After getting past Elmer Fud’s voice in my mind from reading 18:28 “A rascally witness makes a mockery of justice” Here is what stood out from the text from today’s reading.
“Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest of your days.” 19:20
The last part of this verse states our goal… “to be wise the rest of your days.” or we would not have signed up to do the “31 day challenge”. YES! we desire to have wisdom and instruction to make our lives better. The question is are we willing to pay the price for it?
Yes, there is a price, and it is painful. The price is not monetary, or found in the exchange of goods. Instead the price comes when the counsel that is given stings a little. When the instruction makes us uncomfortable. When we say, yes… that is me and I need to change.
None of us want to think of ourselves as being foolish, however, by this point in the 31 day challenge, chances are you have come across verses that have pointed out foolish actions you are responsible for.
In the past 18 days… what have you changed in your life as a result of your reading?
“Listen to counsel and accept discipline.”
Its one thing to listen to something, its another to accept it.
Generally, we easily accept instructions about things we are already doing. The things that are harder to accept are the things we do not agree with, the ways we are not doing… the things that (if we accept the instruction) would force a change in the way we think, live, and act.
Its hard when we find out we are the problem and its not someone else.
That’s hard to accept… after all…
who wants to do that?
Well…
“the person that desires to be wise the rest of their days”.
Sometimes we hear a truth and then make statements like…
“Well there must be a different translation of that.”
“It really doesn’t mean that”
“I am not at fault… they are “
“I’m offended. (usually at a sermon or a conversation with another believer where they point out a scripture in an attempt to give counsel)
“You don’t understand how hard it is for people like me to do that… I can’t do that.”
What is interesting is when we deiced to reject wise counsel, our lives still testify to the truth of the instruction… yes even when we are living in disagreement to it.
The truth is still going to be the truth… whether we accept it or not.
So here are the probing questions from this verse…
Are we willing to accept instruction when it stings? When it calls us on the carpet and pushes for us to change?
Or…
Will we take the conviction of the instruction and label it as an offense?
The way we answer these questions will determine whether or not “we live in wisdom the rest of our days.”
What did you learn about yourself from proverbs 19?
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