Tuesday 20 Nov 2012

Tuesday Reading: Proverbs 10:20-21

Key Verse: Proverbs 10:21
21  The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.

Devotion:
As I have been reading about the difference between the advice offered by fools and the advice offered by men of God I have been struck by the fact that the advice offered by fools is always lacking in something. We will probably always find it falling short of fulfilling our needs or wants for wisdom. But when a just and righteous man gets up to speak of God’s Word, then many people are going to be fully fed. It is not going to be a case of those that are listening properly will be fed properly because when a fool (as described in God’s Word) gets up to talk they are always going to fall short of the mark because they are speaking of what is coming from their hearts rather than from God’s Word.

Our hearts may be what we rely on for discerning many things, but unless what we are hearing is agreeing with and supporting God’s Word, it is going to be like hollow words instead of the living bread that we need. When God fed the Children of Israel in the desert with manna, it was nutritionally sufficient for them to survive on. God’s Word is nutritionally sufficient for our souls to survive on and if we do not get enough then we will go off seeking some sort of supplement to fill the gaps or voids that we have after hearing the half-truths that man can give us.

When we hear someone speaking with authority from God’s Word we know we are getting sufficient input because we know that it is coming from the Fountain of all wisdom – from God. Yes we have a person, preacher or teacher being the one standing up and physically giving us the words, but when they themselves are relying on God to use them as a teaching vessel then we find that the words they are able to share with us fulfil our needs – not because they are good teachers but because it is God’s Word!

No riches on earth will compare to what we can gain from receiving God’s Word, not the gold, silver, any other precious metal or anything else can last like God’s Word. We may like to think that gold will last forever, but if you ever take time to look at a very old gold ring you will find that it has been worn down over the years and there is no sign of where that part has gone – it’s just gone. God’s Word expands in our hearts rather than shrinking when it is tried – because it is the truth.

Points to Ponder:
What is the oldest thing you have?

Does not God give you new wisdom each time you read His old Word?