THREE INSTRUCTIONS FOR WISDOM
PROVERBS 19:2, 8, 27
PROVERBS 19:2, 8, 27 NKJ
2 Also it is not good for a soul to be without knowledge,
And he sins who hastens with his feet.
8 He who gets wisdom loves his own soul;
He who keeps understanding will find good.
27 Cease listening to instruction, my son,
And you will stray from the words of knowledge.
Here are some short but sweet instructions that, when put into practice, will produce wisdom in our lives.
Slow down. It's not good to be without knowledge. We so dramatically need knowledge in our lives. But if we are hastening with our feet, our propensity to miss the mark is greatly increased. As I search the scriptures, I see encouragement to be prompt and not procrastinate, but I do not see admonitions about moving faster. Jesus never impressed me as being one who was rushed.
Pursue wisdom. We hear much today about self-love and being good to yourself. Here in verse 8, Proverbs tells us that if we get wisdom, we love our own soul. And furthermore, if we will keep, practice the wisdom we get, we will find good. That's hard to beat for a self-help lesson. Pursue wisdom to be good to yourself. Keep wisdom and find good. Too long for a title, but it would make a great sign to put on your fridge. Now for a side note. The wisdom we are to pursue and keep is God's wisdom. We find His wisdom in His word, so reading Bible 365 is a great place to start.
Keep listening. If we cease listening to God's wisdom, we will stray, wander, drift off. The writer of Hebrews admonishes us to pay close attention to what we have heard lest we drift away (Heb 2:1). Here is another good case for reading God's word and coming to church. Each week there is instruction for us out of God's word. If 2020 taught us anything with church closures, it's that when we stop listening, we start drifting away.
APPLICATION:
Proverbs is an application book. How we put God's wisdom into practice may appear slightly different for each person, but the principles are the same. Slow down. Pursue God's wisdom. Keep listening to God's wisdom.
PRAYER:
Thank you, Father, for the wisdom You have revealed in Your words. Help me to see more clearly and practice diligently.