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 13:10-12(KJV):

10 Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.
11 Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase.
12 Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.

Thoughts for the Day:

In these three verses of Proverbs 13, we find three precious gems of wisdom -- how to avoid contention, the way to attain wealth, and how the results of answered prayer will produce growth and life. Verse 10 tells us that pride is behind every dispute that results in strife. The pride spoken of in this verse is referring to one being arrogant and haughty. If two people are unyielding and arrogant when they disagree about something, it will always produce contention and strife. If we desire to get along with others, we must humble ourselves, and not take the opinion that we are better or smarter than others.  This verse says that if we are well advised, we will act in wisdom toward others.  We will not act defiantly or condescending to others.  We may be right in a situation and yet act in a wrong manner, thus defeating our position.

As God's children, we must always act the way He would want us to act. This is not saying that we are to always take the position of being a "door mat." Sometime the harder thing to do in a situation, is to speak the truth in love, instead of trying to avoid a situation because we dread conflict. When we find ourselves in a situation of disagreement with others, we should seek God as to how He would have us to respond, in spite of how we might feel about the situation. If we feel we are being treated unfairly, the best way to see justice in our behalf is to love, forgive and do unto others as we would have them do unto us. When we take this position and pray good prayers toward others, then God will defend us. We should never pray evil prayers toward those who oppose us. These kind of prayers are not coming from the heart of God, but from our own flesh. When we are blessing others with our prayers and our thoughts, we are overcoming evil with good.

Romans 12:19-20:

19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

1 Peter 5:5-7:

5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Our next gem of wisdom in our study verses is a bit of financial advice. This verse is better defined in the Amplified version of the Bible and reads as follows:

Proverbs 13:11: "Wealth (not earned) but won in haste, or unjustly, or from the production of things for vain or detrimental use, (such riches) will dwindle away; but he who gathers little by little will increase them."

This verse tells us that when we obtain wealth by devious means, or gain it through gambling, or some "Get Rich Quick" scheme, that it will soon be gone.  The reason for this, is that the person who gets money in this fashion did not develop the necessary character in his life that comes with hard work and patience.  Therefore, the lack of character will cause him to waste it.  Soon he is back in the same situation he was in to begin with.   This scripture is also referring to those who produce goods or sell things that are detrimental to mankind (such as illegal drugs, pornography, etc.). Wealth that is obtained at the expense of another's harm will also eventually dwindle away. History has recorded the deeds of some very wealthy men who gained their wealth by exploiting others and at the end of their lives, they were left as paupers. No Christian should be in any business that does not produce something that is beneficial to mankind.

The last gem in our study scriptures tells us that when something that we have set our heart upon does not come to pass, we will become heart sick. If disappointment comes over and over again, soon hope is lost. However, when a person receives the desire of their hearts, it produces great joy. It is like a tree of life.  A healthy tree grows bigger and stronger each year.  So it is when we receive things that we have prayed for and desired.  This of course, is referring to the righteous desires of one's life and not unholy ones. As Christians, we are never to lose hope because we have the one Who is Hope.  We should never yield to despair, disappointment nor discouragement.  We must take our encouragement from the Lord and not depend on others, nor our circumstances, to bring us encouragement.  We must be like David, who sought his encouragement from the Lord when the men around him failed him.

1 Samuel 30:6 "And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God."

Prayer for the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father, I do thank You for the encouragement that You bring, when at times, I am tempted to become discouraged in certain situations.  I am greatly encouraged when You do answer my prayers.  You truly are a faithful God that hears and answers our prayers.  I am amazed at times, when I have totally forgotten a prayer that I prayed years ago and suddenly it comes to pass. Lord, encourage my brothers and sisters in the Lord, and answer their prayers that have been prayed according to Your will. Send hope to those who need it and give them faith to believe You for their answers.  Help me to respond to those who disagree with me in the manner that You would have me to respond.  Fill me with Your love, and empower me with Your Holy Spirit to do Your will in every situation.  I ask this in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.