warnings and promises

 

For the simple are killed by their turning away,

and the complacency of fools destroys them;

but whoever listens to me will dwell secure

and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.

Proverbs 1:32-33

It is not a good thing to disregard the wisdom of the Lord. Whether a person willfully turns away from it, or just has a casual "meh" response to God's truth, the result is the same: death and destruction. The Book of Proverbs opens with this ominous warning in order to convince us to pay attention to the wisdom God gives.

I have read through Proverbs at least once per year from the time I was sixteen. And the wisdom found here is personally profound. What I have learned from it has spared me sorrow and pain. And what I have refused to take seriously or have neglected to trust has cost me dearly. The warning of Proverbs 1:32 as well as the promise of Proverbs 1:33 have both been real for me.

O Lord,

Your wisdom has sustained and protected me. Thank You for the truth of Your Word. Yet I have not always trusted Your wisdom. And in my complacency, my foolishness has hurt both You and me. May Your wisdom call me to repent and obey today!

Amen