Wednesday,
June 21, 2023
My child, listen
to me and do as I say, and you will have a long, good life. I will teach you wisdom’s ways and lead
you in straight paths. When
you walk, you won’t be held back; when you run, you won’t stumble. Take hold of my instructions; don’t let
them go. Guard them, for they are the
key to life. Don’t do as the
wicked do, and don’t follow the path of evildoers. Don’t even think about it; don’t go that
way. Turn away and keep moving. For evil people can’t sleep until
they’ve done their evil deed for the day.
They can’t rest until they’ve caused someone to stumble. They eat the food of wickedness and
drink the wine of violence! The
way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever
brighter until the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like total
darkness. They have no idea what they
are stumbling over. My child,
pay attention to what I say. Listen
carefully to my words. Don’t
lose sight of them. Let them penetrate
deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and
healing to their whole body. Guard
your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from
corrupt speech. Look straight
ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay
on the safe path. Don’t get
sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil. Proverbs 4:10-27
A question which I
have always viewed with a little watchful skepticism is:
Where do you see yourself in 5, 10, or 25
years?
Watchfulness over my
answer is a matter of following the instruction my coach in high school gave me
about hitting; he said: keep your
eye on the ball! So my skeptical
eye doesn’t have contempt for looking ahead to make plans, but rather objecting
to such a short view. As a life-navigator,
I would rather see the end goal…it’s easier to chart a straight course that way. And to do that for a life-plan you need to step
back, get higher in the balcony, and see the bigger picture.
That snapshot of
planning a life from the mere wisp of time we are granted on this planet, 50,
60, or 110 years, is way too short a focus.
Planning where and how you want your life to make an impact demands
looking down the road for generations to come, even into eternity. I’d rather start from the longest point from
now, and work backwards to the present.
Now, many people
would say: That’s impossible; you
don’t know the future. And I
would certainly have to agree that I don’t know the
future, but I certainly can plan-for, and step-towards a goal I set
for the future.
That is where
Solomon’s wise advice comes in. Wisdom
for setting a life’s course begins with developing a worldview based on the light
of truth, leaving evil and darkness in the dust behind you. All else is meaningless (vanity
if King James is a “must” for you).
Only truth will
guard your heart from sinking-into, and following evil. When truth governs your heart, it will keep
your mouth from perverse-speak; strength, healing and kindness will be your legacy,
and it will last through eternity.
For You Today
Prophet Isaiah has our
last word today:
The grass withers and
the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8
There are about 2,500 devotional
posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions
library. To dig deeper explore
some of these: Ears Open - Heart Straight -
Eyes on the Road - Sure Foot and Small Package - Big Message and When the Killing is Done
Title Image:
via Pixabay.com Images without citation are in
public domain.
Unless noted, Scripture quoted
from The New Living Translation©
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