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 14:1-2(KJV): 
1 Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.
2 He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the LORD: but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him.

Proverbs 14:1-2(AMP):
1 Every wise woman builds her house, but the foolish one tears it down with her own hands.
2 He who walks in uprightness reverently and worshipfully fears the Lord, but he who is contrary and devious in his ways despises Him.

Thoughts for the Day:

Many of the statements in the book of Proverbs are contrasting statements about the wise and the foolish.  Verse 1 in today's study, speaks about a wise woman who builds her house; while the foolish one, tears her house down. One of the most common ways this is done, is by the words that a woman speaks.  Words are very powerful and can be used to build up the family members or tear them down.  One way that a woman tears down her home is by being a nagging wife. Webster's Dictionary gives us this definition of the word "nag":  1.) to annoy by continual scolding, faultfinding, complaining, urging, etc. 2.) to keep troubling, worrying, etc. Therefore a nagging wife is one who is not living in faith, but is one who tries to get her way by continually complaining. She is never pleased with her husband or children and tells them so.

Proverbs 15:4(AMP): "A gentle tongue (with its healing power) is a tree of life, but willful contrariness in it breaks down the spirit."

Proverbs 27:15(KJV): "A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike."

Proverbs 31:26(KJV): "She (a virtuous woman) openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness."

We can see from these verses that we can build up our husbands and children with kind words, or we can destroy them with words of condemnation.  Good and gentle words bring life to others, while words spoken in anger will tear down those around us. What if our spouse or others around us are saying unkind things to us? Are we justified in returning railing words back to them?  Here is what the scripture tells us.

1 Peter 2:21-23:
21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:

1 Peter 3:8-12:
8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
11 Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

From these scriptures we can see that if we desire to see good days and have a love for life, we must guard our tongues from speaking evil. If we want the Lord to answer our prayers, we must resist evil and overcome the temptation to render evil for evil.  We should take our hurt, anger, fear and frustration and give them to the Lord and ask Him to deliver us from these emotions. We must ask Him to fill us with the Holy Spirit so that we might overcome evil with good.  We cannot do this within ourselves, but with His love and power we can achieve this attitude and action to all who would come against us.  Usually pride and fear are the two things that keep us in bondage to our old ways.  When we humble ourselves before God and ask him to deliver us from these two evils, we will walk in victory.  We can overcome through our Lord and be like the wise woman who builds her house up instead of tearing it down.

Romans 12:21: "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."

Prayer for the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your love and grace that empowers me to overcome the fear and pride that comes against me. Lord, I do humble myself before You, asking You to be merciful to me and all of my family.   We need Your love so that we can overcome evil with good.  Lord, help us each, in our families and our offices, to become more like You.  Give us patience and forbearance with one another.  Let us be gentle and kind to all, and especially may we be so in our own homes.  Help us guard our mouths so that we speak gracious things about one another. Help us to build one another up and never to tear down others with our mouths.   I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord in whose steps we desire to follow. Amen.