Needless to say, every day we are confronted with all sorts of situations
in life that call for right and appropriate decisions. When we make a wrong
choice, we will go on a downward spiral and will be miserable. The right to
choose is ours. And God desires that we will choose to live a prudent lifestyle
instead of a foolish one. Living life prudently begins by knowing God and
having a right relationship with Him. This is of primary importance. With His
help, we are then able to distinguish between our preferences and the things we
may dislike but nonetheless have to do. We need spiritual acumen to help us assess
our sources of influence. It will help us to determine to make right decisions,
act rightly and mature in faith. Proverbs 29:25 -27 give us four guidelines to help
us live prudently.
Never partner with a thief. To do so is detrimental to a person’s soul.
A person who joins hand with a thief jeopardizes his own soul. It will bring
about his own undoing. Why? Because he has partnered the thief and knows the
truth about what he had done, yet he is forced to keep silent, or else he may implicate
himself. He is caught in a situation where he can’t get out. It is as if he has
walked into an inextricable trap.
Never fear the opinions of men. There are three things everyone craves
for in life - to be accepted, to be appreciated and to be approved. A person
who needs man’s approval and acceptance all the time is afraid to be honest
with himself. He fears that he may offend people and not get their approval and
acceptance. His fear of repercussion stifles his freedom to be himself. He is
prevented from reaching his maximum potential for fear that others will not
accept, approve or appreciate him. The one person whose opinion that will count
most is actually the Lord’s.
His assessment of our life far outweighs everyone else’s. We should look for
His approval. When we put our trust in Him, He will make our path straight.
Never look elsewhere for favor rather than the Lord. People turn to
others with influence hoping that they can help them change their destiny. Some
will do so with bribes, flattery and are prepared to lower their personal
dignity just to gain a favor. Such people fail to realize that the only favor
that matters to everyone is the favor of the Lord. What God decrees for us is
final and indisputable. No other person, other than God, is worth our total
reverence and allegiance, regardless of how powerful he may be.
Never will the value of a righteous and a wicked concur. What one
prizes, the other despises. The just does not share the same view as that of
the wicked. The unjust will accept an
abomination and see it as a righteous act. Whereas an upright will loathe that
abomination and calls out its evil for what it is. He will call a spade a
spade. He refuses to compromise with evil and every evil deed is repugnant to
him. The unjust has no aversion to anything evil. That’s why their value will
never concur. These four verses encourage us to live prudently, evaluate every
action and make sure we are moving in tandem with God.
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