proverbs 5-9

Reading through more of Proverbs today, I began to realize we simply have 2 choices to make. We can both listen and follow lady wisdom or we can chase after and indulge in lady folly. In the reading today, we heard both from lady folly, chapters 5-7, and we heard from lady wisdom, chapters 8-9. We can and will always choose one or the other. It is that simply. There is no math equations or pie charts helping us figure out what to do. We either do things wisely, which is the Bible and God’s way. Or we do things foolishly, which is the way of the flesh and world. I found 5:21 to be a very eye opening verse for me while I was reading today. It says, “For your ways are in full view of the LORD, and He examines all your paths”. This verse points to the shame we should feel when we do things foolishly. When was the last time you felt shame? It was probably the last time you did something contrary to the Bible and followed your own flesh into foolish behavior. When was the last time you felt naked and just wanted to crawl under a rock and hide? It was probably the last time you did something that did not bring glory to God. So a good gauge in helping us know when we do something wise or foolish is to check our level of shame after we made a decision and acted. Next time you feel shame, take it to the Cross and ask God for the strength to do the wise God honoring thing, rather than make a foolish mistake.