DATE POSTED: Tuesday, 2023-04-11
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

BY: Ed Algreen

SCRIPTURE FROM: Proverb 1:7-9
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: 7-9 How does a man become wise? The first step is to trust and reverence the Lord! Only fools refuse to be taught. Listen to your father and mother. What you learn from them will stand you in good stead; it will gain you many honors.

OBSERVATION: Ever looked back on life and wished you had made better choices about a certain faction of your life? But this would only have been possible if you were wiser, or if you had realized sooner that you could use the help of others in those decisions. The queen of Sheba traveled to try and discern what Solomon was doing to make himself so successful in life, and she discovered that he was in a class of his own in being extremely wise. Now in the book of Proverbs Solomon is sharing with us how we might become wise, so I believe we should ask God to open our eyes of understanding and listen for the tips on becoming wiser.

APPLICATION: I am intrigued by infants who quickly use their natural instincts to do what they want, and make sure that everyone else around them do what they want! I’m not so sure that we ever grow out of that, but it is evident that God has built into us a desire to want our own way while also realizing that we could do way more than we are capable of, by learning to lean on the support of those who love us and want to see us succeed. Let’s examine the sources of help that Solomon teaches us to lean and depend on:

• Trust and Reverence the Lord – If God made us and designed a world for us to live in, I believe it is critically important that we trust His correction, follow His commands and respect Him as our Lord. If He sent us His Son, so that we might have forgiveness of sin when we invite Him into our life, then I believe it is evident that God’s end goal is for us to return to Him after our time here on earth is over. Good parents remain parents for their whole life! Sure, a spouse will most lightly enter into the lives of most adults, but there is absolutely no substitute for mom and dad! Why then do we feel like we can take over from the authority of God and lead a life that we design and plan to achieve? If He had the beginning in mind in our birth, and He has the end in mind, our eternity in heaven, wouldn’t it make sense that He has special plans in mind for us while we battle with Satan and his army here on earth? Trust in the Lord your God, with all your heart, soul and mind. Remember, He is God, and beside Him, there is no other. Reverence Him, not only as your God, but also as the God of the universe!
• Only fools choose not to be taught – Ever received a good grade because of the effort you put into resolving a challenging question? You may be rebellious in school, but I hope that you will always use the good sense given to you by God and learn something new each and every day! Be on the lookout for Jesus and be amazed by the wonderful God that He is!
• Listen to you mom and dad – Even at 68 years of age, I still reflect on the things taught to me by my dad, and I stand amazed at his wisdom that he so freely passed on to me. Remember, our parents have a vested interest in our wellbeing, and they want to see us succeed. Learn from their successes and also from their failures, There is no reason to repeat their mistakes.

Solomon didn’t just offer up wisdom and tell us to obey his tidbits because He said so, but rather, he shared the value and benefits of obedience to God, and to those who nurture us. He assured us that the values we assume from others willing to teach us, lead us in, and support us through, will stick with us our whole lives. Friends, think about all those who have impacted your lives. They may have walked alongside you in your struggles, they may have taught you in school or at home, or they may have shared amazing successes with you while teaching you to reach for the stars, like they did.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: While there may be some out to destroy us, there are many willing to share the love of Jesus with us as they interact with, and care for, us each day. To enhance our wisdom, let’s depend on God; listen, love and appreciate those He sends our way.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I am amazed at how You care for us. Just when we think we know it all, You send someone our way to open the doors of heaven and show us how we need You, and also our fellow man. Your Holy Book is filled with information to guide us in the way we should go and to keep Your way holy and set apart with a rich and meaningful life here on earth. Even more importantly, You show us daily that others also need us, and never should we be selfish enough to stick to ourselves and let them do their own thing. I believe that You’ve placed us here to worship and honor You, and to share Your love, care and protection towards all people. Please continue to bless us as we go our way and may we always share Your love with others, especially those in need of a Savior. AMEN!