Burning lips and a wicked heart are like a potsherd covered with silver dross.

Daily Devotional Betty Miller shares her daily devotionals which are based on the book of Proverbs in the Bible. The Wisdom of God Verses for the Day: Proverbs 26:23 (KJV): Burning lips and a wicked heart are like a potsherd covered with silver dross. Proverbs 26:23 (AMP): Burning lips (uttering insincere words of love) and a wicked heart are like an earthen vessel covered with the scum thrown off from molten silver (making it appear to be solid silver). Thoughts for the Day: This verse from Proverbs compares those who have a wicked heart and yet utter insincere words of love, with a vessel that only has a thin veneer of silver dross over an earthen pot. This means at first glance, it looks good on the surface; but upon thorough examination it is not what it appears to be. People are really hypocrites who flatter with their mouths, but in their hearts they do not mean it. Words are cheap, it is actions that match our words that really speak to people. There is another verse in Proverbs that says that very thing. Proverbs 20:11 Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right. Jesus called men who held to their ungodly traditions, hypocrites. He quoted what Isaiah prophesied about religious men who were not sincere. God has something to say about those who "mouth" their love for Him and yet their actions prove otherwise. Mark 7:6-9: 6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. 9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. Jesus said that people who are hypocrites worship God in vain, and are only teaching men's commandments, not God's. One of the things that keep people from a true heart relationship with God is their bondage to religious traditions that have evolved from men. Tradition is not a bad thing in itself, if you happen to be raised in a Christian environment that has its foundation in the Word of God, and your traditions line up with the Bible. However, many people are going to a certain church or believing in a certain religion only because they were raised in that tradition or religion. It is not because they have received salvation for themselves through a genuine heart change that comes only from repenting from sin and accepting Christ as our Lord and King. The only way to heaven is to be "born again" through turning our lives over to God. Many people are trusting their religion or their tradition to save them, and salvation is only found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Cultural traditions can lead us astray too, as some of the things that we practice are evil. If the influences in society do not line up with the Word of God, we must renounce them. Our standard is the Bible, so we should examine our lifestyles to see if what we eat, what we drink, what we wear, what we listen to, and what we do, lines up with the that standard. This includes political traditions, as well. We must vote at all levels, when possible, to elect those who oppose evils like abortion, homosexual lifestyles, and all of those things that affect our culture adversely. We will be judged as a nation for our corporate sins. No matter how popular and accepted something is in our societies, if it is against God's commandments and the Bible, then we must not partake of it. Because many of today's influences are evil, we should work toward changing them through our witness, actions and prayers. We should not hold on to man's traditions, but rather ask God to show us the truth and cleanse us from all deception and unrighteousness. In our study today, we are given a picture of a man who has burning lips that is speaking good, but the Bible says these men are hypocrites with a wicked heart, even though they may appear to look good with a silver gleaming on the outside. In the New Testament, Jesus extended mercy and fully pardoned some of the most wicked sinners who came to Him. He was very kind to them when they acknowledged their sin. However, He was very harsh on all hypocrites and here are His words to them: Matthew 23:27-28 & 33: 27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. 28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Prayer for the Day: Dear Heavenly Father, I am asking that You be merciful to our nation and deliver us from evil. Father, You said in Your Word that judgment begins at the house of God, so convict Your people of their sins so that they may repent of them and return to You with their whole hearts. Lord, if You see anything in me that I am blind to, or that I have clung to, because of tradition, please show me my need to repent and change my thinking. May I always choose Your Word over all traditions of men. Create in me a clean heart. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.