May 19, 2020
Over the next 31 days we are going to dive into the book of Proverbs together! The book of Proverbs is a collection of short sayings in the Old Testament meant to instill wisdom in God’s people. It’s important to remember as we read that a proverb is a statement which is generallytrue in principle, not a universally true promise. Let’s dig into the Word together and allow the Lord to shape our hearts, our minds, and our lives in his wisdom over the next month!
In Proverbs chapter 2 we see Solomon give advice to his child for a second time, this time instructing him to seek after wisdom as one would seek a precious treasure. He tells his son that seeking after wisdom in this way will lead him to the knowledge of God, for it is the Lord Himself who is the source of all true wisdom.
Solomon makes a clear distinction here between the way of wisdom, that is, the way of the fear and knowledge of God, and the way of darkness and evil. In making this distinction, he also makes clear to us that the path of wisdom leads to life and peace, while the path of foolishness and evil ends in death and destruction.
When we seek the wisdom that has God as its source, seeking to live our lives in accordance with his ways and his truth, we have to remember that this is always the path to true, full, and abundant life! God’s ways and commands are always intended to invite us into the fullness of life that He wants us to experience, not to arbitrarily restrict us!
God is not holding out on us, and when we seek His wisdom in the fear of Him we find this to be true every single time!
Proverbs 2
The Value of Wisdom
2 My son, if you receive my words
and treasure up my commandments with you,
2 making your ear attentive to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding;
3 yes, if you call out for insight
and raise your voice for understanding,
4 if you seek it like silver
and search for it as for hidden treasures,
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
8 guarding the paths of justice
and watching over the way of his saints.
9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice
and equity, every good path;
10 for wisdom will come into your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
11 discretion will watch over you,
understanding will guard you,
12 delivering you from the way of evil,
from men of perverted speech,
13 who forsake the paths of uprightness
to walk in the ways of darkness,
14 who rejoice in doing evil
and delight in the perverseness of evil,
15 men whose paths are crooked,
and who are devious in their ways.
16 So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman,
from the adulteress with her smooth words,
17 who forsakes the companion of her youth
and forgets the covenant of her God;
18 for her house sinks down to death,
and her paths to the departed;
19 none who go to her come back,
nor do they regain the paths of life.
20 So you will walk in the way of the good
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright will inhabit the land,
and those with integrity will remain in it,
22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Why do we so often think, at a fundamental level, that the path to true life somehow lies outside of God’s wisdom and the boundaries He has placed around our lives? How can we fight this kind of thinking in our lives?
Father, thank you for lovingly teaching me. Open my heart to receive your word and guidance today. As I walk along the cliff seeking to help the lost, keep me from falling to destruction. Father, I need the fruits of the Spirit, fill me anew and a fresh with your Spirit. Here’s my cup. Amen
Gracias padre por tu enseñanza hoy te pido padre que me guíes con tu espíritu santo para seguir tú camino dame la sabiduría para ser íntegro en el camino del bien y seguir el sendero justo gracias padre por tu dirección y tu amor incondicional mi guía espiritual a ti la gloria por los siglos de los siglos amén ?
Father thank you teaching me and loving me. I need you to give me guidance in my everyday walk with you. I want to learn from your word. In Jesus name I pray, Amen
Praise the Lord for his wisdom and knowledge. Let his words sink deep into our hearts and spirits. God has a wonderful plan for our lives so walk in hope and victory.
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for divine wisdom that protects us, and draws us nearer to you. May all your children gain heart knowledge of the benefits and purpose of your wisdom, and the bountiful life within. Thank you for your unconditional love, for wanting the very best for all your children. May all we do glorify you, Heavenly Father!
Oh Lord, I do need your wisdom so please remind me to live in your word and to walk in the path of righteousness for your name’s sake.
Father I praise you for you are a good father always. Help me to continue to be wise in my decisions and actions and words even though many times I can be foolish. Help me have an understanding heart not only for your promises and truths, but an understanding heart for my family and friends and those you set in my path. Help me be more like Jesus. Help me and guide me Father every single day. I need you.
Padre gracias porque tú eres nuestra guía espiritual nuestra fortaleza quién nos da la sabiduría a ti aclamo lléname con tu espíritu santo del conocimiento para caminar y seguir tus pasos y no desviarnos y ser recto de corazón en nombre y por amor a tú hijo amado amén ?
