Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Proverbs 15:24-28
Prov 15:24-28
The path of life leads upward for the prudent, that he may turn away from Sheol beneath. The Lord tears down the house of the proud but maintains the widow’s boundaries. The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord, but gracious words are pure. Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household, but he who hates bribes will live. The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.
Mark 7:20-23
And he [Jesus] said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
There are a several lists of things that are sinful and bring disaster to people, both now and in eternity. It is amazing how many of these lists include both pride and greed. This is because both of these focus the attention to the person instead of recognizing God as God. Pride is the result of thinking that we are in control of what has happened and will happen to us. Greed puts trust in the things that we have, whether it be money or some other material thing.
Humility is the opposite of being proud. This is when we recognize that we are important because we belong to God. We know that we have power to overcome whatever we face, but not our own power, it is the power of God. Since we are what we are by the grace of God, we give him the credit and the honor. When we are humble, we can have peace in Jesus that is indescribable to the world. He showed the supreme example of humility by giving his life for our sin.
Greed is an inordinate desire for things. It is demonstrated in lives when we put making money ahead of serving God. This may be shown by the time we give to it, or it may be the way we do it. Greed is shown when we have the opportunity to help someone or some good cause and we have the ability to do so, but we make excuses for all the reasons we can think of, for not doing so. Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive. Remember, we cannot outgive God.
O Lord God, give me a humble heart so that I recognize all that I am and all I may ever accomplish is by your grace and your power, not my own. Thank you for using me to do your will on earth. Open my eyes to see the opportunities you put in my life. Keep me from being greedy or selfish. I know that all I have is from you and that you want me to use it to your glory. Give me wisdom to know how to give effectively but generously. Be with all of your people that we can be a source of peace by showing your love to all those around me. I pray in Jesus’ name.
Robert
