“To become wise, become a fool.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – October 19, 2021
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Proverbs 18:2
When I see all that is happening in our culture. . . the strife, the fighting over opinions, the conflicting messages about what is right and wrong, and what one should—and shouldn’t—do, I am reminded we all need much wisdom to preserve our lives now, and in the coming days.
Proverbs 4:6 says, “Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you.”
We need wisdom to discern right from wrong. We need it to know what to say and what not to say. We need it to distinguish between good and evil—and we need it to know who speaks truth and who speaks lies.
1 Timothy 4:1 says people will be deceived in the last days. And why would people be deceived? Because they lack the discernment and wisdom to see truth—and because their desires have led them astray (James 1:14).
Matthew 10:16 says we need to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. But how does one become wise?
The first key to becoming wise is to become a “fool” (1 Corinthians 3:18). It’s to humble yourself.
A man once told me he believed it was easy to deceive people with a particular career, because he said, “they have big egos.” He asserted that if you complimented one of these individuals and then lied to them, that you could deceive them because, he said, they are proud.
Of course, I’m not suggesting using this tactic. It’s wrong. The point is that if we are prideful, it can blind us to truth. It can keep us from seeing deception. Pride is blinding.
When we insist on being right, or when deep insecurity leads us to feel we must appear more intelligent than others, it can cause us to become deaf and blind to anyone who doesn’t agree with our opinions—and then we can be deceived.
Whenever we find ourselves or see others acting out of pride, or speaking out of pride, or sharing opinions out of pride, we need to be on guard less we be deceived and led astray.
Which leads me to my next trait of the wise: they are willing to listen to opposing views. This does not mean we need to agree with all opposing views. It simply means we are willing to listen and assess what we hear, not by opinion but by facts, and with guidance from the Holy Spirit and from God’s Word. When we listen to others who disagree with us, we may find that we learn something new.
Next, while the wise listen in humility to the opinions of others, they do not automatically accept everything they hear. Just because someone said it, just because it was on social media or on our favorite news channel does not make it true. The wise know that those who speak may have agendas, and so they seek out truth for themselves lest they be deceived.
When we are open to listening, researching, praying, and learning, we can make informed and wise—not biased or prideful—decisions.
As time passes, and as worldly evil increases, we will need to be able to tell the truth from lies. This comes from choosing to humble ourselves, choosing to listen, choosing to seek out truth for ourselves, and choosing not to automatically believe everything we hear.
Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice. (Proverbs 13:10)
Prayer
Lord, please help me to be wise and to make decisions that are based in truth and not rooted in pride or bias. Help me to look to you for truth and know that you will keep me all of my days. Help me to love your wisdom. Amen.
Application
Have you failed in humbling yourself, listening to others, or have you automatically accepted what you read and hear without seeking out facts? Evaluate, and then ask the Lord to help you be a good gatekeeper for truth. Amen.
Related Reading
Colossians 4:5-6; Proverbs 19:8; Proverbs 11:2; James 3:17; 1 Corinthians 3:18
Worship Resource
Keith and Kristyn Getty: Perfect Wisdom of Our God
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