Many prosper in soul when going through adversity, who fail grievously in prosperity.

"Word Pictures" for Our Imagination

Free Printable Devotional Sheets Thursday, August 21th

Today's Daily Verse is found in Proverbs 27.21

"As the fining-pot for silver, and the furnace for gold, So is a man tried by his praise."

It is easier to "turn to, and trust in the Lord" when we are in trouble or when we receive an evil report...

But, when praised and openly adored by men - we do not quickly go before the Lord and ask for the burden and temptation of praise to be released from us..

Power and praise are more destructive than hardship and heartache.

Some people are addicted to praise.

They seek praise as an addict seeks drugs to satisfy his craving. This can happen in families, churches, politics, - anywhere where "flattery" or false praise is used for advantage.

3 John 1.9

"I wrote to the church about this, but Diotrephes, who loves to be the leader, refuses to have anything to do with us."

• these are those who seek pre-eminence of position
• they are over anxious to give their opinions
• they take offense if their ideas are not seriously considered and adopted

We all need to go through the purifying fires...

Malachi 3.2-3

"“But who will be able to endure it when he comes? Who will be able to stand and face him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal, or like a strong soap that bleaches clothes. 3 He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord."

We all need purifying.

Gideon is a warning to all of us...

Judges 8.22-27

" Then the Israelites said to Gideon, “Be our ruler! You and your son and your grandson will be our rulers, for you have rescued us from Midian.”

23 But Gideon replied, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The Lord will rule over you! 24 However, I do have one request - that each of you give me an earring from the plunder you collected from your fallen enemies.” (The enemies, being Ishmaelites, all wore gold earrings.)

25 “Gladly!” they replied. They spread out a cloak, and each one threw in a gold earring he had gathered from the plunder. 26 The weight of the gold earrings was forty-three pounds, not including the royal ornaments and pendants, the purple clothing worn by the kings of Midian, or the chains around the necks of their camels.

27 Gideon made a sacred ephod from the gold and put it in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping it, and it became a trap for Gideon and his family.

Absalom

2 Samuel 14.25

" Now Absalom was praised as the most handsome man in all Israel. He was flawless from head to foot.

2 Samuel 15.6

"Absalom did this with everyone who came to the king for judgment, and so he stole the hearts of all the people of Israel.

Jeremiah 6.30

"I will label them ‘Rejected Silver,’
    for I, the Lord, am discarding them.”

Ezekiel 22.18

"“Son of man, the people of Israel are the worthless slag that remains after silver is smelted. They are the dross that is left over—a useless mixture of copper, tin, iron, and lead."

Herod

Under the shouting praise of his "flatterers" - gave not GOD the glory...

Acts 12.21-23

" and an appointment with Herod was granted. When the day arrived, Herod put on his royal robes, sat on his throne, and made a speech to them. 22 The people gave him a great ovation, shouting, “It’s the voice of a god, not of a man!”

23 Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because he accepted the people’s worship instead of giving the glory to God. So he was consumed with worms and died."

Ended in shame.

Joseph

Genesis 41.41-43

"Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the entire land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his hand and placed it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in fine linen clothing and hung a gold chain around his neck. 43 Then he had Joseph ride in the chariot reserved for his second-in-command. And wherever Joseph went, the command was shouted, “Kneel down!” So Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of all Egypt.

Genesis 45.5-8

" But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. 6 This famine that has ravaged the land for two years will last five more years, and there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. 7 God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors. 8 So it was God who sent me here, not you! And he is the one who made me an adviser to Pharaoh—the manager of his entire palace and the governor of all Egypt.

Joseph kept his "humility"...

David

David kept his humility

1 Samuel 18.7-8

"This was their song:

“Saul has killed his thousands,
    and David his ten thousands!”

8 This made Saul very angry. “What’s this?” he said. “They credit David with ten thousands and me with only thousands. Next they’ll be making him their king!”

verse 15-18

"When Saul recognized this, he became even more afraid of him. 16 But all Israel and Judah loved David because he was so successful at leading his troops into battle.

David Marries Saul’s Daughter

17 One day Saul said to David, “I am ready to give you my older daughter, Merab, as your wife. But first you must prove yourself to be a real warrior by fighting the Lord’s battles.” For Saul thought, “I’ll send him out against the Philistines and let them kill him rather than doing it myself.”

18 “Who am I, and what is my family in Israel that I should be the king’s son-in-law?” David exclaimed. “My father’s family is nothing!”

Daniel

Daniel 6.3-5

"Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and high officers. Because of Daniel’s great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire.

4 Then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy. 5 So they concluded, “Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion.”

Be careful in giving praise.

It could be fanning a flame of self-love and pride within.

• what some-one is in the eyes of people, may be totally different to what GOD thinks of that person...

Be very careful in receiving praise.

• receiving praise may later require GOD to move in and humble us if our pride will not allow us to "humble ourselves" before GOD

See you tomorrow...

Give someone you know a call today and invite them to this Daily Bible Study.

Kenneth