March 5

Mar 5 - Today from Proverbs 5 we look at verses 1 & 2.
"My son, pay attention to my wisdom, listen well to my words of insight, that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge."

In chapter 2 verses 1-4 we discovered how one attains discretion. Chapter 5 verse 1 reveals how one maintains discretion. Well, would you look at that! One maintains much the same way one attains. Attaining takes a little more effort. There are four verses containing eight actions for attaining and only one verse containing two of those actions for maintaining; paying attention and listening well.
Maintenance is very important for any object one may value. Once the object is properly yours, you can be sure that it will not automatically continue to function as it should. It will take proper maintenance, and maintenance will take time and effort. When we talk maintenance, the first thing that usually comes to mind is the car. When you spend thousands on a nice auto, you don't want it turning into an oil-burning rusted-out hulk before it's paid for, so you invest some time, effort and expense to maintain your investment. Not nearly as much as the original investment, but enough to make it a discipline.
Let's take something less obvious but more important. How about a relationship? Have you ever thought about a relationship needing maintenance? A young couple invests a couple of years of valuable time getting to know each other. They invest a huge commitment to spend the rest of their lives together as they speak vows before their Creator. The knot is tied. Now they can just sit back, relax and let the relationship grow and bear fruit. HARDLY!!! That relationship will take a lot of maintenance in order to properly function and bear fruit. Statistics reveal that about half the couples who marry today (Christian as well as non-Christian), do not have the discipline to practice proper relationship maintenance and the marriage becomes an oil-burning rusted-out hulk in just a few years.
Ready to move it up one more notch? How about discretion? This is the object that protects your relationships and a whole lot more. It keeps you from shipwrecking your life. That's right. Our discretion requires discipline of maintenance. It involves the discipline of personal daily devotions. Quality time. Not just a quick prayer over an evening meal, and a cry for help in a tight spot. If one wants to have the mind of Christ, one must spend quality time with Him. Opening one's heart in prayer - constantly. Practice having Jesus as your constant companion - He wants to be. Carve out a block of quiet time each day to spend in the Word. Ask Him to reveal something profitable to your soul (that's not looking for a way for God to make you rich). It would include teaching, rebuking, correction, and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). That's right, a rebuke from one who loves and cares for you is very profitable. "It is better to heed a wise man's rebuke than to listen to the song of fools." (Ecc. 7:5). If He cares enough to die for us, we can trust His discretion when He wants to correct us.
Discretion is a very valuable asset in life. Well worth the discipline of maintenance. Let's commit to the Lord and to one another to work on it. We'll be glad we did.