Choose Today
Jan 2, 2016 1456
My son, preserve sound judgement and discernment, do not let them out of your sight; they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. Then you will go your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble (Proverbs 3:21-26).
Solomon here pleads for the reader of his proverbs to cling to the wisdom and discernment that the Lord provides if he wants to live a life without regrets. Such wisdom and discernment, he says, “will be life for you.”
One of Shakespeare’s famous characters, Polonius, offers this advice to his son:
This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
To be true to yourself, you must be true to your Maker and his purpose for your life and your salvation. On the other hand, those who reject the Lord’s guidance choose to go down the path of destruction. Part of being a responsible adult is understanding that there are consequences to everything we do, whether it be drinking and driving, or a simple thing such as forgetting to replace the batteries in a fire alarm. If there are consequences for such relatively minor choices, how much more will there be for the really big choices facing us in life? God tells us: “Choose today whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15).
In today’s text, the person who holds fast to heavenly wisdom is like a woman with an expensive jewel gracing her neck. It is common for Israeli and Indian worshippers to wear ornaments around their necks, wrists and ankles. For them, lovely jewellery honours both the Lord who provided it, and the person who wears it. It “graces” them. But even better than a multi-carat jewel around the neck is the divinely provided wisdom that graces a person’s life. It is not only prominent and conspicuous, it is also life saving; it keeps the foot from stumbling over hidden obstacles and from avoiding the concealed traps that other people set for your feet.
A truly wise person is a person who cherishes God’s wisdom. Aim to be that kind of person.
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