Sunday 18 Jun 2017

June 18: Proverbs 23:19-26

Key Verse: Proverbs 23:23
Buy the truth, and do not sell it, Also wisdom and instruction and understanding.

Devotion:
God is patient to wait for us to rid ourselves of our own selfish ways before we turn to Him, but we need to make sure we do not over-extend our delay for fear of missing out on His return. We need to take heed of His warnings and of His Will. Just like a loving parent, He wants us to listen and learn; to gain wisdom and be guided by His Words. We can be so easily persuaded to do other things without thinking; we do need to stand up and take notice of His Will in our life so we can have a better chance at heading in the right direction!

Not only have we been taught to listen to our parents so we will find out the right ways of doing things in our lives, but we need to listen to God to make sure that we do the right things too. Eating and drinking in excess can be seen as being nothing better than a short sharp fix which has adverse effects on the rest of our life. The more we focus on short term goals (if you can call them that) the less we see the bigger picture and the more we lose track of what we should be doing in our lives.

As we grow older, we may think we know more than our parents, but their wisdom comes from years of practise and we need to take notice of that. But far more than that, God has always been and His wisdom is without reproach. We need to be willing to sacrifice a few things in order to get to His truth. We need to be willing to give up our earthly pleasures in search of our wisdom which we can gain from God. We need to be able to put aside our wanton lusts and be able to focus on what we need in our lives.

When we do, our parents view of us will change for the better – but far more than that, we will be showing God we do really care about Him so that His love will not be one-sided!

Points to Ponder:
Do you still get carried away with your pleasures?

How often do you seek out God's Word?