Christian Devotional – September 27, 2019
Advice. We receive advice from all different types of people about all different types of things. Here, Solomon gives several pieces of general, practical advice. Read Proverbs 27.
Advice – Proverbs 27:1-27
Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth. Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips. A stone is heavy and the sand weighty, But the provocation of a fool is heavier than both of them. Wrath is fierce and anger is a flood, But who can stand before jealousy? Better is open rebuke Than love that is concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy. A sated man loathes honey, But to a famished man any bitter thing is sweet. Like a bird that wanders from her nest, So is a man who wanders from his home. Oil and perfume make the heart glad, So a man’s counsel is sweet to his friend. Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend, And do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity; Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother far away. Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad, That I may reply to him who reproaches me. A prudent man sees evil and hides himself, The naive proceed and pay the penalty. Take his garment when he becomes surety for a stranger; And for an adulterous woman hold him in pledge. He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, It will be reckoned a curse to him. A constant dripping on a day of steady rain And a contentious woman are alike; He who would restrain her restrains the wind, And grasps oil with his right hand. Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another. He who tends the fig tree will eat its fruit, And he who cares for his master will be honored. As in water face reflects face, So the heart of man reflects man. Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, Nor are the eyes of man ever satisfied. The crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold, And each is tested by the praise accorded him. Though you pound a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, Yet his foolishness will not depart from him. Know well the condition of your flocks, And pay attention to your herds; For riches are not forever, Nor does a crown endure to all generations. When the grass disappears, the new growth is seen, And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in, The lambs will be for your clothing, And the goats will bring the price of a field, And there will be goats’ milk enough for your food, For the food of your household, And sustenance for your maidens.
Proverbs 27:1-27 NASB
https://bible.com/bible/100/pro.27.1-27.NASB
When was the last time we actually sought out advice from others around us? Do we actively seek to learn from the wise people that God has brought into our life? Advice comes from a number of sources and often it’s because people have gone through difficult things and had to learn through the school of hard knocks. We would be wise to listen to their advice and to understand what they say so that we don’t have to go through the same bumps and bruises that they did. Are we seeking out the advice of the wise people we know around us? Are we reviewing the wisdom found in the advice that we are given? How would we live different today if we were following through on the advice that we have been given from sound, Godly people?