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 11:16-20(KJV): 
16 A gracious woman retaineth honour: and strong men retain riches.
17 The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.
18 The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward.
19 As righteousness tendeth to life: so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death.
20 They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the LORD: but such as are upright in their way are his delight.

Thoughts for the Day:

Proverbs is a book that observes and records the actions of the righteous and the wicked. Verse 16 begins with the statement that a gracious and good woman will bring honor to her household, while the last half of this verse states that strong (terrible or violent) men will go after and retain riches.  The Hebrew meaning of the word "strong" has the meaning of a "terrible" or "violent" man in this verse. Wicked men seek the wealth of the world and will go to any means to not only obtain it, but also to hold on to it.  

Verse17 tells us that a man who is merciful and kind will benefit himself, as his own deeds will return to bless him. Those who are cruel will bring trouble, not only to themselves, but to their families as well. Those who are callous to the feelings of others will bring retribution upon their own heads. We should remember the Golden Rule in Luke 6:31: "And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise." The more widely known version of this scripture is paraphrased as "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

Verse 18 in the Amplified Bible has a good rendering of this scripture: "A wicked man earns deceitful wages, but he who sows righteousness (moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation) shall have a sure reward -- permanent and satisfying." Another verse that tells us about sowing righteousness is found in Hosea.

Hosea 10:12: "Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you."

Galatians 6:8-9: "For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."

Verse 19 continues to admonish us that righteousness leads to life, while a life of evil will lead to death. Verse 20 declares that those who have a wicked heart are an abomination to the Lord, while those who are upright are His delight.  The Amplified version of the Bible says it this way:

Proverbs 11:20: "They who are willfully contrary in heart are extremely disgusting and shamefully vile in the eyes of the Lord, but such as are blameless and whole-hearted in their ways are His delight!"

The Lord loves His children very much and when we obey Him and fellowship with Him, this brings Him great delight.  I believe one of God's primary reasons for creating man was so that He could have fellowship with him.  He loves it when we take time to talk to Him in prayer. He delights in sharing His heart with us about the people and things that He is concerned about. He wants to use us to reach out to those people. When we do this, it also delights His heart. May we all bring Him delight!

Prayer for the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for the opportunity to serve You! Lord, give us strength daily to do Your will.  Lord, we claim Your promise that when we are weak, You are strong!  Help us to serve You with our whole heart, mind and soul.   Lord, keep us from evil and fill us with Your Holy Spirit. Thank you for empowering us to do all that You call us to do.  Bless Your people everywhere. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.