Little Ruby was saying her
bedtime prayers. “Dear God,” she prayed, “please help bad people to be
good and good people to be nice.” Whether Ruby knew it or not, she
provided a simple way of describing what the book of Proverbs is: “a
guidebook for living a life that pleases God.”
Over the years, various cultures and
societies have established different criteria to describe whether or not
one is “successful.” Many have put “wealth” at the top of the list. And
money, to some degree, is important and necessary if one is to have the
basic necessities of life. Others would speak of power, prestige and
one’s position in society as being critical. Those words express the
core values of individuals who want to be recognized for what they have
accomplished on the world’s stage in politics, the military or banking
and finance. No doubt some want to be remembered for doing some “thing”
that no one else has done – like discovering a medicine that extends
life or setting a record in a particular sport, inventing a product or
procedure that makes life better or is useful, valuable or delightful.
But those whose lives are guided by the
lessons that we find in The Proverbs are those who fear God and allow
Him to guide them, guard them and give them His gifts.
We often talk about hindsight, sometimes we
wish we had foresight, but Solomon’s Proverbs give us insight to make
decisions based on God’s laws. Proverbs provides the believer with God’s
wisdom that is underwritten by God’s power that we may live godly
lives.
Prayer: Grant us willful hearts, Lord, to obey Your laws. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Scripture for Today: Proverbs 1:1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
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