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 1:10-19( KJV): 
10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:
12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:
13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:
14 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:
15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:
16 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.
17 Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.
18 And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.
19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

Proverbs 1:10-19 (RSV):
10 My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.
11 If they say, "Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood, let us wantonly ambush the innocent;
12 like Sheol let us swallow them alive and whole, like those who go down to the Pit;
13 we shall find all precious goods, we shall fill our houses with spoil; 14 throw in your lot among us, we will all have one purse" 
15 my son, do not walk in the way with them, hold back your foot from their paths;
16 for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood.
17 For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird; 18 but these men lie in wait for their own blood, they set an ambush for their own lives. 19 Such are the ways of all who get gain by violence; it takes away the life of its possessors."

Thoughts for the Day:

In looking at these verses, we can see that as parents, it is our responsibility to warn our children of the dangers of hanging out with the wrong crowd.   Also, there are warnings to young people to stay away from habitual sinners.   There is a saying stating that, "Birds of a feather flock together."   If we do not want to be like the kind of people that are evil, we must not be buddies with them, nor allow our children to buddy with them. There is another saying, "If you play with fire you will get burned." Young people and older people as well, cannot entertain the notion that you can be close to wickedness and not find yourself being drug into the same wicked deeds that they do.  If we do not resist evil, it will soon overtake us.  Smaller sins eventually lead to bigger ones.   The Bible says that greed, and the desire for money can lead one into robbery and as the above verses declare, even to murder. Gangs are rampant today because the above words of wisdom were not heeded by many of our young people.

I praise God for the young people who are good kids and are leading good Christian lives. It is not easy to live for Christ in an ungodly society.  One trick that the devil uses to ensnare good Christians is to entice them to become friends with ungodly people.  Satan usually whispers that by being their friend, you can win them to Christ. I am not saying we should snub evil people, nor should we be unkind to them.   However, we cannot become close buddies to those that practice unrighteousness, as this has been the downfall of many Christians. 

2 Corinthians 6:14-17 (KJV):
14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you."

The evil influence in others, most of the time, will overcome the well meaning one. The best way to help those that are evil is to pray for them and live an example of goodness before them. Yes, witnessing to them, being kind and loving toward them, but not yielding to their enticements to join them in their wicked ways. God has promised to care of His children and as we trust Him, we will not have to go the way of sinners to attain the things we desire. The Lord promises us those things if we follow and obey Him.

Psalm 37:1-4 (KJV):
1 Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."

Prayer for the Day:

Dear Father in Heaven,  I come to You in the name of Jesus and I pray for parents and young people today in all walks of life who are struggling with the threat of unrighteous relationships. Help them to live a life that is pleasing to You. Deliver them from the fear of men and give them the grace to cut all ties with those that would lead them into wickedness.  Fill them with Your Spirit so that they will have the holy boldness to take a stand for truth and righteousness.  May we all treat the wicked that we encounter with compassion and kindness, yet be able to speak the truth in love, so as to help them, and not join them. Give parents Your wisdom to help their teens through the temptations all around them, especially in the inner cities where crime is rampant. Bless the workers and evangelists You have sent to these cities.  Provide for them and protect them as they work among the streets. Protect us all from evil and destruction. Help us to overcome evil with good, as You told us to do, and let us be that light that shines in the darkness.  Amen.