May 8

May 8 - Today from Proverbs 8 we look at verse 5
"You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, gain understanding."

Perhaps with the exception of pounds, we like the prospect of gain. It's a healthy sounding word. To gain is most often associated with adding value. That is certainly the case in this verse. Simple and foolish are seen as negative terms. Just hearing (or seeing) the words can tend to set us on the defense. There is great danger in taking a defensive attitude and that is that we often miss a truth, and thus we miss opportunity for instruction. This is particularly true with the word of God.
My daily devotions and periodic meditations are valuable because it is just God and me. There is no audience, and thus there is no reason to fear being honest to my own shame before men. Shame is the undergarment of pride. We keep it hidden before the eyes of men. But God . . . God already intimately knows me, through and through. He knows my shame. The amazing thing is that He still loves me - unconditionally. When it's just He and I, there is nothing to lose by being as honest as I possibly can before Him - and there is so very much to gain. When I open my heart to His word, and He reveals to me any areas in my life where I tend to be simple (when I do not objectively think issues through or purposely plot a course in some issue in life), or foolish (when I know the risks and consequences but continue on a self-important or self-destructive path anyway), there is no defensive posture before God. I cannot fool God, nor can I negotiate sound principles with Him. I can either choose to remain simple or foolish by ignoring Him, or I can listen to Him and repent of my erroneous way. Any time I choose to do the latter, I have gained prudence. Any time I choose to walk prudently, understanding comes. By gaining prudence and understanding, I have added value to my life, and to those around me.
The terms simple and foolish are not static. That is the wonderful thing about this verse. There is hope, and that hope lies in the word gain. It is a command of sorts, and God would not command us to do that which is not possible. He is a just God. Simplistic attitudes and foolish living diminish in the soul that strives to gain prudence and understanding. Prudence and understanding comes by humbling oneself before God (taking off every garment of pride) and spending quality time before Him. It is not His intention to reveal your shame to the world, but to remove your shame altogether and to clothe you with His righteousness. That comes through confession ("Yes, Lord. I have acted very foolishly in that area."), and repentance ("Thank you for your strength Lord, I will go on that path no further, but turn to the path you have shown me.").
Jesus bore our guilt and shame on the cross at Calvary. But, in order to gain from His sacrifice, we have to turn the guilt and shame over to Him. We cannot do it if we keep it covered by our pride. Turn to Him today - and every day - and take off your garments of pride and pray the humble prayer of David in Psalm 139:23,24:
"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
Amen.