Daily Devotions in Proverbs

What Are You Creating?
May 10, 2024

DAILY PROVERB:

Proverbs 11:29-31
He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart. The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise. Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner.

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

    The Frankenstein Monster was a scary-looking creation. However, as the story goes, he was not really a monster at all. He was the creation of a mad scientist named Dr. Frankenstein, who was conducting experiments on how to create and sustain life. The creature he constructed was a combination of many different parts he had put together.

    Who can forget the moment in the film when the switch is thrown, the creation begins to move, and he says, “He’s alive, he’s alive”? The creation then took on the name of the creator, as people all began to call him Frankenstein.

    That’s a fictional story. However, did you know that you are also influencing people’s lives every day? In our verses today, it says, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life.” What you do and how you live your life as a Christian are part of the fruit that others see. It’s what will cause others to either desire or reject what you have in Christ. Your kindness and love will be like a tree of life to them. Your testimony for the Lord will bear fruit in the lives of those around you. When people see the joy of your salvation and realize Jesus died for them as well, they may accept Him and have a new life in Christ, just as you do.

    Now I would be careful with this next idea; you might startle a person. Nevertheless, when they accept Christ, you could express it with the same enthusiasm as Dr. Frankenstein did in the movie. You could exclaim, “He’s alive, he’s alive!” What a joy to know you can play a part in giving someone else real, eternal life.
     

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

    Today, as we go about our day, it might be interesting to think, “I am becoming a part of someone else’s life right now.” What I say, where I go, and how I look all matter in the life of another. Therefore, to be at my best, I want to model Christ. Just as the creation of Dr. Frankenstein did, we too have taken on the name of our creator: Christian. This means to be “Christlike.”

 

What are you creating today for the world to see?

 

IF YOU ARE JOURNALING:

Ask yourself, what are MY THOUGHTS concerning this Passage, and todays Devotion?

 

Do I find within this reading a CHALLENGE for my life?

 

What are one or two things I WILL DO today or this week to accept that CHALLENGE?

  

GOD TALKING TO ME: May 10, 2024

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH A DAILY PROVERBS
    1 Chronicles 7-9
   Proverbs 11:29-31

 

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
   2 Samuel 16-18
   John 1:1-34

 

Who Doesn’t Like Gifts?
May 9, 2024

DAILY PROVERB:

Proverbs 11:26-28
He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it. He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him. He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.

 

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

   

    When I was young, I could hardly wait for my birthday or Christmas to come around. I just knew there were going to be presents wrapped just for me. Everyone seemed so happy seeing that I was happy in receiving the gifts too.

    As I grew a little older, I started to want to give presents to the people I liked. I didn’t always have a lot of money, but I always seemed to come up with something. After they had unwrapped the gift, my first question was, “Do you like it?” If they said yes (which most people do), I felt so good that my gift made them happy. However, at Christmas, I was still looking around for what everyone had brought for me as well.

    Now, as a grandparent whom God has blessed beyond what I deserve, I still look forward to Christmas and birthdays. However, now I’m not so concerned with what presents they may have brought for me. My greatest joy is watching the grandchildren as they tear into those packages. I see their eyes light up, a scream of joy over here, a “Look, Mommy, what I got” over there. To me, it’s not about the presents I receive any longer. I get such a kick out of bringing joy to their life by giving. In return, I receive their love all year long.

    You cannot wrap true love up in anything but the heart. God desires that we all should be able to experience that kind of unselfish joy and happiness. This is why He teaches us about giving all year long. Then, as we give to others without looking for anything in return, God gives us His love through others all year long.

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

    God’s economy makes much better sense than man’s. In man’s economy, you try to keep what you get for yourself. In God’s economy, as you give to others what God has shared with you, you inherit the blessings of those around you as well. 

 

With God as the financier, how can we lose?

 

IF YOU ARE JOURNALING:

Ask yourself, what are MY THOUGHTS concerning this Passage, and todays Devotion?

 

Do I find within this reading a CHALLENGE for my life?

 

What are one or two things I WILL DO today or this week to accept that CHALLENGE?

  

GOD TALKING TO ME: May 9, 2024

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH A DAILY PROVERBS
    1 Chronicles 4-6
   Proverbs 11:26-28

 

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
   2 Samuel 14-15
   Luke 24:36-53

God Or Greed?
May 8, 2024

DAILY PROVERB:

Proverbs 11:23-25
The desire of the righteous is only good: but the expectation of the wicked is wrath. There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

    Greed encourages greed. It almost seems bewildering how often God shares with us how we should be willing to give and give liberally.

    In our verses today, there are several comments pointed at the Christian or the righteous, such as, “the desire of the righteous is only good,” “there is that scattereth, and yet increaseth,” “the liberal soul shall be made fat,” and “he that watereth shall be watered also himself.”

    We do know that within ourselves, we are not righteous; rather, we are made righteous. This transformation occurs when we place our faith in Jesus and what He did for us on the cross. Now, because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us, our once dark, angry, and greedy hearts have been transformed into lives filled with the light of the Word and the love of Christ.

    This love, which now resides within us, is why God tells us, as believers, to desire to give. Love, by its very nature, is giving. God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. Love is always characterized by giving. God doesn’t need our money; He doesn’t need what we’ve accumulated in our banks and lives to take care of everything in the world. What God desires is our hearts. It’s from the heart that we either love and give or become greedy.

