Posts Tagged: wisdom

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9
Jul 08

Daily Devotion: Proverbs 9

Are there truly any of us that have obtained more wisdom than we know what to do with? Have any of us learned all that we need to know in order to handle the situations we’ll face in the future?

Knowing the answer to that question is obviously “no,” I wonder why it is that so many of us believe that we don’t need to read God’s Word daily or be in fellowship and counsel with other people so that we may be edified and learn? Why do so many of us hear a word from God through a preacher and then go on with their lives without seeking to dig deeper into the personal meaning of the scripture for our lives?

Proverbs 9:9 from the New Living Translation-

Instruct the wise,
and they will be even wiser.
Teach the righteous,
and they will learn even more.

Why are we so wise that we don’t seek to be wiser? Why are we so righteous that we get offended at the offer to help us learn how to live even more righteously?

Is there anything that you could use some help with that God could provide through his wisdom and instruction? Won’t you humble yourself and ask God to impart the necessary wisdom in you so that you can overcome what is before you? Speak in faith that He that is in you will see you through anything. Isn’t it time you allowed God to be God and for you to be a disciple of the Lord that saves us instead of being the expert that acts as if he doesn’t need God?

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8
Jul 08

Daily Devotion: Proverbs 8

Wisdom is the essence of life. Without it, we may as well be dead. We can choose to be wise by our own means or seek the wisdom God appointed for our knowledge. Every human is wise in their own respects. If anyone live life and learns from their mistakes they definitely become wiser. For example, if you ever burned your hand on a hot stovetop or under running hot water, you’ll better to be wary next time. However, the sting of the burn will always be a reminder of a time of pain in our lives. On our own, pain will hold us back and keep us down. It is something we easily dwell in. Pain in God’s ways brings forth wisdom and knowledge and allows us to process the negative aspect of the pain, yet seek a positive result from the trauma. As the phoenix rises up from the ashes, so to can we rise above the pain of mistakes if we trust in God to provide us his wisdom and if we heed that wisdom. How do we look for God’s wisdom? Proverbs 8:34 gives us a hint:

Proverbs 8:34-

Blessed the man, blessed the woman, who listens to me,
awake and ready for me each morning,
alert and responsive as I start my day’s work.

If we wake up expecting to receive wisdom from on-high, our sensory perceptions will be ready to respond to it. If we start off our day feeling tired and depressed and expect nothing, then it will be easy for us to completely miss out! Just as some of us seek caffeine through a trip to Starbucks or a cup of hot tea to wake us up and get us ready for work or school, we should look to listen to God even before the jolt of caffeine to ignite our senses. How much more prepared would be for our day if we had an indwelling of God’s wisdom to prepare us for what only he knows we will be facing that day.

Wake up and put your first thought to the Lord. Invite his wisdom into your mind and soul and ask him to give you the awareness to call upon him when wisdom is required. With God we can get through the trauma and pain of our past mistakes, but wouldn’t it be so much better to be immediately aware of God’s wise ways for us so that we can avoid the mistake from ever happening?

God wants to help you get through whatever troubles you or prevents you from moving forward. Take a moment this morning to let him know you are ready for his wisdom rather than trying to rely on your own ways to get through it all.

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2
Jul 08

Daily Devotion: Proverbs 2

Continuing on from Proverbs 1, chapter 2 invokes a call to seek wisdom as one would seek gold or silver. Wisdom is a precious thing and something that isn’t inherent in our nature. We must acknowledge God as our source for wisdom.

We study and work hard in school to gain knowledge, therefore why do we need God? Simply put, the wisdom we gain from school may make us more intelligent, but it doesn’t necessarily help us make the right life choices. We shouldn’t study the Bible as a textbook and seek to memorize every word so that we may show off. The Bible is a wonderful tool to give us knowledge and insight into the ways of God.

What about those that don’t seek wisdom from God as if it were gold or silver? Proverbs 2 warns us to be wary of people that delight in doing wrong and seeing us fall from righteousness:

12 Wisdom will save you from evil people,
from those whose words are twisted.
13 These men turn from the right way
to walk down dark paths.
14 They take pleasure in doing wrong,
and they enjoy the twisted ways of evil.
15 Their actions are crooked,
and their ways are wrong.

This was taken from the New Living Translation. It’s a stern warning that as much as we’d like to trust that everyone always has our best interest at heart, it is not the case. Let the instincts that come from having wisdom from the Lord lead you in matters with those around you. Maybe it’s a boyfriend or girlfriend that is asking you to compromise your faith and principals as a way to show that you truly love them. For others it may be a job that causes you to be away from your family for the sake of the company and you your instinct tells you that God wants you to put your family above your job. Whatever the circumstance that is bearing a burden in your heart in regards to someone else close to you, there comes a time when you have preserve your relationship with God above others and disregard the temptations and guilt that are offered by those that want you to take the darkened path of self-gratification.

If your wisdom comes from the Lord, there will be strength and peace as well. Seek God and His righteousness and invite His wisdom and discernment into your mind. Pray for strength and peace to permeate your senses and lead you to a closer relationship with God through distancing yourself from evil and darkness.

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1
Jul 08

July has 31 days, so it’s time for some Proverbs!

I’ve been reading a lot of blogs where churches and pastors have been studying the 31 chapters of Proverbs, one per day, in a month that has 31 days. Sounds reasonable! So, I figured I’d do the same thing in the month of July. I seem to dump a bunch of blog posts all at once rather than pace myself, so this one-a-day thing could be a blessing for me, not to mention getting some extra insight and meditation on an important aspect of the Old Testament scriptures.

For any of you that struggle with getting in some time every day with God’s word, maybe this will help  you as well. Feel free to subscribe to the feed or just check back every day :)

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