August 9 – Choose Careful Correction

“Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.” – Proverbs 9:8-9 (ESV)

A worthy saying is, “Be carful to pick your battles.” This applies to us in so many ways. Whom do we know that needs some help or instruction in how to cope with the many challenges of life? We all make mistakes due to our ignorance or lack of understanding. Thus we all need help to learn better ways to manage. Certainly there are many that might come to mind. When they do, it is a smart thing to consider who we might reprimand for their own good as well as others.  Will they receive the correction or reproof or will their reply be only to scoff and jeer? There is a danger in trying to reprove a wicked person and we might be better forgoing the effort. Yet, for those who are wise our effort to help might be appreciated and they thank us. Plus when we’re receiving such instruction from a brother or sister we can know that it will improve our life⸺if we take it to heart. Don’t we desire to be wise and righteous even when receiving correction? Such correction will only lead to our better understanding and from it we gain more wisdom.  

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August 3 – Healing From Fear of the Lord

“Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones.” – Proverbs 3:7-8 (NASB)

What are our thoughts abought those who seem overly confident in their own knowledge or wisdom? “Just another ‘know-it-all’ might be a fitting description? Perhaps they have placed a bit too much importance and confidence in their alleged expertise? Certainly we need some measure of confidence that we are capable of doing what we are called to do. Be we are never called to do it on our own resources, with our own understanding. Today we have “Another warning against self-confidence! and who needs it not? So natural is it to idolize our own devices! Yet self-wisdom is self-delusion. True wisdom is its opposite—the fear of God and the fear of sin[1]”  God calls us in today’s verse to Fear Him. The ‘fear of the Lord’ occurs 11 times in Proverbs and ‘fear the Lord’ occurs 4 times. In Psalm 19:9 we learn that “the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;” God is promising physical well-being for those who live wisely according to His will[2] Humility and lowliness, abhorred by the world is blessed by our dependence on God. (Romans 12:16)

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1 Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs, (New York: Robert Carter & Brothers, 1865), 23.

2 John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible., (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006), Proverbs 3:8.

October 29 – Being Wise and Innocent

“…but I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.” – Romans 16:19b-20 (NASB)

One commentary on Romans tells us the wisdom the Apostle Paul advocates in these verses is more than “knowledgeability”. It is a spiritual as well as a mental quality. Paul wants the recipients of this letter to live in such a manner that we will be equal to the task of choosing what is good in the eyes of God, and that we will be innocent and guileless about evil. We should be wise for the purpose of doing and promoting what is right, and should not get “mixed up” with anything that, in God’s sight, is wrong. God promises to exercise his sovereign will in the interest of his people! 

• He will crush Satan. He will fulfil the promise of Genesis. 3:15. Not Satan but God is Victor.
• He will crush him under your feet. Those who are co-heirs (Romans 8:17) are also co-conquerors. 
• He will do so soon. In a sense it is true that God is crushing Satan right along. A most decisive victory was won on Calvary. There can be no doubt about it, though, that the present passage has reference to the final, victory of God over Satan.

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William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, New Testament Commentary, (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 12-13:512–513.

August 30 – Where Knowledge Begins

“Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles.” – Proverbs 1:5 -6 (ESV)

The book of Proverbs contains many promises given to us through the wisdom sayings of Solomon and others. Almost all of the promises found in Proverbs give us instructions “do this to receive that.” They are read as divine advice from God our Father. Today our promise is this: if we wish to be wise, we will listen and hear the truth that leads to learning. This learning leads to understanding and the all-important guidance we all need even to understand these proverbs and other sayings of the wise. We note here that the wise sometimes deliver wisdom through riddles. When (if) we understand “words of insight” (Proverbs 1:2) we will be able to understand the meaning of proverbs, parables, and the riddles of the wise. The word for “riddle” means an indirect, or puzzling statement which needs explanation. It is used of Samson’s riddle (Judges 14:12–19) and of the “hard questions” the Queen of Sheba asked of Solomon (1 Kings 10:1; 2 Chronicles. 9:1). Let’s pursue this wisdom and knowledge and let's not despise it – for from its attainment we gain understanding and knowledge of how we are to live righteously before our Lord God.

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November 9 –Avoid Being Bone Tired

“Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.  It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones.”  Proverbs 3:7–8. (NASB)

The two verses before today’s selection (Proverbs 3:5-6 NASB) are often most familiar in the book of Proverbs. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart….” The Proverbs of King Solomon frequently offered a word of wisdom, how to be wise in our behavior, followed by the benefits that such living brings to us. Today's promise is written that way. The wisdom is a caution for us to not be wise in our own eyes. Many promote themselves as wise, knowledgeable, experienced; as expert at whatever they want to claim. Solomon says, “No. Do not think that way. Do not perceive yourself as wise.” This does not mean we are to think of ourselves as unwise or foolish. There is something unrighteous about thinking too highly of ourselves. Solomon commands, “Fear the LORD" (hold Him in awesome regard) and reject the temptations that are evil. Turn away from such thoughts. In return we will have healing and a healthy body. We won’t be weighed down but will experience refreshment deep to our bones. Reject self conceit and evil ways, and we will be healthy. We will not be bone tired. That’s a promise from God.

