July Reading from The Message
Wisdom doesn’t mean you always have the right answers, but rather the right responses. Here in Proverbs 4, and the beginning of chapter 5, wisdom is a guide to healthy living. When God is at the center of our lives, He helps us stay on the path of good sense and avoid the pitfalls that await the unwise. Listen closely to good advice, your life is at stake!
10-15 Dear friend, take my advice; it will add years to your life. I’m writing out clear directions to Wisdom Way, I’m drawing a map to Righteous Road. I don’t want you ending up in blind alleys, or wasting time making wrong turns.
Hold tight to good advice; don’t relax your grip. Guard it well—your life is at stake! Don’t take Wicked Bypass; don’t so much as set foot on that road. Stay clear of it; give it a wide berth. Make a detour and be on your way.
16-17 Evil people are restless unless they’re making trouble; They can’t get a good night’s sleep unless they’ve made life miserable for somebody. Perversity is their food and drink, violence their drug of choice.
18-19 The ways of right-living people glow with light; the longer they live, the brighter they shine. But the road of wrongdoing gets darker and darker— travelers can’t see a thing; they fall flat on their faces.
20-22 Dear friend, listen well to my words; tune your ears to my voice. Keep my message in plain view at all times. Concentrate! Learn it by heart! Those who discover these words live, really live; body and soul, they’re bursting with health.
23-27 Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts. Don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth; avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip. Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions.
Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you. Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust.
5:1-2 Dear friend, pay close attention to this, my wisdom; listen very closely to the way I see it. Then you’ll acquire a taste for good sense; what I tell you will keep you out of trouble.
Scripture Insight
Wisdom Will Give Us Good Sense
The opposite of foolishness in Scripture is wisdom. Wisdom refers to skill in living. It doesn’t primarily mean knowing the right answers, but rather giving the right responses. Those who have acquired wisdom understand how the world works. They know about patience and love, listening and grace, adoration and beauty. They understand that other people are made in the image of God and are to be respected and befriended, especially the ones they can’t get anything from. They realize that the earth is a marvelously intricate gift to be cared for as well as to be enjoyed. They know that God is an ever-present Center, a never-diminishing Reality, an all-encompassing Love.
This wisdom will give us the good sense that’s necessary to keep us out of trouble, an example of which is described in the remainder of Proverbs 5.
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