Wednesday, July 12, 2023 Some material taken from Escaping Stupid by John Strappazon
Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. ... Proverbs 3:13-18
Wisdom Applied
Wisdom is truly a blessing, but it is only a blessing if we apply it to our lives. If we know the right things to do but do not do them, we are the fool who invites all kinds of trouble. Solomon knew the benefit of wisdom applied to one’s life, which is why he asked for it when he could ask for anything in the world. Wisdom applied to our lives leads to many good things and keeps us out of many bad things if we let it.
Solomon refers to wisdom as “her” in the passage above. He tells us that wisdom is more valuable than jewels and that nothing we could ever desire would be better than the wisdom we receive from our relationship with God. Making wise choices also leads to a longer life in most cases, as well as prosperity and honor.
Some Important Proverbs for Making Wise Choices
This past Sunday, our interim pastor, John Strappazon, gave us some important points to remember to keep from making unwise choices in our lives.
Choose wisely with whom you run - Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm. Proverbs 13:20
Most of us know the power of influence. Maybe you have had those people in your life that were a powerful influence – for better or worse. It is true that we will be known for who we hang around. Who are the people in your life that you respect and look up to? Those are the people that you want to run with. If we think we can hang with our friends that don’t care if they make wise or godly decisions and will not be influenced by them, we might be surprised by just how quick we go along with a foolish decision. Surround yourself with others who have the same values as you do. Surround yourself with people who value their relationship with God and make decisions to reflect His presence in their life.
Recognize God’s involvement in all of life - The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts have good understanding. Psalm 111:10
To keep from making a foolish decision, we should invite God into every area of our lives.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Proverbs 3:6 The Message
Consider God first above everything else in your life when making decisions:
· Pray – pray about it first before you talk to people.
· Fill your mind with good things – Fill all the gaps in your life and your mind with God to keep Him at the forefront of all thoughts and decisions.
· Listen to wise counsel – If you need to talk to someone, choose someone who is a Christian and will give biblical, godly counsel.
Embrace the value of correction - Those who disregard discipline despise themselves, but the one who heeds correction gains understanding. Proverbs 15:32
If you can apply wisdom to your life before you make a mistake, that is obviously the better way to go. But if you gain wisdom instead by God’s loving correction from an unwise choice, be smart enough to learn and smart enough to know the value of what you have learned. God loves us and is our Heavenly Father. Just as an earthly father would discipline his child out of love, God also disciplines us out of love. Apply the wisdom you gain from an unwise choice, so it doesn’t happen again. If we learn the first time, we can save ourselves a lot of pain and heartache in our lives.
An important thing to consider is that our choices do not affect us alone. There is a ripple effect somewhat and others do sometimes suffer from the consequences of our mistakes. Protect yourself and the ones you love. Protect your relationships. Hold your relationship with God above every other thing in your life. Seek wisdom from God and He will not lead you astray.
