Day 18 | 21-Day Growth Challenge | "Understanding; A Key to Success"
SELECTED SCRIPTURES & INSIGHTS FROM PROVERBS 19:
Proverbs 19:2 Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes.
Excitement is good, but not good enough. Ultimately, if you lack knowledge, your enthusiasm will appear to be little more than what former Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan famously called, "irrational exuberance." He coined this phrase to describe investors who were excited and trading, but did not fully understand the dynamics of what they were trading. Excitement can lead to overly quick decisions, which is the definition of being hasty. Enthusiasm fueled by a lack of knowledge is a very bad combination.
Proverbs 19:3 People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the Lord.
God often gets blamed for things that go wrong. It is human nature to deflect responsibility for mistakes onto others, including the Lord. When God knew that Adam had sinned, and called him to account, Adam's response was, "Lord, this woman you gave me, she made me eat the forbidden fruit." (Gen. 3:12). We know from the text that Adam stood by and allowed his wife, and himself, to disobey God. This made him responsible because he had been given the charge to oversee the Garden of Eden. In so many words, Adam's response was, "God you got a problem, or this woman has a problem, but I don't have a problem."
Proverbs 19:8 To acquire wisdom is to love oneself; people who cherish understanding will prosper.
Jesus clearly said that in order to love one's neighbor, one must love himself. (Mark 12:30) This is not a statement of conceit, but a healthy respect for who God created one to be. We belong to God. We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus. When we understand that fact and embrace our responsibility to Almighty God, we will have an accurate view of what it means to love oneself.
One definition of understanding is to "know the meaning of a thing." Success and prosperity most certainly cannot come to people who do not understand who they are, or what they should be doing. As Proverbs 4:7 says, "In all your getting, get understanding."
Proverbs 19:14 Fathers can give their sons an inheritance of houses and wealth, but only the Lord can give an understanding wife.
This is an interesting verse. It seems to make the point that all of what one person can do for another pales in comparison to what God can do. This verse also highlights the importance of a marriage relationship, which can last for decades, over the often temporary state of material possessions.
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PRAYER:"Lord, show me how to balance my excitement with gaining needed knowledge. Show me how to love myself without arrogance. In Jesus' Name. Amen!"
ACTIVATION:
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- What is the proper role of enthusiasm in our Christian lives?
- How do you define "understanding?"
- What actions will you take today related to this lesson?
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