The NIV 365-Day Devotional Reading PlanSample

REFLECTION

Scripture tells us that God is love (see 1 John 4:8,16), but it also tells us there are some things he hates — and it says so in a book of wisdom. That’s because wisdom is much more than getting principles and instructions from God. If wisdom were simply good advice — information passed on to us impersonally — we could develop some religious practices and call it righteousness. But in God’s kingdom, wisdom is much more relational. We can’t really become wise outside of personal interaction with God. He doesn’t just give wisdom; he is wisdom.

When we spend time with God and learn what he loves and hates, that affects our hearts. We begin to cultivate the same passions. We develop a distaste for pride, deception, violence and scheming, and we develop an affection for what he loves, including his people and his mission. When our passions align with God’s, wisdom happens much more naturally than when we try to absorb principles and implement them in our lives. A heart that beats with God’s inevitably generates thoughts and actions consistent with God’s heart.

Taken from Once a Day 31 Days of Wisdom