June 26 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Proverbs 3:21-35:

²¹My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:
²²So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
²³Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.
²⁴When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.
²⁵Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.
²⁶For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
²⁷Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.
²⁸Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.
²⁹Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.
³⁰Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.
³¹Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.
³²For the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the righteous.
³³The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.
³⁴Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.
³⁵The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.

Devotional

God has given us exceeding great and precious promises. And "all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us." God will certainly do what He has promised. He will bless his children according to his Word. But the curses He has pronounced upon the wicked will also surely come to pass. And these curses are terrible. "For our God is a consuming fire." He will "in flaming fire take vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." We must not think that, because God is love, He does not punish the wicked. He would not be a right­eous God if He let the wicked go free. His righteousness de­mands that the wicked be punished. If they will not harken unto him, and will not do his commandments, and despise his statutes, or abhor his judgments, so that they will not do all his commandments, but break his covenant, He will do this unto them. He will "even appoint over them terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and they shall sow their seed in vain, for their enemies shall eat it. And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you." And when death comes to them, they "go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal."

Prayer

O Lord God, help us to realize that Thou art indeed merciful, but that Thou art also just, and that Thy justice re­quires that sin, which is committed against the most high majesty of God, be also punished with extreme, that is with everlasting punishment both of body and soul. We pray Thee, cause Thy gospel to be heard, that many may flee from the wrath to come, and obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. We ask it for his sake. Amen.

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Scripture in Devotional: 2 Pet. 1:4; 2 Cor. 1:20; Heb. 12:29; 2 Thess. 1:8; Lev. 26-16, 17; Matt. 25:46.

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