Thursday 26 Jun 2008

Thursday Reading: Proverbs 3:7-12
 
Key Verse: Proverbs 3:12
12  for whom Jehovah loves He corrects, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.
 
Devotion:
One of our biggest problems within ourselves is the fact that we think we know it all and we don’t like to admit that maybe we can be wrong. Whilst there is nothing wrong with self confidence, self-conceit of our own wisdom is the thing that will bring you down. We need to always remember that whatever we think we know, God knows more! We don’t have the wisdom to create life, nor the wisdom to create worlds; in fact we struggle to cure some sick people and to know what make up the atoms of the universe… but God knows it all. There is no way we can be an astronaut, brain surgeon, computer wiz, avid farmer, veterinarian and a wonderful person all at the same time because we need to focus on one things at a time. It’s not just the brain we need to consider but the heart as well because most of our interaction with people will be done from our hearts. Wisdom is the collection of everything that you mind and heart has learned – without both, we are nothing.
 
That is why we need the direction of someone who has all of the knowledge of the universe and all of the love as well. Once we realise that we can learn from others, we need to seek out that wisdom and learn from it all the time. As soon as we figure that we know better than that wisdom, we falter! Whilst we are still children, listening to our parents and other adults allows us to pick up an enormous amount of wisdom that we can then apply to our lives. We never stop learning because we can continue to learn from both the right and the wrong that we can pick up on.
 
God needs us to listen because there is so much ‘noise’ out there that will distract us away from that true wisdom that He alone can give. When we go against His will, we should not be surprised to find that He tries to correct us just as our parents would correct us when we do wrong in their eyes. Don’t ignore that correction! Instead, use that wisdom to correct ourselves both in our knowledge and our hearts so that we can bring forward actions that will please God and give Him all the glory!
 
Points to Ponder:
How often do you regret not listening to others?
 
Do you realise how long you may regret not listening to God?