Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Proverbs 8:32-36
Prov 8:32-36
“And now, O sons, listen to me [wisdom personified]: blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord, but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.”
Col 4:5-6
Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
Wisdom teaches us to listen. Wisdom teaches us to wait. Wisdom teaches us to keep our mouth shut. Wisdom teaches us to think before we speak or act. We all need more wisdom. But this same wisdom teaches us to choose our battles and to know when something needs a reply or if it needs to be ignored. This wisdom will keep us out of trouble and help us be at peace with God and mankind.
Battles have been fought when a leader of a nation was lacking in wisdom and spoke when he needed to be quiet. Elections have been lost because of this lack of wisdom. Friendships have been destroyed for want of wisdom. Marriages have crumbled and ended that could have been saved with wisdom. When we lack wisdom, we injure ourselves and tear apart relationships that we cherish.
Wisdom tells a preacher when it is time to stop talking and sit down. It is a lack of wisdom to keep speaking when all we have to say has been said. Wisdom knows when repetition is needed for emphasis and when it is superfluous and boring. The best sermon in the world is wasted if no one is listening. Wisdom requires that we be willing to take advice from others who know more than we do on any given topic. (And none of us knows all there is to know about anything.)
O Lord God, give me the wisdom I need today to be what you want me to become and then use me to your glory. Help me be an encourager to others. I pray in the name of Jesus, my Lord and my Savior.
Robert
