Do you love knowledge?
As I stepped out onto the deck this morning and saw some young deer foraging through the trees, I was once again struck by the beauty of God’s creation. At times I am so in awe of this world we have been given that I, a writer, cannot find the words that adequately express my feelings.
Do you ever find that when you are in prayer the same thing happens? You know what you want to say but you just can’t find the words. At times like those I rely on the Holy Spirit to carry my prayer to God for even when we cannot find the words we are assured that God hears our heart. We can have the blessed assurance that God hears our prayers even when we cannot articulate them because Romans 8:26-27 tells us, In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27) And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Today we are reading and exploring Proverbs 12. Do you love knowledge? Then the Bible says you also love discipline. It is right there in verse 1. Whoa! Who loves discipline? Who loves being told they are wrong? Our problem could be in our perception of discipline. Discipline is good when a wrong attitude or action is corrected. If we can just remember God disciplines those He loves, and His discipline is never designed to tear us down, but instead to turn us toward Him.
There is much in Proverbs about wisdom vs. folly V15 says fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to advice. Have you ever tried to convince someone of the folly of their ways? When someone is engaged in destructive behavior, it is almost impossible to convince that person of his error. Proverbs 12 has much encouragement for us to speak with wisdom, speak in truth, and to consider our words before we speak at all. V25 says anxiety weighs down the human heart, but a good word cheers it up. Let us be quick to offer a good word to someone today–we may never know the anxiety weighing upon his or her heart, but we can be assured a good word will bring healing.
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Seeking Holiness 