Week 3: Wisdom 3: Proverbs 2:1-9 – Treasure Chest/Shield/Path
“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, listening closely to wisdom and directing your heart to understanding; furthermore, if you call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding,
if you seek it like silver and search for it like hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
He stores up success for the upright; He is a shield for those who live with integrity so that he may guard the paths of justice and protect the way of his faithful followers. Then you will understand righteousness, justice, and integrity—every good path.” Proverbs 2:1-9
What path are you on?
Having wisdom for wisdom’s sake is great and all, but God has a higher purpose for us getting wisdom and understanding. You see, everyday we make decisions. Hundreds of seemingly small decisions that when added together determine the path of our lives. We can make those decisions in a couple of different ways.
Framework or Free Form
If we know the destination and the path we want to take to get there, we have a framework established in our lives. Each decision is made in the context of that framework. Applying wisdom and understanding to the focus a framework provides means that it is easier to stay on the path and reach our destination. Never thinking about a destination or direction ahead of time means that we will be making decisions free form. Each decision has the potential to take us in a good direction, down a beneficial path, or it can head us off on a distraction or worse.
Every Good Path
Proverbs 2:9 states that every good path starts with understanding “righteousness, justice, and integrity” – God’s kind of wisdom. The Lord gives us wisdom to order the paths of our lives, for our protection and benefit. His gift of wisdom and understanding is a treasure that cannot be purchased. It must be searched for, sought after, and valued. When God sees us doing those things, He generously gives it to us, revealing His path before us.
Wisdom is a Process
This process of getting wisdom is not one of immediate gratification. It requires daily decisions to keep seeking. Daily searching for God’s wisdom and applying His understanding to our lives helps us remain on a Christ-centered path leading toward success according to God’s definition.
Wisdom in the Word Week 3 ACTION STEP:
Do you have a framework for the decisions in your life? Take a moment today to seek God’s wisdom and understanding for the path your life should be taking. Do you need a course correction in your daily decision making? God is ready and willing to give His wisdom to us. We need to ask for it and search in His word.
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Wisdom in the Word Week 3 PRAYER:
Dear God, reveal to us the path we should be on in our lives. Guide us to Your wisdom in our daily decisions. Help us trust Your wisdom and understanding and give us strength to maintain a Christ-centered life . In Jesus’ name, amen.
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