March 29

“The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.” —PSALM 19:7

There are three avenues God has provided in which we can drive out folly and be guided in the way of wisdom. The home is the first environment. Proverbs 22:15 says, “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child…” We all come into this world with a foolish nature, but folly is natural to every child.

It is in the home that children learn to discuss and exchange ideas without having to become defensive. The fool has learned a defensive mentality, very likely at a young age, because he’s hardly been listened to in the home. What children have to say should be given our full attention and their ideas treated with dignity. It’s in the home a child also learns they can’t have everything they want, much less when they want it. “An inheritance quickly gained at the beginning will not be blessed in the end” (Proverbs 20:21). The more children get, the more they want, and if we’re giving into them, very little will be of meaningful value that lasts. 

The second way God provides a means of wisdom is through honest and trustworthy friends. “He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favour than he who has a flattering tongue” (Proverbs 28:23). Rebuke is never pleasant, but sometimes necessary, and the wise person listens to rebuke. Those who rebuke us with wisdom and love are better friends to us than those who flatter us. Proverbs 27:6 says, “Wounds from a friend can be trusted but an enemy multiplies kisses.” Our friendships need to be strong enough to be on both the giving and receiving end of rebuke. 

Maybe we didn’t have a wholesome upbringing, nor have we made the wisest choice in our friends, but we have the most invaluable and essential gift of God as our heavenly Father. “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline and do not resent His rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, as a father the son he delights in” (Proverbs 3:11-12). Discipline is an expression of love, and God, our Father, does what good fathers do. He disciplines us, often through trials and hardships, and brings us back onto solid ground. 

We never become too old to respond to discipline, whether it’s from our families, friends or our Father in heaven. Everything good that exists has its source in Christ, and He is Himself wisdom. It’s as we allow Him freedom to work in our lives, He drives out the folly and imparts more and more of His wisdom.

PRAYER: Thank You, Lord, that You are the source of wisdom, and I pray for your wisdom to be implemented into my activities and interactions with others.

TO REFLECT UPON: Do I ask close friends for advice, while trusting God to bring His wisdom into my circumstances?