The Word To Live By: 8-29-30
Phil Waggoner
My son, if you accept My words and store up My commands within you, listening closely to wisdom and directing your heart to understanding… then you will understand the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 2:1,2, 5,6
The Word To Live By: Let’s look at some of the things Proverbs says are wisdom and wise things to do in Proverbs. Starting with Proverbs 1:8, we see, “Listen to your father’s instruction, and don’t reject your mother’s teaching…” 10-19, My son, if sinners entice you, don’t be persuaded.” Three things that you will find in the Bible and experience in life that will determine your future are what you listen to, what you read, and with whom you hang around. Then God says in verse 23, “if you respond to My warning, then I will pour out my spirit on you and teach you My words.” Responding to just those two things will open doors for you that you didn’t even know were in the plan of God for your life. Verse 33, “But whoever listens to Me will live securely and be free from the fear of danger.” That’s just chapter one. Let’s keep going. Proverbs 4:5 says, “Get wisdom, get understanding; don’t forget or turn away from the words of My mouth.” You are not born with wisdom; it’s something you can get. And you get godly wisdom from the Bible. In the book of Proverbs, you see a lot of scripture referring to adultery and ungodly women. While those are certainly to be taken literally, they are also symbolic of the world, putting the world's morality and beliefs ahead of God’s. An example of this is found in Proverbs 5:3-5, Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her words are smoother than oil, in the end she’s as bitter as wormwood and as sharp as a double-edged sword. Her feet go down to death.” Avoid what culture says is morally okay. The Ten Commandments are still the wisest way to think and live. When I started this, I intended to go through Proverbs and list the things that God says are wise behavior and the things that are not. I can see that the more I get into it, the more there is, and as a wise man once said, “There’s no point in reinventing the wheel.” Here’s my wisest suggestion. Read a chapter of Proverbs every day and underline the scripture/scriptures that stand out to you and write a comment on them. It takes like five minutes. I’ll close with Proverbs 9:11-12, “For by Wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life. If you are wise, you are wise for your own benefit; if you mock, you alone will bear the consequences.”
Read through the Bible in a year: John 8:1-20; 2 Chronicles 1:1-2:16; Zechariah 14;
Read through the New Testament and Proverbs: Proverbs 29, Mark 2:15-28, 1 Corinthians 16
The sum of Thy Word is Truth Psalm 119:160