August 3
Proverbs 3
The benefit of wisdom is better than gold.
INSIGHT
Inherent within the human heart is a longing for peace, love, and joy. Among Christians and non-Christians alike, the desire is the same. Yet peace, love, and joy do not answer just any beck and call. They will come only by certain means; they are fruits on the tree of wisdom. Wisdom will bring length of days (v. 2), peace (v. 2), favor with God and man (v. 4), strength to your bones (v. 8), honor (v. 16), pleasantness (v. 17), paths of peace (v. 17), confidence in life (v. 26), and freedom from the snares of life (v. 26). Foolishness brings harm (v. 29), oppression (v. 31), and shame (v. 35). We all long for the benefits of wisdom. We must remember that she comes with a price: submission to the will of God and the truth of Scripture.
PRAYER
As you consider the benefits of wisdom, praise the Lord that we may share in His character:
Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like You, glorious in holiness (Exodus 15:11).
You are great, O Lord God. For there is none like You,
nor is there any God besides You, according to all that
we have heard with our ears (2 Samuel 7:22).
Pause for praise and thanksgiving.
Pray this confession to the Lord:
Has the Lord as great delight in burnt
offerings and sacrifices,
As in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams (1 Samuel 15:22).
Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.
Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:
Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).
As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
-- Greater sensitivity to sin
-- The ministry of your church
-- Whatever else is on your heart
Offer this closing prayer to God:
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever (Psalm 23:6).
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