    Today’s verses also indicate that the wicked can expect wrath if they hoard and withhold everything, ending up with nothing. Often, the reason lost people choose not to give is that they perceive the world as a greedy place. They see others who are unwilling to help one another and choose to hoard everything, only to end up with nothing. When we die, we take nothing from this earth with us. However, love will endure forever.     

 

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

     In the New Testament, Jesus tells us the same principle again in Luke 6:38. It says, “Give, and it shall be given unto you…” Whom do you think we should believe, God or greed? 

I’ll choose God every time. How about you?

IF YOU ARE JOURNALING:

Ask yourself, what are MY THOUGHTS concerning this Passage, and todays Devotion?

Do I find within this reading a CHALLENGE for my life?

What are one or two things I WILL DO today or this week to accept that CHALLENGE?

  

GOD TALKING TO ME: May 8, 2024

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH A DAILY PROVERBS
    1 Chronicles 1-3
   Proverbs 11:23-25

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
   2 Samuel 11-13
   Luke 24:1-35

It’s Still A Dog
May 7, 2024

DAILY PROVERB:

Proverbs 11:20-22
They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the LORD: but such as are upright in their way are his delight. Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered. As a jewel of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion.

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

    I was walking down the street the other day and saw a woman walking her dog. This was not so strange, except for the fact that the dog had on a sweater. Now it may have just been me, but it seemed like the dog was really moving fast and kept looking left to right, right to left, as if to say, “I sure hope none of my dog friends see me dressed this way.”

    Now I know, some of you dress your dogs this way, and I guess if it makes you happy to dress up your dog as children do their dolls, it never hurts anything. There actually might be some good to it if it is really cold out or something. However, one thing we need to remember is this, under that sweet little cardigan, there is still a dog. You can paint their toenails a rainbow of colors, give them a cute haircut which often costs more than your haircut did, and put ribbons in their hair. However, at the end of the day, they’re still dogs.

    What’s the point in all this? People are very much the same way. You can dress up the outside and clean up real nice. You might say all the right things and even go to all the right places. Nevertheless, if you have never accepted Jesus as your Savior, under all that, you’re still lost.     

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

    The word “froward” means crooked or perverse. It refers to someone who is a fraud or phony. The meaning of the word “abomination” is something disgusting or something that makes one sick. When you put them together, you see people pretending to love the Lord when their life shows they don’t, makes God sick. Just as we bathe to wash off the grime of this world, we should also examine ourselves and ask for the washing of God’s grace from all sin to be sure we don’t stink before Him.

Will today be a day that you gain knowledge and
make changes that will be beneficial for all your days to come?

IF YOU ARE JOURNALING:

Ask yourself, what are MY THOUGHTS concerning this Passage, and todays Devotion?

Do I find within this reading a CHALLENGE for my life?

What are one or two things I WILL DO today or this week to accept that CHALLENGE?

  

GOD TALKING TO ME: May 7, 2024

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH A DAILY PROVERBS
    2 Kings 22-25
   Proverbs 11:20-22

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
   2 Samuel 7-10
   Luke 23:27-56

Mad About Nothing
May 6, 2024

DAILY PROVERB:

Proverbs 11:17-19
The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh. The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward. As righteousness tendeth to life: so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death.

 

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

       Two men had been working together for months. While they weren’t best friends, they got along just fine. One day, one of the men overheard the other calling him by name and saying, “He thinks that we are friends, but we’re not.” Those words cut like a knife. He had never done anything to make this man dislike him. Not a single harsh word, not a cross look, nothing that he could recall.

    Day after day for weeks, he would see the other man in the shop, and as he walked by, he would smile and say, “Hey, how’s it going?” Out of courtesy, he would reply, “fine.” Yet, in his heart, he grew to hate it more and more. It bothered him so much that he started clocking in at the other end of the plant just to avoid seeing him.

    One day, at a family reunion, he was shocked to see the same man there. He thought to himself, “What? Why is this person at MY FAMILY REUNION? I hate him. He has no business here.” As he walked over to confront him, the man turned around and said, “Hey, how’s it going?” That was the breaking point. Frustrated, he replied, “Terrible, that’s how it’s going. What in the heck are you doing at my family reunion?” The man chuckled and said, “That’s funny. I was just telling a guy at work the other day who had asked me if we were friends, and I said, you thought we were friends, but we were not… we’re relatives.” Immediately, the man realized he had only heard part of the conversation and had been angry for weeks for no reason at all. Whom did it hurt? It hurt only him.

    Anger eats at us, and only us. “…He that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.” 

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

    Anger and hate are like a cancer. They will eat away at you and cause all types of mental and physical problems. Forgiveness is truly a better way to go through life. Anger takes a lot of work to maintain, but forgiveness you can give over to God.

What may be eatting away at you
that you could turn over to God?

 

IF YOU ARE JOURNALING:

Ask yourself, what are MY THOUGHTS concerning this Passage, and todays Devotion?

 

Do I find within this reading a CHALLENGE for my life?

 

What are one or two things I WILL DO today or this week to accept that CHALLENGE?

 

  

GOD TALKING TO ME: May 6, 2024

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH A DAILY PROVERBS
    2 Kings 18 – 21
   Proverbs 11:17-19

 

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
  2 Samuel 4-6
   Luke 23:1-26