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 11:29-31:(KJV): 
29 He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart.
30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.
31 Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner.

Thoughts for the Day:

The book of Proverbs besides being full of wisdom, could also be called a book of basic training for good relationships. The first half of Verse 29 is advice for harmonious living in a family. If any member of a family is a trouble maker and does not try to get along with the other members, in time, the others will have nothing to do with him.  One can become so mean and irresponsible, that even the natural love of the family will not be able to endure him.  He will be rejected by his own family.  If one uses and abuses his own family, eventually he will be left alone with nothing but the wind. God meant for the family unit to be blessed and unified, not cursed and divided. Sin and selfishness are at the root of the destruction of families.

The last half of this verse tells us that those who are fools will end up serving those who are wise.  In the Old Testament, the word for "fool" most of the time, refers to one who is sinful and rebellious and who practices folly. The foolish are irresponsible, careless and stupid. Because of these traits, they are not able to obtain a good position in this life. They end up in a servant capacity working for others. This is not to say that servant jobs are inferior, as they are not.  Many business men and women who are successful today, took servant jobs so that they could go to college, which then, made it possible for them to obtain a better job. Others worked their way from the bottom of a company until they were promoted to the top. Hard work is something that a fool will avoid, as his aim is for immediate gratification. That is why he will never attain a better status, but will always have to be under someone else's supervision as a servant. 

Verse 30 tells us that the fruit of the righteous is like a tree of life. Every life that is righteous affects others around them and grows like a tree. Every person's life has an influence in this world. Our lives will either influence others for good or evil.  The choice is ours. If every one who carries the name Christian was truly living according to Christ's commands, we would be able to win the whole world for Christ. It breaks the heart of God when His children act just like the world, as He wants to reach the world through us. The last half of this verse tells us that "he who wins souls is wise." The Lord wants us to be "fishers of men." If we are wise, we will make soul winning a priority in our lives.  We can do this by praying for the lost, witnessing to the lost, and supporting ministries that are reaching out to the lost.

Daniel 12:3: "And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever."

Verse 31 tells us that the righteous shall be recompensed or rewarded in this life in a greater way than the sinner and the wicked. God's people will not have to wait until they get to heaven to receive many of their rewards.  The Bible tells us we shall reap what we sow, therefore if we sow seeds of righteousness, we shall have a reward in this earth, as well as our heavenly rewards later. Our greatest reward shall be to meet the souls of those whom we helped to find Jesus. Everyone we prayed for shall know us.  Every soul whom we led to Christ, will be eternally grateful for our witness. Also, every soul that was reached through our giving to ministries who preached the gospel, will know we had a part in them being reached, because we gave our monetary gifts making it possible for them to know Christ. This should inspire us all to pray, witness and give.

Prayer for the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for those who have prayed for me over the years. Although we do not know the people whom You have had to pray for us, we are thankful for those prayers, and we know that we shall meet those people in heaven. Help us to be faithful to intercede for others who may be needing special prayer this very day. What a wonderful privilege to pray for others. Increase our prayer life, as this is the way you have designed to channel blessings to the earth. Prayer is an act of love, so may I love others today in this manner. Bless your faithful saints who have prayed and stood in faith to see their family members come home. I ask this in the blessed holy name of Jesus. Amen.