Daily-Devotions

We come back to the core message of Proverbs. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (9:10) True wisdom is found only in the Lord. (Again, the pinnacle of all wisdom is Christ crucified.) Sadly, most choose folly over wisdom. Only by God’s grace can we cling in faith to wisdom.

Wisdom speaks of herself as “from the beginning, before there was ever an earth.” (8:23) This is referring to Jesus Christ, Who, at creation, stood by God the Father as a master craftsman. Jesus is the everlasting God, and our Savior. In Him “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3)

Unlike evil lurking in the shadows, wisdom shouts its message in public for all to hear. Where the paths meet (at the crossroads of life), we are often faced with difficult decisions, wisdom is there to guide us. This is not any kind of wisdom, but the wisdom of Christ and His perfect Word.

The consequences of sexual immorality are devastating. Godly parents will faithfully teach their children the blessings of chastity. Our bodies were bought at a high price, and are also the temples of the Holy Spirit. Let us, therefore, honor God with our bodies.

Laziness is something to guard against, especially in doing the Lord’s work. Solomon points to the ant as an example of industriousness. Ants have initiative, not needing someone to prod them to keep working. Let’s learn the lesson of the ant, and thank Jesus for not being a slacker when it came to saving us.

The longer one walks the path of wisdom in Christ, the brighter that path becomes. One day believers will walk in the brightness of that perfect day, in the very presence of He Who is Light itself. So always “let your eyes look straight ahead” (4:25) to Christ and life to come.

Man has a sinful propensity to trust in himself, to be wise in his own heart. But wisdom calls us “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” (3:5)

Wisdom calls out to all. We are called to go into all the world with the message of Christ and the Cross, the very wisdom of God. This wisdom is not attained by one’s intellect. It is the Spirit which makes God’s wisdom known to us so that we trust in it.

We are to “search for [wisdom] as for hidden treasures.” ( 2:4) We are to “apply our hearts to understanding”. (2:2.) Wisdom is a gift from God which leads us down every good path, and which is pleasant to the soul. The wisdom of God’s Word delivers from the way of evil, but those who turn from it will experience a miserable end.

The fear of the Lord is the starting point and foundation of all true knowledge. However, as we go through life, we do not leave behind the starting point. Rather, we take it with us all through life. For “a wise man will hear and increase learning.” (1:5).

We end our Psalm readings this month with a wonderful reminder of our many blessings as God’s children. The Psalm especially focuses our attention on that most wonderful blessing of God’s forgiveness: “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

We have reason to shout for joy! The Lord is our Creator and our Shepherd. So let us “enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting,