April 22, 2022

Passage Read: Proverbs 2-5
Meditation Verse: 3:7

Thought

If I really want to know God and walk in His ways, I need to be careful not to be wise in my own eyes, not to think more highly of my own wisdom and intelligence and ability to avoid sin and foolishness. I need to fear the Lord and believe His definition of evil and turn away from evil. Interesting that: Not only do I need to leave evil behavior, but I need to depart from the presence and haunts of evil. If I want to keep from doing wrong, I need to stay away from places and people who frequently do wrong, who disagree with God's definition of wrong. If I think that somehow I'm strong enough to resist sin, resist temptation, then I'm likely going to put myself in situations and around people that will lead me to falling into sin, even against my better judgement. I only do things like that when I think I'm stronger or wiser than I really am.

Application

I mustn't kid myself or think more highly of myself than is true. I mustn't think that I know better than God! I'm not wiser than God and will never be. At best I can only hope to be as wise as Him. But that requires learning from Him trusting all He teaches and living in obedience to it. It also takes learning all He teaches, all He says and does. I can't pick and choose from His Word what I'll obey and what I won't, only He can tell me that. What He calls sin, I must keep away from. And those who practice what He calls sin, I can go to warn and teach, but I must not go near to participate. And if even going in with the gospel is not sufficient to protect me from falling into sin with them, then I need to leave it to others to go and share Christ with them.