Dear Gracious Heavenly Father,
Thank you so much for loving us that You gave Your only Son to us. There is so much wisdom to be learned from You if we would just incline our ears to Your voice. Oh Lord, there is nothing this world has to offer that compares to You and Your promises and the plans You have for our lives. I know You only want the best for us. Please forgive me when I have ever doubted . We have to continually stay in Your Word and keep our focus on You for Satan lurks around every bend in the road. Please hold my hand as I walk through this life. I want only good and righteous living to surround me. I have seen how others around me have slipped and fallen into unrighteousness and how their lives have been ruined. Dear Lord, please help me to minister to others and tell them about You. For to know You is to love You. Thank you for watching over me my whole life. I look forward to today and what it has to offer. I will keep my eyes on You! In Jesus’ name, the sweetest name I know. Amen.
Dear God thank you for the answer to living life and keeping our thoughts centered on wisdom. At times my thoughts center on messages I receive from the world on the meaning of life and happiness. In actuality just as Solomon points out, these messages are like the adulterous person wooing me away from true wisdom. Thank you for being my good shepherd and pulling me back on the path of righteousness, for your names sake! Amen.
I will cry for discernment and lift my voice for understanding. I will discern the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God. The Lord is my shield.
Why do we so often think, at a fundamental level, that the path to true life somehow lies outside of God’s wisdom and the boundaries He has placed around our lives? I think it’s because of pride. Many times we think we know what’s best for our lives, and we go about seeking what we want instead of asking God to show us what He wants.
How can we fight this kind of thinking in our lives? By laying aside our wants and placing our full trust in God — and by staying in the Word. Just as parents tell their children what’s good for them and what isn’t because of their love for them, so it is with our Heavenly Father. His precepts and commandments are meant to protect us and give us abundant life.
Lord, help us to trust you more, especially in those moments and situations when we think we know what’s best. Remove pride and fill us with Your wisdom and knowledge. We pray You will keep us on the path that leads to life.
In Jesus’s name. Amen
Amen!
Amen to that!
Thank you Heavenly Father for your your daily walk with me. I praise your holy name. Please help me to grow in the knowledge of your word so that wisdom abounds. In Jesus name. Amen.
Lord thank you for giving me your wisdom every day on how to take care of my husband. I could never do this on my own, it is through the divine Holy Spirit I Know what to do.
Heavenly Father, Thank you for another day. Please guide & direct me, my children & grandchildren with your wisdom so we can make wise decisions that are honoring to you. In Jesus Name, Amen
In this world it is so easy to stray and to want our way and do our own thing. As we all know Satan is good at distracting us. He Is good at reminding us of what we don’t have but never remind us of what we have. The more we seek God and flee from Satan by speaking Gods word and burying it in our hearts and minds we are drawn to God’s wisdom. Wanting what God has for us more than what we think we should have renews our minds to seek him more. Hopefully, this pandemic has taught Christians and the world that we should be more concerned about honoring and pleasing God and not self as this is wisdom because he is the one that is in control and the only one that can heal this world.
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your wisdom and open hearts and ears around the world to see and hear from you. Amen
We have to constantly renew our mind by staying in the Word
The ending of this ch. is so bold, “21 For the upright will inhabit the land, and those with integrity will remain in it, 22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.”
Lord, help me “understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God (v. 5).”
Yes, I focused on those words as well and thought of our country and its leaders, key words being upright, integrity, wicked and treacherous……..action words being inhabit, remain, cut off and rooted out.
As I read this, I kept hearing the wages of sin is death. A reminder that as Christians we are constantly faced with a choice – to obey God or disobey, it’s that simple. The Bible tells us over and over, including in this passage, that not following God’s way leads to destruction…but yet we still want to go down these different “roads” that God has already warned us will lead to death.
Thank you Dear Father. In heaven that you lead us through your word in the paths of righteousness. Thank you that your word is a lamp unto our feet and a light to our path.
Praise be to your Holy name because you thought of every thing , every which way to help us when you call us to yourself. You even give us and fill us with your Holy Spirit. You told us to not fear, for you have already overcome the world. God you are who you say you are. To you belong all power and glory and we worship you.
We pray that hearts will continue in steadfast love for you to stand firm in temptation to reject every appearance of evil, for the sake of your love displayed on Calvary for us all.
We pray in Jesus name .Amen!!!
We must constantly seek connection through prayer and God’s word to stay focused on truth. God has already won, but the world tries to convince us otherwise. The enemy is waiting, crouching at every door and prowling like a lion for victims. When we lose focus, feel tired, need a break…the opportunistic enemy goes in to attack, for the kill, and aims to convince us of lies.