A Journey Toward Wisdom - Pt. 3

 

My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. (Proverbs 2:1-8 ESV)

 

I hope you are as encouraged reading these devotionals as I am in the writing of them. We have just scratched the surface of what our journey toward wisdom looks like. Today, I want us to go a bit further and examine what the benefits of wisdom are to those who find it. In our reading today King Solomon says with wisdom comes “a shield” that ultimately will “guard our paths and watch over us” (v. 8).

 

These words of wisdom from King Solomon emphasize the importance of protecting our innermost being. Our heart is the source of our thoughts, attitudes, beliefs, and actions. Therefore, it is crucial to guard our hearts above all else. The heart is a powerful force that drives our actions and influences our thinking and behavior. It can either lead us down a path of righteousness or a path of destruction. Our hearts are susceptible to sinful thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs. Hence, we must be mindful of what we allow into our hearts; everything we do flows from it.

 

Guarding our hearts is about protecting ourselves from external and internal factors. We must be mindful of the things we think about, the things we set our affection on, and the things we give our attention to. Negativity, bitterness, and anger can take root in our hearts and lead to sinful behavior. For this reason, the apostle Paul says, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice” (cf. Ephesians 4:31). Guarding your heart means choosing to focus on godly thoughts (cf. Colossians 3:2; Philippians 4:8), as well as seeking wisdom and guidance from God (cf. Proverbs 4:7; James 1:5).

 

When we guard our hearts, we take responsibility for our mental, psychological, and spiritual well-being. By guarding our hearts, we become who God designed us to be (cf. Ephesians 2:10).