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 13:2-3(KJV):
2 A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence.
3 He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.

Thoughts for the Day:

The book of Proverbs has a lot to say about how the things that we speak will affect our lives. The first part of Verse 2 states that good will come to us by the things that we speak. Gracious words will bring favor to those who speak them, while an evil, filthy mouth will produce the opposite. We all like to be around people who are kind and considerate, while we try to avoid those who speak rudely and crudely. Words are creative. Good words create an atmosphere of love.  On the other hand, evil words create the opposite kind of environment; one that is offensive. God Himself, created the world by the words that He spoke. In the beginning He spoke and it was so.

Genesis 1:3: "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light."

If we speak the things that the Bible declares are true, we will be agreeing with God's Word, and by doing so, and by so doing we will create an atmosphere where faith can rise in our hearts. However, if we speak doubt and unbelief, it will destroy our faith. What comes out of our mouths reveals what is in our hearts. Therefore, if we find things coming out of our mouths that are not edifying, we should repent, and ask God to cleanse our hearts. Things just do not accidentally come out of our mouths. Those things were in our hearts, even though we might not have been aware of them. Words of evil -- such as jealousy, lying, gossip, fear, doubt, hatred, resentment, pride, selfishness, etc. reveal those very things in our own hearts. We all, at times, slip and say things that we wished we had not said. Each time we correct our speech and repent for those kind of things, we will find that soon good things will be coming out more abundantly than evil things.

Matthew 12:34-37:
34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Proverbs 13:3 tells us that if we allow the Holy Spirit to control our lives by asking Him to fill our mouths with His Word, we shall live the abundant life. The Bible states that God's Words and commandments are life. When we speak them and live by them, we shall experience that life.

Matthew 19:17: "And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."

God's Words are eternal and they shall never pass away.  If God said it, then we can trust Him that it is true. He cannot lie.

Mark 13:31: "Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away."

Luke 4:4: "And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God."

If we align our words with the Word of God we shall be blessed, however if we just allow anything to come out of our mouths, Verse 3 in Proverbs 13 tells us that it will cause us ruin. We must guard our mouths and not allow the devil to use our mouths to speak evil things that bring destruction on ourselves and others. We can be cursing others by speaking wrong things against them or about them. Let us ask God to help us keep our mouths from saying wrong things even as David did in the book of Psalms.

Psalm 141:3: "Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips."

Prayer for the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father, I praise You for Your abundant love and mercy toward us. Thank You for being patient with me as I am learning not to say things that would hurt You or others.  I do ask that You help me to guard my lips from saying unkind things.  Lord, even as David prayed these words, I ask that they be my prayer also. "Let the words of my mouth and the mediation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer." Help us all, as Your children, to say edifying things about one another. Thank You for the abundant life that is ours as we hear, speak, and obey the Words of God. I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.