Today’s scripture: Proverbs 2:1-15 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Steve Adams):
Treasure it! Pay attention to it! Cry out for it! Put your heart into it! Yell for it! Seek it like silver! Search for it like a treasure!
Yes, God strongly desires that we attain wisdom! It’s not easy, though, because it often involves doing things we don’t want to do, changing ingrained habits, and making tough choices that delay gratification.
Each day we live is a gift from God. How are we going to spend the 1,440 minutes that comprise the day? The amount of minutes we have each day can be compared to the number of dollars in my paycheck. It’s up to me how I spend them. We know it’s wise to budget our money.That means I’ve got to make lots of choices about what I’m going to buy, within the limits of what I have.
For example, a few years ago I determined I had three options on how to spend my Tuesday nights:
- Stay home and watch reruns of The Big Bang Theory (fun, easy, and has immediate appeal!)
- Do as little as possible (ALAP) — surf the internet for fun after dinner (also fun, easy and appealing)
- Commit to hosting a small group Oasis at my house on Tuesdays — a chance to deepen my spiritual relationship with God and other people (enjoyable and important!)
When I invest money, I naturally try to project the potential economic earnings, so when I invest my time, why not estimate the potential spiritual earnings? As it turns out, I chose having an Oasis every week in my home, because the spiritual dividends tower over the other options. . . and I can see Big Bang on two other nights during the week, so that would have been a very lame reason!
Don’t let the preceding paragraph fool you, though! I make unwise decisions too! I think “I’m wrong, and I’m on the wrong path” are some of the sweetest words God ever hears a human being say. We all think we’re wise, and sometimes we are. But, to put in bluntly, there are also some ways in which we’re spiritually dimwitted, and vulnerable to deception. I think we need to face this from time to time, because it’s in admitting our lack of wisdom to God that we make room to learn!
Thought for the day: God loves us, therefore God challenges us to live more wisely. How can I budget my time in order to live a wise life that’s fully pleasing to God? (Colossians 1:9-10).
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.