Thoughts for the Day
These verses from Proverbs tell us how a relationship is sharpened, how a faithful servant will be honored and how others will receive in their hearts what we reflect from ours. Verse 17 talks about how good friends will bring out the best in one another. This does not mean that they will not see and deal with one another's faults, as this is part of the sharpening of each other's personalities. True friends are able to share even their differences, and find a way to resolve them. As they do this, each one's character is refined, just as an iron blade is sharpened by the honing from another piece of iron. Even though sparks may fly when this happens, the end result is a sharp edge. Sometimes sparks may fly between friends too, as anger can surface in relationships.
It is not sinful to become angry, but it is sinful to lose control and vent anger on someone. God, Himself, is spoken of, as being angry at certain things. He hates sin because it hurts people. He hates lying and injustice and is angry when wicked men hurt other people. We should be angry when we hear about abortion, child pornography, and the murder of innocent people. However, it is what we do with our anger, as Christians, that makes us different. If we allow our anger to motivate us to use our time and influence to overcome the evil in the world through good works, then it becomes a righteous anger. However, if we yield to retaliating with evil, then we become like those who are evil. This is unrighteous anger. We must overcome evil with good.
Verse 18 states that someone who takes care of a fig tree by watering it, fertilizing it, and pruning it, will also eat its fruit. This is compared to how a servant will come into honor from his master, because he was good and patient, and he listened to his master's instructions, as well as faithfully protecting him. The principle of sowing and reaping is stressed throughout the Bible. Our Master is Jesus and the same principle will apply to us. If we serve Him, and obey Him, and we are patient and faithful, we too, will be honored by our Master. There will come a day when we will hear the Lord honoring us with His words of praise.
Matthew 25:21: His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
Verse 19 in today's study also makes a comparison, and uses an analogy to reveal to us a spiritual truth. It says, just as someone looks into the water and sees their own reflection, that is the way the heart of man relates to the heart of another man. When someone is speaking from their heart and it is coming out of their spirit, the heart, or spirit of other people will receive it. When someone is speaking from their emotions or their soul, it will move on the emotions of others. The same thing is true with the intellect of man. When a man or woman gives a talk strictly from the intellect or mind, those who are intellectual will receive it by their own intelligence. So we see a truth here: spirit speaks to spirit, soul to soul and mind to mind. The different levels will have different results.
Many of us have heard sermons from all of these levels. When a minister is speaking, being prompted by the Holy Spirit, those in attendance will feel an anointing in the spiritual dimension and be ministered to at a spiritual level. Those who share from their soul and own emotions and use emotional stories, can only affect the emotions of their hearers. Likewise, those who use their intellect to sway their audiences, will touch those people and they will give assent with their minds to the clever speech they just heard. This is why we all have a feeling of endearment when talking with certain people, or why we feel certain people seem distant, or even phony. They are mirroring where they are coming from. It is also the reason that Christians cannot relate to certain people because light cannot fellowship with darkness. We can only relate to them on a lower level. Only our prayers and the power of the Holy Spirit can change those in darkness.
2 Corinthians 6:14: Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
Betty Miller shares her daily devotional based on the book of Proverbs. King Solomon, who wrote most of the Book of Proverbs, was endowed with both spiritual and practical wisdom that he received from God. We can have that same wisdom by studying this great book of wisdom and following its advice.
Proverbs 16:16: "How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!" If you are a new reader you may