For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm. ~Proverbs 1:32-33 (NIV)
God speaks to us through His word. There is an answer for every question, every riddle, and every problem in the word of God. The book of Proverbs was written primarily by King Solomon, to whom scripture teaches was the wisest man in the land. Solomon had the opportunity to ask God for anything, but he chose to ask for wisdom and his desire for wisdom pleased God immensely. In 2 Chronicles 1:10-12 Solomon asks, “Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?” God said to Solomon, “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, possessions and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.” (NIV) When we get our priorities lined up with God's priorities, the sky is the limit! That is exactly what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 6:33 when He said, "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these will be given to you as well." (NIV)
Just as God was pleased with Solomon’s desire for wisdom, He is pleased when we desire His wisdom as well. In Proverbs 1:32-33 the Lord describes 3 different types of people. The simple, the fool and the listener; the simple have no desire for wisdom, the fool is one who believes in his own wisdom and the listener is the one who seeks God’s wisdom. An ancient proverb teaches a wise man is sensible of his own defects, it says “I am ignorant of many things, but not of my own ignorance (Plurima ignoro, sed ignorantiam meam non ignore).” Are you ignorant of your own ignorance? Many of us are. To be a listener and learner of God we have to come to terms with our inadequacy and ascribe all wisdom and knowledge to whom it belongs and that is God Almighty. We must have a teachable spirit in every area of our lives from our relationships to our careers and we must be willing and ready to not only learn from the Lord, but also to receive correction from Him. Knowing how to learn from our mistakes and God's correction is a major part of lining our priorities up with God's priorities. The Lord tells us in Proverbs 26:11 “As a dog returns to his vomit, so fools repeat their folly.” (NIV) That is pretty descriptive! In humility seek God’s wisdom for your life and His promise to you is that you will "live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm". Just say "God I need your wisdom today" and then thank Him for it!
I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, ~Daniel 2:23 (NIV)
What mistakes have you learned from lately?
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