Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Proverbs 10:12-17
Prov 10:12-17
Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses. On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense. The wise lay up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near. A rich man’s wealth is his strong city; the poverty of the poor is their ruin. The wage of the righteous leads to life, the gain of the wicked to sin. Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life, but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.
Titus 1:15-16
To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.
Some say that we have no control over our lives because all kinds of things happen to us that we have not planned and are beyond our control. Others say that life is what we make it, therefore we control our own destiny.
So, which is it? Actually, both of these are correct. While things happen that we cannot control, we determine what we do with them. The same things that can be our ruin may be used as a great blessing instead.
Some of the worst things that have happened to me have turned out to be the things that caused me to get closer to the Lord or gave me strength or taught me valuable lessons. In the providence of God, even some things that were meant to be harm to me have turned out to be blessings in disguise.
When bad things happen to us (and bad things happen to all of us), we can choose to let them make us bitter or full of self-pity, making us and others around us miserable. On the other hand, we can trust God to use these same things to draw us closer to him and equip us to help others who face the same things. The choice is up to us. The reality is that when tragedy strikes, most of us will go through a process of self-pity, doubt, fear, anger, depression, but also turning to God for strength and thus gradually overcoming all of these negative things. We must not get stuck in the negative but confidently turn to the Lord for rest, for help, for strength, and for peace of mind. He is waiting with outstretched arms.
O Lord God, you know all that is happening in my life, both good and bad. You are aware of each temptation before it comes, and you know how much I am able to bear. Thank you for protecting me from overload. Give me greater faith so I can open my heart to your Spirit to protect me, guide me, and strengthen me. Use me to help others go through their struggles. Thank you for always being near to me when I need you. Thank you for your love for me. I pray in Jesus’ name.
Robert
