employees. If we feel we are are being mistreated and we take our case to the Lord, He will defend us and show us what to do. However, we must keep our heart right and not get into gossip or undermining the boss with other employees. We should pray for those in authority and allow the Holy Spirit to deal with our work problems in a godly way.

Every farmer who has a son, would desire him to be like the wise one spoken about in Proverbs 10:5. This son does not slack off in the summer, but works to help gather in the harvest. The son that sleeps during this very critical time, certainly will bring shame to the family by failing to do his part.  His laziness could cause the loss of the harvest and bring poverty to the whole family, if the father does not have enough workers to get the job done.  We can apply this spiritually also. Our heavenly Father is asking His children to help Him bring in a harvest of souls for the Kingdom of God. We must not slumber at this hour, but toil while it is yet day, as the Bible speaks of the time when night comes and we cannot labor.   We only have a window of time to get the job done for our Father, as the harvest, if not gathered in the right season, will lie in the fields and rot. We do not want to be a son that causes his Father shame.

John 9:4: "I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work."

Prayer for the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you that I am able to work.  Lord, You know that I get weary at times, but each time I call on You for strength, I am able to complete my daily tasks.  Lord, I pray for love and kindness to come to the work places of the world.  Lord, let there be just practices in the market place.  May we all work so as to please You and bring glory to Your name.  Help us to also find our place in Your Kingdom, so that we might help by bringing in the harvest of souls that need Jesus. Let us pray, give to send others, or go ourselves. Empower each of Your children to do their part to see that people come to Christ. Let us work while it is day. I ask this in Your name. Amen.