With God's Help: Devotions from Time of Graceنموونە

What a fool believes

Q: What do the book of Proverbs and Mr. T have in common? A: They both have nothing but scorn for fools.

The dominant topic in Proverbs is godly wisdom--acquiring it, living it, enjoying its fruits, and shunning the thoughts and actions of fools. Wisdom in Proverbs is described as more valuable than money, jewels, or gold, and it needs to be pursued and prized more than anything else on earth.

Godly wisdom is nothing less than hearing, believing, and living the words of God. An example: “A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult” (Proverbs 12:16). How true! If we feel that we have to retaliate for every slight, every dig, every bump we encounter from people along our way, we will be in a constant state of conflict, fighting our way through life.

How much better to adopt the mind of Christ, who in humility bore abuse from others. Our stress level will go down and our life enjoyment level will go up when we choose not to hear and dwell on put-downs from the peanut gallery. If God likes me, I’m golden.