AUGUST 3 - WISDOM AND GOLD
READ 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:
Lord, who is like you among the gods?
Who is like you, glorious in holiness,
Revered with praises, performing wonders?
(Exodus 15:11).
This is why you are great, Lord God.
There is no one like you,
And there is no God besides you,
As all we have heard confirms
(2 Samuel 7:22).
Pause for praise and thanksgiving. Now pray this confession to the Lord:
Then Samuel said:
Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings
And sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord?
Look: to obey is better than sacrifice,
To pay attention is better 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:
For our momentary light affliction is producing for us
An absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.
So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen.
For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal
(2 Corinthians 4:17-18).
As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
Offer this closing prayer to God:
Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me
All the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
As long as I live (Psalm 23:6).
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:
Lord, who is like you among the gods?
Who is like you, glorious in holiness,
Revered with praises, performing wonders?
(Exodus 15:11).
This is why you are great, Lord God.
There is no one like you,
And there is no God besides you,
As all we have heard confirms
(2 Samuel 7:22).
Pause for praise and thanksgiving. Now pray this confession to the Lord:
Then Samuel said:
Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings
And sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord?
Look: to obey is better than sacrifice,
To pay attention is better 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:
For our momentary light affliction is producing for us
An absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.
So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen.
For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is 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:
Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me
All the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
As long as I live (Psalm 23:6).
A Dogwood Church Discipleship Ministry Resource. © Walk Thru the Bible 2023.