Daily Reading: Proverbs 1
Scripture Focus: Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance. (Proverbs 1.5)
Devotional Thought: Have you ever been around anybody who thought that there was nothing left for them to learn? Have you ever found yourself thinking, “I wish he would listen,” or “if only she would try to understand”? If so, then you can appreciate Proverbs 1, our chapter for today. The opening part of this book is a call for people to listen and learn.
As you read Proverbs, remember that they are not written to be understood as X + Y = Z: if you do X and Y, you are guaranteed to get Z. Wisdom is not math. Your choices are not the only ones that impact you. God gives each one of us freedom, but we experience the tapestry of life based on where we are on the fabric – who is around us and what they are doing. So, instead of reading Proverbs as Promises, read it as Principles: Your life will be better when you observe its wisdom and worse if you ignore it.
Let the wise hear and increase in learning… True wisdom recognizes that knowledge is constantly one step ahead of its pursuer. Two things are at work here: the wise do not know it all, and it takes a certain amount of wisdom just to listen. If you want to gain wisdom, then use your ears more than your mouth. We need to always read, always seek new things from God, always listen to those around us.
Let the one who understands obtain guidance… If we think we know everything already, we won't accept guidance from others. But, when we understand that we just may lack knowledge, then we will be willing to listen to others, and may even be convinced to change direction!
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the revealed will of your Word, the still small voice of your Spirit, and the combined wisdom of your people. Help me to hear and increase in learning, understanding, and guidance. Amen.
Psalm of the Day: Psalm 1:1-6
1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
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