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 12:23-24(KJV): 
23 A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness.
24 The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.

Thoughts for the Day:

These verses in the book of Proverbs contrast prudence and diligence against foolishness and laziness. Verse 23 tells us that a prudent man is reluctant to display his knowledge, while the heart of a self-confident fool proclaims his folly. Men of character display an humble spirit, while the fool brags about the things that he does.

Verse 24 continues contrasting a good character trait in contrast to a bad one, as it points out that a person who is diligent in his affairs will be in a place of authority and will rule over others.  In contrast, the lazy person will be forced to labor and be under tribute. The Lord is looking for people to rule in His kingdom and this is one of the qualities that is needful for a person to be a minister. The Lord calls people to serve Him by serving His people; therefore, another requirement for leadership is a servant's heart.God's requirements for His leadership choices are much different than those in the world.  The way up in the kingdom of God is down. The way to receive is to give. The way to lead is to serve. The way we gain is to give up and the way to live is to die.

Mark 10:42-45:
42 But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them.
43 But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister:
44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.
45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Luke 14:27: "And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple."

Matthew 16:24-25: "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it."

Today many Christians never attain the victory in Christ that is promised them because they have failed to understand and embrace the cross message in their lives. Some have been taught that God is supposed to serve them and they treat Him like a "bell boy," telling God what He should do for them. Many times the emphasis has been on what God can do for us, instead of what we can do for Him. Certainly, God desires to give His children His blessings, but these come after we make a total commitment to Him.  There are two truths that the church must embrace so that they can be victorious: first, we are to die to our way and embrace the cross and the kingdom of God; then we must exercise our authority in Christ over the devil and his kingdom of darkness. We are to first submit unto God, then resist the devil, and he will flee. We cannot have the victory over sin, sickness and death, unless we practice both of these things.

James 4:7-10:
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Today we are hearing much teaching on ruling and reigning with Christ, and rightly so, as we are approaching the millennial reign of Christ where his saints will reign with Him. Therefore, we must embrace a kingdom mentality.  However, the requirement for reigning, is first complete surrender to the King, plus total obedience to His kingdom rules. If we cannot even rule over the sin in our individual lives, how shall we reign in His kingdom? Jesus was first the Lamb of God before He demonstrated the nature of the Lion of Judah.  He gave His life so that all of mankind could receive forgiveness of their sins.  After we are made righteous in Him, we can receive the same authority over sin and the devil that Jesus was granted.   Jesus came the first time to this earth as the sacrificial "Lamb," but soon He is coming again as the "Lion" who will rule with a rod of iron and judge every person in the earth. If we yield to the Lord now, we will not be judged for our sins. If we surrender to be His servant now, we shall rule and reign with Him at that time.  Praise the Lord!

Prayer for the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you with a thankful heart for all the things you have done for me.  I really cannot thank you enough.  I do want to continue to be one of you faithful servants.  I must rely on you to fill me with your love and strength every day in order to be obedient and serve you.  Help me to be able to share your love with all those who you allow me to be a witness to.  Lord, help me to overcome the sin and weaknesses that hinder Your work in my life.  I do ask for the grace to die to my ways and live unto Yours. Help me to be diligent in all the things that You have commissioned me to do.  May I reflect Your glory and love to all who know me.  I ask this in Your name, Amen.