Skip to content ↓

31 Days of Wisdom – Day Twenty Eight

This is part twenty eight in my 31-day study through the book of Proverbs. The purpose of this study is to learn wisdom and discernment from God’s Word. Because today is Sunday this will be an abbreviated look at the chapter. Yesterday I learned that since God is in full control of the future I need to ensure I am not presumptuous about what is to come. I also read powerful words that described the heart as being like a mirror that reflects who I really am.

“Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but such as keep the law contend with them.” Several days ago a similar proverb made me think about the people of Hollywood and this verse did the same. When I read it I thought of the celebrities in Hollywood who love to use their fame to spread folly. They continually spread godless philosophies and incredibly our society looks up to these people as role models, praising them for their wickedness. Christians meanwhile find themselves contending with these beliefs, trying desperately to hang on to some sort of orthodoxy. Those who espouse the world’s wicked “wisdom” will always contend with believers who hold dearly to God’s true wisdom.

Verse 13 contains wisdom that is absolutely crucial to the Christian life. “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” To live a life that pleases God, I must draw intimately near to Him. To do this, I first need to confess the sin that has dug an insurmountable pit between a holy God and a sinning man. Until I confess my sin I can have no part of a relationship with God, but after confession I can look forward to knowing Him deeply and intimately. Even after I have become a believer, unconfessed sin will devastate my relationship with Him. Solomon must have been well aware of this for his father learned this lesson many times. I am sure Solomon spent many hours on his father’s knee learning this very lesson. Consider Psalm 32:3-5 which reads:

When I kept silent, my bones grew old
Through my groaning all the day long.
For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was turned into the drought of summer.
I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,”
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin

Sin is not a minor problem and is not something to be downplayed, for it is the one thing that can and will destroy my fellowship with God.

The application from this verse is clear. I need to continually examine my life to see where sin has taken hold. I need to pray that God will reveal the sin in me that may be hidden to my clouded eyes. I also need to surround myself with wise and trusted friends who will love me enough to rebuke me for the sin they may see in me.

I will end today with the twenty sixth verse which reads “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but whoever walks wisely will be delivered.” To trust in my own heart is foolish, for I know that my heart is wicked and untrustworthy. The path to wisdom is in trusting in God and walking in the paths of His perfect wisdom. All the way back in the third chapter of this book we read “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.” In all I do I need to seek and trust His will, for He alone can guide me in wisdom’s ways.

The objective for this study is to learn godly wisdom and discernment. Based on the twenty eighth chapter of Proverbs, here is what I have learned.

  • Confession leads to a deep, intimate relationship with God. Failing to confess will destroy my fellowship with Him.
  • I need to trust in God as my guide rather than depending on my own abilities.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (April 22)

    A La Carte: Pope Francis / Yes, Jesus was crucified with nails / The mystery of “the call” / Just a little bit / The last of the four / John outran Peter / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Will You Be a Pillar?

    How do we lead in a culture shaped by performance, individualism, and platform? Platforms to Pillars by cultural commentator Mark Sayers offers a biblical alternative to the platform mentality that dominates our society. Drawing from the ancient world, Sayers challenges Christians to become pillars—people who provide strength and support for others, who live with character…

  • The Tallest Trees

    The Winds Blow Hardest Against the Tallest Trees

    Through the weekend had many questions about Christian leaders who fall. And I expressed that just as the winds blow hardest against the tallest trees, so temptations may press hardest against the leaders who rise the highest. Just as floods press against shallow roots, so seductive desires rise up against those whose fall would bring…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (April 21)

    A La Carte: Toxic servant leadership / Taking our stress to the Lord / The problem with habits / Is it wrong for Christians to choose cremation? / Why does your church meet in a house? / Big book and Kindle deals / and more.

  • Expectations

    Why We Ask So Little of God

    Most Christians expect little from God, ask little, and therefore receive little, and are content with little. Though the Bible calls us to pray and though it promises that “the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working,” we can still have very modest expectations of what God will accomplish through…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    Weekend A La Carte (April 19)

    A La Carte: Why man needs God / Why nails matter / Kids’ picture books / MLK’s famous letter changed a DC church / How to mentor / A tearless eternity / and more.