DATE POSTED: Sunday, 2023-05-14
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL
PODCAST: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/edward-algreen/episodes/Wisdom-for-Men-e241plm

SCRIPTURE FROM: Proverbs 5:1-4
TRANSLATION: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

BIBLE TEXT: Son, listen to this piece of wisdom from me. Pay attention to what I know to be true. Remember to live wisely, and what you learn will keep your lips from saying the wrong thing. Now, another man’s wife might be very charming, and the words from her lips so sweet and inviting. But in the end, she will bring only bitterness and pain. It will be like bitter poison and a sharp sword.

OBSERVATION: For obtaining great fishing advice, one might run to the most successful and long-term fishermen that they know, and not to the casual weekend beach lubber living next door. When listening to a banker explaining the best way to take advantage of the best banking options, one interested in saving or investing money will tend to draw closer to them to not miss a word of advice being given, instead of listening to the drunk at the local pub who tries to tell you how to save or invest. Solomon had a record 1000 wives and concubines, so can’t you imagine that the words of wisdom shared in our Bible verses today really got the attention of his sons? These words of wisdom were carefully chosen to share with men throughout the ages, don’t you think that we should draw close to God while meditating on these wise words of Solomon?

APPLICATION: Surely Solomon, with so many wives and concubines, saw massive opportunities to share his wisdom learned over the years. But being a man of God, Solomon was led to not only share his advice with his sons, but to share this with all other men who are tempted into unpleasant, illegitimate, and/or sinful relationships. I believe we must realize that gaining great advice and/or permitting change in our lives, is more than having a good mentor or example. We all have our own sense of reasoning and a free will to accept good advice or reject it. As a father myself, I have learned that all we can do is to share advice and personal experiences with our children, but they are the ultimate ones who will decide to accept or reject the advice. Let’s be honest, there are some parts of our lives that we would prefer not seeing repeated, for we now realize that we had fallen away from God and allowed Satan to promote his evil ways in and through us at certain times. But the difference is, that in our example before us today, God is saying like many Facebook users say, ‘Do this‘! For you see, God used a worthy and acceptable individual in the sight of God to share this valuable information. Think about it, Solomon was the son of David, who was a man after God’s own heart; Solomon determined in himself to be obedient to God and His perfect will; Solomon was known throughout his kingdom as a very rich and wise king, and who wouldn’t want to learn as much as they could from a known wise man? Solomon was a loving man, and as such, he wanted the very best for his beloved sons. In fact, Solomon imitates our God in many ways. For God so love the world that He not only gave awesome advice personally and in written form to His children, but He also saw the need for us to have a clear understanding of what we must do to eventually wind up in heaven with Him. So God sent His Son Jesus into the world, and although Jesus made excellent use of His time while here on earth, yet God had a greater purpose in mind for Him and for us. For God to meet that purpose, He allowed Jesus to be captured, sentenced by an earthly king, humiliated in the streets and crucified on a cruel cross. Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for the sin of all who would believe on Him and accept His sacrifice. But God ensured that His Son would not remain in a tomb, because mankind would hesitate even more in serving a Savior who is dead. So after just three days in the tomb, God raised His Son from the dead – glory to God in the highest heavens! So the wisdom in all that Solomon shared with his sons, sounds amazing and so very helpful, but to think of a Savior who did even more than this for us, is beyond anything we could think, imagine or comprehend. Our wise God loves you dear friend, and He would like nothing better than to share His love and wisdom with you, for the best life you can imagine and enjoy here on earth. Give Him a chance to do this, won’t you?

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Live wisely and enjoy life under the plans and direction of your loving God!

PRAYER: Lord, I can’t imagine what good I could ever do to deserve the sacrifice made by Your own, precious Son. Solomon gave very wise advice to his sons, some of which are included in Your precious Word. But Your Word is filled with the wisdom You shared with us to enjoy life at its fullest. Please forgive us for showing our ungratefulness more often than our deepest appreciation for You and all mankind. Oh that we may look to You for all things precious Lord. With so many unanswered questions in life, may we be consistent in looking to You for the wisdom we need to live according to Your will. Open our eyes precious Lord, so we may see You in All of Your glory! AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!