30 days of wisdom for the year
30 Wise sayings
Prov 22:17 – 24:22
DAY 1
“PAY ATTENTION and TURN YOUR EAR to the sayings of THE WISE; APPLY your heart to what I teach, for it is pleasing when you KEEP THEM in your heart and have all of them ready ON YOUR LIPS. SO THAT your TRUST may be in the LORD, I teach you today, even you. 20 Have I not written thirty sayings for you, sayings of counsel and knowledge, 21 teaching you to be honest and to speak the truth, so that you bring back truthful reports to those you serve?” Prov 22:17 - 21
At the beginning of the year, people make all sorts of resolutions, to give up something bad, to start something good, to find a relationship, to work harder, rest longer yet they so often fail. Why?
Well, no doubt it is multi faceted but at the heart of things it is a thing of the heart. In the context of Provebs 'the heart' is not just your emotions but your mind, will and emotions. What controls your heart directs your life.
Over the next 30 days I am going to (attempt) to write a thought in response to each of the 30 sayings contained in Prov 22:17 through to Prov 24:22
SAYING ONE IN A NUT SHELL
MAKE SURE YOU GET WISDOM – IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE!!!
“PAY ATTENTION... TURN YOUR EAR”
Unless you give yourself to something, you will never gain. Wisdom does not fall in a lap and it is not gained through getting older it is found through seeking it out. Do you actually desire wisdom for your life? Then listen closely...
“TO THE WISE”
Who are you listening to? We so often fill our lives with rubbish. One of the most common new years resolutions is to lose weight. The obvious way, less rubbish food. The same is the case with wisdom, first you need to cut out the rubbish otherwise you will maintain an appetite for rubbish. Metaphorically, get off the sugar! Get some lean steak and vegetables. Foolish ideas play to your ego, they will tell you that it is all about you. That all God wants is to 'make you happy', such things 'feel' good but they are foolish ideas that will destroy your walk.
Name the wise people you pay attention to and are turning towards
"APPLY YOUR HEART... KEEP THEM IN YOUR HEART”
You keep something in your heart by pondering it, meditating upon it. When you learn something, seek to understand it deeply. Prayerfully consider it.
Have them “READY ON YOUR LIPS”
What is in your heart will come out of your mouth, and what is spoke will go in your ears and back into your heart. One of the best ways to reinforce something in your life is to speak it out loud and humbly share that knowledge.
Who will you humbly share what you are learning with?
“SO THAT YOUR TRUST MAY BE IN THE LORD”
The point of wisdom is not gaining but leaning. Leaning into the one who rules all and creating the entire universe. Wisdom understands that the well of all truth and insight is God. Arrogant ignorance believes that we as humans 'have got this'. There is something frustrating about watching a child insist they know how to put a toy together when the instructions are nearby and adults that no better could help them. Soon enough frustration arises and the toy is often thrown of discarded. There was never any problem with the toy but the foolishness of an independent heart that denies the need for greater instruction. As adults we are all too often the same with our lives. We refuse the instructions and the one that designed everything and then in frustration we threaten to throw it all away or insist is just doesn't work.
There is far more in this one saying but I will leave it here and you can comment if you wish with your extra reflections on the first saying.
Keep this in mind, wisdom only comes to those that seek it and ultimately from the one who is the well of all knowledge and truth.