By Mike Chaffin
Who is wise? Let him understand these things.
Who is prudent? Let him know them.
For the ways of the Lord are right;
The righteous walk in them,
But transgressors stumble in them. Hosea 14:9
Last words to remember! Five lines that define our lives. Literally God’s outline for success.
Who is wise? Wisdom helps us understand life and God’s ways. Without wisdom we stumble and bumble through life wondering why things aren’t going our way. For this very reason, the Bible instructs us to get wisdom.
Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. Proverbs 4:7
God encourages us to ask for wisdom if we lack it. He provides us with innate knowledge of right and wrong. He is light and in him is no darkness. Today some teach there are gray areas where we can’t know right from wrong. However, gray areas arise because we don’t have the wisdom to understand. Get wisdom, get understanding, and gray areas go away.
Prudence naturally follows wisdom. With wisdom we know something. Prudence is rightly acting on that knowledge. Wisdom tells me touching an open electrical circuit will shock me. Prudence keeps me from touching it lest I die.
Know that the ways of the Lord are right. We get knowledge of God’s way by reading the Bible. His ways produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Those who don’t have the Holy Spirit, who want to do there own thing, go their own way, feed their flesh are lost. They will stumble and fall.
He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They shall never see light.
A man who is in honor, yet does not understand, is like the beasts that perish. Psalm 49:19-20
The last words of Hosea are worth memorizing. They are an outline for success.
Prayer: Lord, thank you that you have made it clear to us how to live. The Bible is an instruction book on how to live in you and inherent eternal life. Lord, I pray for wisdom to understand your Word. Open my eyes to see, and my ears to hear as I read your word. Teach me so I have understanding. Lead me and guide my ways. In Jesus name, amen.
