By Jason Petermann, pastor of Christ Community Church, Bartlesville, OK
Read Proverbs 11.
You are not who you think you are. You are what you do! Many people think they are wise, just because they have accumulated a great deal of knowledge. They fill their minds with information and declare themselves wiser than others around them. Wisdom is more than just knowledge. We all know people who are smart but are not wise. Wisdom is the appropriate application of knowledge. Wise people are more than just smart, they apply their knowledge by doing the right things.
Wise people are more than just smart, they apply their knowledge by doing the right things. Click To TweetIn Proverbs 11, the writer tells us that wise people are honest. They are honest in business practices (verse 1) making hard decisions that could even get them fired. They are honest about who they are inwardly by what they display outwardly (verse. 22). They don’t pretend to be someone they are not.
Wise people are also humble. They know when to say something and when to keep their mouth shut (verse 9). One might apply that today by being cautious about what they post on social media. They also know what they don’t know. They are always learning from people who are wiser than they are (verse 14).
And last, wise people do right. They wait for all the information before they say something to someone (verse 12). They choose to do right, and that choice leads to a good reputation (verse 5). By doing right, the wise person blesses those around them (verses 10 and 11). Decisions come easy because they know it is always wise to do right.
So, do you want to be wise?
Reflective Questions:
- Are you honest? Do you fudge the numbers, or tell lies to get ahead?
- Are you humble? Do you try to make yourself look good at the expense of others?
- Do you make the right decisions? Or do you struggle to do right over what is convenient or easy?
Memory verse:
The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them. Proverbs 11:3
Prayer:
Dear God, thank you for helping me know what to do and giving me the strength to do it. Help me to be consistent in doing right, even when doing right is difficult.
Click here to see a listing of each daily devotion.
Thanks Jason. What a great portrait of what wise people are: honest, humble, holy, and helpful! “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise” (Proverbs 11:30). Grateful the Lord offers us each of these as gifts in Himself.