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October 16 – Be-Aware of Wolves

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.  Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues,  and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.”  Matthew 10:16-18 (ESV)

Jesus, after identifying the twelve and commissioning them as apostles, prepares to send them out on a mission trip.  He gave them authority over demons, disease, and sickness. He instructs them where and to whom they are to go and what they are to preach. “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons,” were His instruction. After additional instructions Jesus gives them a warning. They would encounter sever resistance as they preached that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. Jesus is sending them into the middle of wolves.  He predicts that they would be arrested, charged, and punished in the synagogues. In verse five He had said to not go to Gentiles or Samaritans but only to the Jews. But we see in his warning in verse eighteen that his prophecy of resistance reached beyond this one mission trip. It would cover any and all such missions for Christ and the Kingdom. Preach the gospel and you will be hated and hunted. Gentiles would become part of the resistance to the gospel. These predictions are promises for us as well. We should expect and not avoid resistance when preaching and teaching the Word of God. 

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July 11 – The Wisdom of Trust

“Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD.”  -Psalm 107:43  (ESV)

Our verse today is the last verse of Psalm 107 and it affirms the promise that God’s love is steadfast.  It frames the whole Psalm with its first verse, “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” Psalm 107:1  The entire Psalm was written to remind God’s people of how consistently He had helped them and their ancestors in various kinds of circumstances. The point of our selected verse is that people who knew how God had helped them in the past should remember that and be reminded of His great love for them. It is something done in wisdom.  We should do the same. The word used for ‘steadfast’ has many wonderful meanings. The most common is ‘love’ but its use in this verse leans to loyalty and mercy. Think back of how God has helped us in past days and then remember that He has done it out of loyalty to His Word and because of His great love for us. This will encourage us to trust Him for today, tomorrow and always. That is what God calls “wisdom.”

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December 15 – Loving and Faithful Always

“For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever; in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.”” Psalm 89:2 (ESV) 

These words are an expression of faith that we can be ours as well.  The “For I said,” were the words of the one who wrote this song who was known as Ethan, the Ezrahite.  This Ethan was known to be one of the wisest men in Israel approaching the wisdom of Solomon but not exceeding Solomon who was the wisest of all.  We can learn from and be like Ethan, because we can also express our confidence in the permanence of God’s love because that is His nature. God’s love is firm forever because He is firm forever. He who made the heaven and the earth has always been and He never changes. Our promise is God's faithfulness to His love for us is forever.  So we can trust, through faith, that His love for His own will never change.  It is all a part of the character of our God. He is always faithful, always loving because that is intrinsic to His character. So remember that He will be loving you today – always faithful to His promise. 

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September 28 – Insightfulness and Wisdom

“And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” Daniel 12:3 (ESV)

We may not fully understand all that these words mean, but they do convey an impression that is meaningful.  Those who are wise are those who have true insight by faith in God's Word.  This does not apply only to robed leaders and skillful preachers but to others, to us.  The Promise here is that those who trust the Lord and follow Him closely have a bright and glorious future.  Included in this is the work of proclaiming the righteousness of God so that others may be persuaded to believe.  We know that our God is a God of Glory.  Heaven is a glorious place and God is planning to share that glory with us if we continue following Him and doing His will here on earth. God will know it and will share His glory with us and we will become like stars reflecting the glory of God.  The faithfulness of our witness will determine our eternal capacity to reflect God's Glory.  Be wise in God's promises today. 

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November 3 – Heed and Ponder

“Let the one who is wise heed these things and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.” Psalm 107:43 (NIV)

This is the last verse of this Psalm and it is at the end of a long series of reminders of the wonderful things which God had done previously. The concluding verse then reminds us that if we are wise we will remember what God has done and think of how He loves his people when he deals with them. Even when our situation seems very difficult and unpleasant we can know God loves us with perfect never-ending love. Actually this can apply to the whole record of God's dealings in the Bible. When we hear the Bible taught or preached, let all this remind us of the great love of God. Our verse tells us that if we do that we will be wise.  

August 18 – That We May Know

“... from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 3:15 (NIV)

It is a good practice to be thanking God for choosing people long ago to write the Bible messages which we need to know in order to become His children and His disciples. God inspired the writers and he also inspired those who have presented the writings and have passed them on to us.  And the purpose of all this is to make us wise for salvation. The Holy Scriptures which the Apostle Paul writes about in his second letter to Timothy has been given first to reveal that God has prepared and presented and offered a way to Himself – He has revealed what we must know in order to be saved. That is why we who are children of God give thanks for the Holy Bible because it is how we learn about all that God has done for us. Our promise today is that we can trust the Bible to guide us and teach us first for salvation and then for discipleship as we share what we have been taught.  

July 21

“At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.”” Matthew 11:25-26 (NIV)

Jesus is really thanking His Father for the way He reveals divine wisdom to His people. God was doing this during the time Jesus was here on earth. He could tell when He taught the people that some who thought they were educated failed to understand heavenly truth. At the same time there were ordinary people who did catch on. It is true today, too. If we are open to the teaching of the Holy Spirit, we can learn wonderful spiritual truth which is never taught in a class.  God wants to teach, but our hearts must be open.

July 11

“Let the one who is wise heed these things and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.” Psalm 107:43 (NIV)

The entire 107th Psalm was written to remind God’s people of how He had helped them and their ancestors in various kinds of circumstances. And it concludes with this verse. The point of the verse is that people who knew how God had helped them in the past should remember that and be reminded of His great love for them. We should do the same. Think back of how God has helped us in past days and then remember that He has done it because of His great love for us. This will encourage us to trust Him for today, tomorrow and always. That is what God calls “wisdom.”