DAY
1 – MAY 2
TITLE:
“FOR ATTAINING WISDOM”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE
DAILY
SCRIPTURE
Key
Verse: “for attaining wisdom and
discipline; for understanding words of insight;” Proverbs 1:2
Wisdom
is not automatic. It is something that is learned and attained during the
journey of life. The proverbs were given to help us attain wisdom. When Solomon
became king, God appeared to him in a dream and asked him to ask for whatever
he wanted. Solomon asked for wisdom. God gave Solomon his request. One of the
byproducts of the wisdom God gave Solomon was the proverbs that he wrote. I Kings
4:32 tells us that he spoke 3,000 proverbs. The word “proverb” refers to
various forms of wise, insightful pronouncements. Some have called these
proverbs Solomon's "ethics."
They are sayings taken from everyday life intended to serve as practical
guidelines for successful living. These
proverbs were written to teach and
make wisdom known. They contain a variety of truths and teachings to help one
live wisely.
James
3 tells us there are two types of wisdom, wisdom that is from earth and wisdom
from heaven. James says, “But the wisdom
that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate,
submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” James 3:17. This is the kind of wisdom that
we are to attain. Where does one attain this kind of wisdom? This kind of
wisdom comes from God and His Word.
James instructs, “If any of you
lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding
fault, and it will be given to him.”
James 1:5.
Wisdom is
something that requires pursuit and a teachable heart. It is something to be
attained. Webster’s Dictionary says that to attain is “to achieve or accomplish,
or reach by effort.” Someone once observed, “A wise man learns by the
experience of others. An ordinary man learns by his own experience. A fool learns
by nobody's experience.” Are you committed to attaining wisdom?
While down
in Southern California, we went to
These proverbs are a map to wisdom. These
teachings span the whole horizon of practical, everyday interest, dealing with
the whole range of life. The wise man is taught to be honest, industrious,
self-reliant, a good neighbor, an ideal citizen, a model husband and father,
and much more. Above all else, the wise man is to walk uprightly before the
Lord. They are a gift from God to help us attain wisdom for living. Will you
take some time to attain wisdom today?
DAY 2 – MAY 3
TITLE:
“DISCIPLINE”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE
DAILY
SCRIPTURE
Key Verse: “for attaining wisdom and discipline; for
understanding words of insight;” Proverbs 1:2
A life lived without
discipline never reaches its full potential or purpose. Discipline is a way of
attaining the life that God created us to have. It is clear from scripture that
discipline is something to be attained. The proverbs offer much instruction and
help concerning discipline.
The great football coach, Tom
Landry said, “The job of a football coach is to make men do what they don't
want to do in order to achieve what they've always wanted to be.” He was
talking about discipline. The disciplines we use in our lives often impact
and determine the life that we live. Referring to spiritual disciplines,
Richard Foster in his classic book, Celebration of Discipline, said,
“The disciplines are best exercised in the midst of our normal daily
activities.”
Lack of discipline can be very
costly. Bible commentator, William Barclay used a man by the name of Coleridge
as a supreme example of the tragedy of lack of discipline. He commented, “Never
did so great a mind produce so little. He left
I would like to close this
devotional on discipline today with a paragraph from pastor and prolific author,
A.W. Tozer, from his book, Men Who Met God. Take a few moments
to reflect upon it and prayerfully ask God to renew and strengthen your
commitment to discipline. He wrote, “We must face the fact that many
today are notoriously careless in their living. This attitude finds its way
into the church. We have liberty, we have money, we
live in comparative luxury. As a result, discipline practically has
disappeared. What would a violin solo sound like if the strings on the musician's
instrument were all hanging loose, not stretched tight, not ‘disciplined’"?
DAY
3 – MAY 4
TITLE:
“A PRUDENT LIFE”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE
DAILY
SCRIPTURE
Key
Verse: “for acquiring a disciplined and prudent
life, doing what is right and just and fair;” Proverbs 1:3
The
purpose of the proverbs was so that the disciple would receive something worth
having. In this verse, three terms are used to describe how the disciplined and
prudent life is to be expressed. It is expressed by doing what is right, just,
and fair. Let’s briefly reflect upon each of these.
DOING WHAT
IS RIGHT
The first
term is ‘rightness’ or ‘righteousness.’ It basically means ‘conformity to a
standard.’ As one commentator described, the religious use of the term
signifies what is right according to the standard of God’s law. In other words,
it is a conduct that conforms to the moral standards of the covenant community.
Some years back, Christianity Today
published this article by Dennis Prager. He wrote, “It is no wonder that in 15 years of asking high
school students throughout America whether, in an emergency situation, they
would save their dog or a stranger first, most students have answered that they
would not save the stranger. ‘I love my dog, I don't love the stranger,’ they
always say. The feeling of love has supplanted God or religious principle as
the moral guide for young people. What is right has been redefined in terms of
what an individual feels.”
