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 10:27-30(KJV):
27 The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.
28 The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall
perish.
29 The way of the LORD is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the workers
of iniquity.
30 The righteous shall never be removed: but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth.
Thoughts for the Day:
These scriptures in Proverbs point out how to live a long
life versus a shortened one. In verse 27 we are told that if we
have the fear of the Lord in our lives, it will increase the days of our lives.
However, if we become wicked our days will be shortened. Some people make this
statement: "When it is your time to go, then you will die." How do we know
when it is our time to go? Is the death of a child or a young person the will of
God? Should we resist death or take the attitude that what ever will be will
be? We must search the scriptures for the answer to these questions. According
to the above verse, man does have some control over how long he lives. Certainly God has
set boundaries on the life span of men, as we find in Genesis 6:3
that he set their days at 120 years old. "And the LORD said, My spirit
shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an
hundred and twenty years." Later on David lamented in Psalm
90:8-10 that the iniquity and sin of man further reduced mankind's life span to
70 or 80 years. (A score equals 20.)
"Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in
the light of thy countenance. For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our
years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if
by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow;
for it is soon cut off, and we fly away."
In the beginning when God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, His
plan was that man live forever. However, when the first man and woman sinned and
disobeyed God it brought death to not only them, but all men born after them. Even though
man sinned, God had a plan to redeem them and give them eternal life. He sent His Son
Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, to live a sinless life, and through the sacrifice of His
death on the cross for man's sins, we can now receive eternal life once again. When we
receive Jesus as our Savior, we no longer are subject to the death principle that works in
the lives of sinful men. John 10:10 says, "The thief cometh
not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life,
and that they might have it more abundantly."
The first few generations of men lived very long lives. In fact, they
lived to be hundreds of years old. Methuselah, who lived to be the the oldest man in the
world, died at 969 years of age. Adam lived to be 930 years old (Genesis 5).
Because these men were created and placed in a perfect world, it took awhile for sin to
increase to the point where God reduced their life span. (Genesis
6).
There are two accounts of men who never physically died in the Bible. One
of these men was named Enoch and the other was Elijah.
Genesis 5:23-24: "And all the days of Enoch were three
hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took
him."
2 Kings:11: "And it came to pass, as they still went on, and
talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted
them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven."
Other scriptures tell us that long life is our portion as a child of God.
If the devil tries to come against us with sickness or trouble, we can call on God and He
will save and deliver us and extend our life.
Psalm 91:14-16: "Because he hath set his love upon me,
therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He
shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver
him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation."
Ephesians 6:1-3: "Children, obey your parents in the Lord:
for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with
promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth."
Deuteronomy 30:17-20:
17 But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but
shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;
18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not
prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.
19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life
and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may
live:
20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that
thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou
mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and
to Jacob, to give them.
With all of these verses in mind, we can see that sin cuts our lives short, while
righteousness increases our days. When children obey their parents they will escape the
things that can destroy them. When we obey our Heavenly Father, we are promised a long
life in the earth. If we call upon God in faith, we can extend our lives and the lives of
our children, if we are in trouble or sickness. There is even the possibility of escaping
death if we live an obedient life and have the faith of Enoch or Elijah. In fact, there
will be a generation at the coming of the Lord who will not see death, but will be changed
at the twinkling of an eye and caught up with Christ. We may be that generation that will
overcome the last enemy of death. There will be a day when the wicked are removed from
this earth and the righteous will inherit it and will rule and reign with Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:51-55:
51 Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we
shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall
sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put
on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is
swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
Prayer for the Day:
Dear Father, Thank You for the many promises
that You have given us in the Bible. Thank You for watching over us and our children
and grandchildren and giving us all long life. Lord, give me the grace to live my life in
accordance with Your Word. Forgive me of my sins and keep me from temptation.
Strengthen me to do things that please You. I want to be a blessing to others, so
help me to be sensitive to those around me who might need my help and encouragement. Thank
You for guiding me in the right way and give me the willingness to always do Your will.
I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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