Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Proverbs 4:1-9
Prov 4:1-9
Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight, for I give you good precepts; do not forsake my teaching. When I was a son with my father, tender, the only one in the sight of my mother, he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live. Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you. The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. She will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”
As we read through the Proverbs of Solomon, we see wisdom extolled as one of the greatest virtues we can possess. He tells us that wisdom begins with a fear of the Lord. Respect him as God and therefore follow his teaching for our lives. He made us and he knows how to give us the best life possible. James tells us that true wisdom comes from God and leads us to purity and peace.
The world tells us that since we only have one life to live, live it with all the gusto we can put into it. “If it feels good, do it.” “Don’t be inhibited by all the rules of morality found in the Bible.” “Eat, drink, and be merry.” All who have lived this way have found it only leads to strife, selfish ambitions, and all kinds of evil.
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. To be truly wise, we must learn to think and reason. But the source of knowledge that guides our thinking is to be the Bible. In doing this, we see the value of wisdom in our lives. Wisdom has respect for authority and a willingness to submit to that authority. God gives us the chain of authority in society and government, in the church, and in the home. This leads to order, peace, and contentment.
David, a man after God’s own heart, is the father who taught Solomon. He had seen a lot of both good and bad in his life and he had learned from the “University of Hard Knocks.” But from his youth, he had trusted God to lead him, guide him, protect him, and direct him. Wisdom follows one who is more wise than self, God.
O Lord God, giver of life and creator of all things, give me wisdom. Give me the ability to think, to reason, but to do so based on your word. Help me open my heart to your Spirit to mold me into the likeness of Jesus, his reasoning, his teaching, and his life. Give your wisdom, your strength, your peace, and your healing to those who are hurting, those who are waiting for test results, those taking treatments, recovering from surgeries, and those who are struggling to do what is right. Be with those who live alone. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
