The wise are glad to be instructed
The wise are glad to be instructed, but babbling fools fall flat on their faces. Proverbs 10:8
You can always trust the writer of the Proverbs not to beat about the bush! He draws a very sharp distinction between those who are wise and foolish. The path of wisdom leads to blessing, happiness and security and the path of foolishness leads to poverty, misery and complete insecurity. This amazing book of the Bible is incredibly straightforward and down to earth. You can as easily apply it to life today as the original readers could thousands of years ago. He knew that the key to wisdom was humility, and that the wise person is always ready to learn.
I remember the moment when, as a young teenager, I went to meet with the minister of my church. I stood in awe of someone who seemed, at the time, very old and wise. I asked him a question about the Bible, and I was very surprised that he didn’t know the answer. However, I remember him going to his library with real enthusiasm so that we could find the answer together. I was amazed that he still had things to learn and I was really blessed by his delight at being asked to search for the information.
We are tempted to think of a wise person as someone who knows it all. But no, the wise person is the one who knows how much more they still need to know. God wants us to be people who are continually exploring, growing and learning more. Over the last few days we have been looking at 2 Peter and on a number of occasions Peter expressed his desire that his readers would grow in grace and knowledge. He knew there would never be a time when they could stop growing. Growth is integral to the Christian life.
QUESTION
In what ways are you growing as a Christian, and what could you do to grow even more?
PRAYER
Lord God, help me grow in wisdom and grace day by day. Amen