Proverbial Wisdom...

A song I love begins like this:

In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
Give me Jesus.

Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus.
You can have all this world,
Just give me Jesus.

This stated desire to "have" Jesus reveals a sort of impassioned dependence that should be the heart's cry of every Christian believer. And although I should begin every day with this song on my lips, sadly, there are some days when it isn't my first thought upon rising--and oh what a difference that inevitably makes.

Today's scriptures are Proverbs 1 through 9, chapters of the Bible that contain words of wisdom from King Solomon. The first chapter provides an explanation of Proverbs' purpose:

2 Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline,
to help them understand the insights of the wise.
3 Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives,
to help them do what is right, just, and fair.
4 These proverbs will give insight to the simple,
knowledge and discernment to the young.
5 Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser.
Let those with understanding receive guidance
6 by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables,
the words of the wise and their riddles.
7 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Hopefully, we will never foolishly despise wisdom or true knowledge, but many people do. For those of us who sincerely seek to know more of God however, there are many wonderful ways to spend daily devotional time with Him. Simply reading one chapter of Proverbs each day of the month and then reflecting on and praying about the passage is a great way to experience a daily dose of wise counsel.

Father, give us Jesus and give us wisdom. We are so grateful that you are the merciful giver of both.