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 11:7-9(KJV):

7 When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish: and the hope of unjust men perisheth.
8 The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead.
9 An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered.

Proverbs 11:7-9(Amplified):

7 When the wicked dies, his hope (for the future) perishes, and the expectation of the godless comes to nothing.
8 The(uncompromisingly) righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked gets into it instead.
9 With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge and superior discernment shall the righteous be delivered.

Thoughts for the Day:

The book of Proverbs continues with its comparison, contrasting the things that happen in the lives of the righteous, and in the lives of the wicked. Many wicked men who make great plans for their future never live to see those plans come to reality.  The devil cuts their lives short and destroys their dreams just as verse 7 states. Verse 8 declares that the Lord delivers the righteous out of their troubles, while the wicked are getting into trouble all the time. God protects those who follow and obey Him.  One of the greatest chapters in the whole Bible and (which is a personal favorite of mine,) is Psalm 91. It lists so many wonderful promises to those who remain close to God. The enemy is not able to withstand the power of our God!  There is no problem or trouble that is so great that our God cannot deliver us.

Psalm 91:14-15: "Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him."

Verse 9 of Proverbs 11 deals with two subjects.  The first of which is the tongue of a gossip. Those who gossip can destroy people by repeating things that may or may not be true. Even if there may be fact to something we hear, when it is repeated numerous times, it will become distorted.  When I was young, we played a game called "Gossip" where everyone sat in a circle and one person whispered something to the person seated next to them, and they in turn, told what they heard to the person next to them ,and so on, until it came to the last person in the circle and they related what they heard aloud.   Everyone would get a big laugh out of what the last person spoke as it usually was very far from the original word that was started.  That is the way gossip is. It becomes more perverted, the more it is repeated.

In our society today many people love gossip and buy the sleazy magazines that deal with disgraceful things that are printed about well known people. This is not pleasing to God as He tells us to keep our tongue from evil.

Psalm 34:13-15:
13 Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.
14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.

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.

Many marriages are suffering because each spouse is railing against the other with unkind things.  Shouting and arguments that demean the other, are used by the devil to destroy marriages. The Lord tells us in the verses above, that we should be respectful toward each other, and not render evil for evil, but rather blessing for evil. If we want the Lord to hear our prayers we must refrain from evil. When we reply to an angry person in a soft, kind tone, it will soften the rage in them.

Proverbs 15:1-4: "A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. 2 The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness. 3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. 4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit."

No one likes to be spoken to in angry tones and responding kindly to an angry person, takes the power of the Holy Spirit.  I have had to call on the Lord many times to help me not respond in the wrong way to people who came against me. Without the Lord's help, I could not have done it.  However, when we call on the Lord, He will help us restrain our tongues. Not only will we be able to keep our mouth shut, but with His help we can even respond with loving words that will overcome the evil coming against us.

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

The last part of Proverbs 11:9 tells us that the knowledge and discernment of the Lord will deliver us from every troublesome situation.   We have an advantage over others, because we are children of God. The Lord can tell us what to do in circumstances that are not good, and by following His advice, we can overcome anything that the enemy would try to do against us. We can walk in victory in every thing we face, because of the Holy Spirit in us!

Prayer for the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for this day.  I find that many of my days are challenging in dealing with certain people in my life. Help me to always be kind and gentle, and not respond in the wrong way to people who say things that bother me. Help me to have Your compassion for them and pray for them instead of criticizing them.   Also, Lord, I find that many times, I try to justify my position in situations that would be better if I just let You defend me. Help me guard my tongue. Use my words to be a blessing to others. Help me overcome all temptation to speak evil of anyone.   Especially help me to be kind to those in my family and workplace so that we may all work in in peace and harmony. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.