DOING WHAT
IS JUST
I read an
interesting story about justice. It told about a socialist who once came to see
Andrew Carnegie and was soon railing against the injustice of Carnegie having
so much money. In his view, wealth was meant to be divided equally. Carnegie
asked his secretary for an assessment of everything he owned, and, at the same
time, to look up the figures on world population. He did a little arithmetic on
a pad and then said to his secretary. "Give this gentleman l6 cents.
That's his share of my wealth."
The term
‘just’ connotes that which is fitting or proper. The book of Proverbs speaks to
the theme of developing a life that has a sense of propriety in making
decisions.
DOING
WHAT IS FAIR
The
term ‘fair’ can be translated as ‘equity’ and is related to a word translated
‘upright or straight.’ It can describe that which is pleasing. Proverbs calls
us to a lifestyle that is equitable and fair by incorporating aspects that are
pleasing.
The
purpose of the book of Proverbs is to help the disciple to acquire discipline
that will produce a prudent life. This life will be demonstrated by doing what
is right, just and fair. Will you do what is right and just and fair today?
DAY
4 – MAY 5
TITLE:
“GUIDANCE”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE READING: PROVERBS 1:1-7
DAILY
SCRIPTURE READING: Proverbs 1:5-6
Key
Verse: “let the wise listen and add to
their learning, and let the discerning get guidance –” Proverbs 1:5
Every
disciple of God needs guidance. This comes by listening and learning. Guidance
is the result of a discerning heart. The
term translated ‘guidance’ means ‘to bind’. Commentators tell us that the term
may be illustrated with the concept of the rope-pulling done by sailors to
steer or guide a ship. Simply put, guidance is the discernment to steer a right
course through life. In other words, Proverbs gives guidance so that we can
live life the right way.
Missionary,
Elizabeth Elliot tells of two adventurers who stopped by to see her, all loaded
with equipment for the rainforest east of the Andes. They sought no advice,
just a few phrases to converse with the Indians. She writes, "Sometimes we
come to God as the two adventurers came to me -- confident and, we think,
well-informed and well equipped. But has it occurred to us that with all our
accumulation of stuff, something is missing?”
She suggests
that we often ask God for too little. We know what we need--a
yes or no answer, please--to a simple question. Or, perhaps a road sign. Something quick and easy to point the way. What we really
ought to have is the Guide Himself. Maps, road signs, a few useful phrases are
helpful things, but infinitely better is someone who has been there before and
knows the way.
God is a God
who offers guidance to those who will seek it. Proverbs 3:5-6 instructs, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and
lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he
will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs is
a book that gives guidance to those who will listen. God guides through His
Spirit and through His word. Scripture says, “I guide you in the ways of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.
When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not
stumble.” Proverbs 4:11-12.
Guide me, O thou
great Jehovah, pilgrim through this barren land.
I am weak, but thou art mighty; hold
me with thy powerful hand.
Bread of heaven, bread of heaven,
feed me till I want no more;
Feed me till I want no more.
Open
now the crystal fountain, whence the healing stream doth flow;
Let the fire and cloudy pillar lead
me all my journey through.
Strong deliverer, strong deliverer,
Be
thou still my strength and shield;
Be
thou still my strength and shield. (William Williams, 1717-1791)
DAY 5 – MAY
6
TITLE:
“FOOLS”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE READING: PROVERBS 1:1-7
DAILY
SCRIPTURE READING: Proverbs 1:7
Key Verse: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” Proverbs 1:7
Sometimes we
look at things we have done and decide that we have made a wise decision. Other
times, we may look at decisions we have made or things we’ve said and tell
ourselves that it was a foolish decision or a foolish thing to say. It has been
said that if a man wants to make a fool of himself, he
will always find plenty of help. Jim Fiebig said, “You are not a fool just because you have done
something foolish--only if the folly of it escapes you.” Theologian, James
Packer wrote, “The opposite of wisdom is folly, meaning the short-term
self-indulgence which marks out the person who doesn't think about long-term
priorities and goals but lives on a day-to-day basis, asking, ‘What is the most
fun thing to do now?’"
The term
translated ‘fool’ describes those who are thick-brained or stubborn. They are
people who despise wisdom and discipline, treating these virtues as worthless
and contemptible. Specifically, there are three words translated as foolishness
in Proverbs. The most common word means ‘one who has chosen to be obstinate.’
The second word suggests stupidity and stubbornness. The third describes one
whose mind is closed to the presence to God.
The book of Proverbs gives
several defining statements about fools. Take a few moments to prayerfully
reflect upon these proverbs about fools.
·
“Wise
men store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.” Proverbs 10:14.
·
“The
lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of judgment.”
Proverbs 10:21.
·
“A
fool’s talk brings a rod to his back, but the lips of the wise protect them.”
Proverbs 14:3.
·
“A
fool spurns his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows
prudence.” Proverbs 15:5
·
“It
is to a man’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel.”
Proverbs 20:3.
·
“Wisdom
is too high for a fool; in the assembly at the gate he has nothing to say.” Proverbs
24:7
·
“Answer
a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.” Proverbs
26:5
·
“Though
you grind a fool in a mortar, grinding him like grain with a pestle, you will
not remove his folly from him.” Proverbs 27:22