Prescribing Proverbs – August 4th – RX Four

PRESCRIBING PROVERBS
August 4, 2021

A Proverb a day keeps Untruth away

Proverbs 1:1-6, ‘These are the wise sayings of Solomon, David’s son, Israel’s king—written down so we’ll know how to live well and right, to understand what life means and where it’s going; a manual for living, for learning what’s right and just and fair; to teach the inexperienced the ropes and give our young people a grasp on reality. There’s something here also for seasoned men and women, still a thing or two for the experienced to learn—fresh wisdom to probe and penetrate, the rhymes and reasons of wise men and women.’ (MSG)

Prescription (RX) Four: Watch Where You Walk

Proverb 4:25-27, ‘Set your gaze on the path before you, with fixed purpose, looking straight ahead, ignore life’s distractions. Watch where you are going! Stick to the path of truth, and the road will be safe and smooth before you. Don’t allow yourself to be sidetracked for even a moment or take the detour that leads to darkness.’ (TPT)

We once were day hiking and mountain climbing in a very beautiful part of Colorado. The day dawned brilliant, sun-kissed, alive with thousands of diamonds ricocheting from the droplets of dew left behind from the night’s moisture. The sun made a slow, lazy crawl over the mountain range we were traveling toward to climb, and when it ambled to the highest peak, it poured itself over the valley like orange juice from a bottle. A light breeze toyed with the forest pines with just enough air to move the bushes aside as if it were a gentleman holding open a door for a lady. Multi-colored wildflowers played with bumble bees and butterflies. The day couldn’t have been more perfect, waiting just for us to be immersed in it.
It wasn’t long before everything changed. Suddenly, we found ourselves in a rugged mountainous area, and the rock-pile we faced head on, spanned for as far as my eyes could reach. The path behind had disappeared as if we had beamed ourselves there and the path ahead was wrought with jagged rocks on the sheer side of a cliff. That sun, the one which lazily poured just hours before like a refreshing drink, now burned holes in my back while goose flesh rose on my arms warding out the rather chilly wind. We trudged forward, the mosquitos taking gulps of our blood and blisters on our feet taking chunks from our bodies. Miserable was the one word that came to mind. And when the rains came, near the top of a 14,000-foot mountain peak from which we had to make a hasty descent, the only bragging I cared about was that I made it home safely.

For a few brief moments, we got off-course. We stopped to catch our breath and check our surroundings, and just like that, everything turned upside down. What had been blindingly clear on our sprint early on in the climb when life was rosy and warm became delusional after running downhill in a deluge of rain. Suddenly, I did not know what was up, or down, or which way to turn. Any path at that juncture seemed right, and whatever path we chose, we would have been delegated to. It likely would have made future decisions at a wrong moment in time.

I wonder today if King Solomon might have been on that hike with me when he penned our wisdom for today. Sometimes, life is just like this. We arrive at a crossroad and we make impulsive decisions of what path to take based upon a momentary desire, but without looking ahead and trusting Jesus to direct our paths, we often poorly choose a footpath that leads us astray, or take a shortcut that costs us a lot in the long run, or a detour that winds itself into the deep dark part of life that the Lord wanted us to avoid.

Someone once said that ‘sin will take you to a place you never intended to go, cost you far more than you ever intended to pay, and cause you to stay much longer than you ever intended to stay’. In order to deter the snares that might befall us, we need to choose something opposite of sin. Like wisdom, for example.

So, if you’re taking ‘Notes’ today, I think our take away on this little field trip through Proverbs 4, we can see just how vital it is to 1) set our gaze (and our feet) on the straight and narrow path Jesus has laid before us; 2) fix our focus firmly on His face; and, 3) keep our heart upon its knees, bowed in humility to Him.

I encourage you to do your own study of Proverbs as well as follow along with me! How it works: take a Proverb a day (there are 31, so perfect for the month of August) and read the chapter that corresponds with the day. Then stop on a verse that grips your attention. Focus on the verse(s) for the day as it is highly possible the Holy Spirit is speaking to you through what He helped you unearth. It’s almost like a Treasure Hunt! I will share with you this month Golden Nuggets the Holy Spirit leads me to, and I would love to have you share with me what He reveals to you in your mining excavation also!