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Tuesday, June 12, 2018

How Stupid Can You Be? {Proverbs 12 & 13}


June 12, 2018

Stupid - lacking ordinary quickness and keenness of mind; dull.  Characterized by or proceeding from mental dullness; foolish; senseless.  (According to Dictionary.com)

So when Proverbs 12:1 says, “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid”, did the hairs on the back of your neck get a bit ruffled?  Some of us have been in seasons of dryness or we’ve felt like we’re at the bottom of the mountain trying to climb it and it feels like we’re never going to reach the top.  Did you ever think perhaps you were ignoring God’s discipline? 

I’m a pretty strong-willed person if you ask any of my relatives or very close friends.  I think my ideas are well-thought out and I’ve considered everyone involved.  Lately however, I’ve discovered I am caught off guard and something unexpected seems to happen.  I cannot count the number of times I have been faced with something unexpected. 

During the past couple of weeks I took off from writing here, I knew I would be writing on Proverbs 12 and 13, so I’ve had a great deal of time to study and research and dig into them.  Each and every time, Proverbs 12:1 was pointing directly at me.  Oh Lord, you’re telling me I have a pride issue!  Please no.  I think I’ve refined pride.  Okay, that’s not funny.  What’s not funny is that I have six adult children who resemble me.  Please stop laughing! 

Jeremiah 4:22 says, “My people are fools (stupid), they do not know me.  They are senseless children; they have no understanding.”  Or as Forrest Gump said, “Stupid is as stupid does.”  That means that an intelligent person who does stupid things is still stupid.  Or you could say, you are what you do.

The writer of Proverbs 12 is contrasting the righteous or wise with the wicked or the foolish/stupid.  As children of God, we must learn to walk in godly wisdom.  How does that look in our daily lives against God’s word?

Proverbs 12:1 and Hebrews 12:5 teach, “For those whom the LORD loves He disciplines.”  When we are being disciplined by the Lord, in the moment it is anything but joyful – it HURTS!  And we are full of sorrow.  Afterward, there is joy.  How can there be joy in discipline?  Because we know the Lord disciplines those whom He loves.  Did you catch that!?!  The Lord disciplines those whom He loves!!!!  God’s discipline is working in us wisdom and understanding.  Ah ha!  All those entries in my journal seeking wisdom and understanding – now it makes sense!  When complete, it yields a peaceful fruit of righteousness.  The righteous love reproof and accept the Lord’s correction.


Image result for Hebrews 12:6



Proverbs 12:2-12:  The righteous meditate on God’s word day and night.  The righteous seek knowledge of God’s word and use it to establish their thoughts, words and actions.  The righteous show compassion and mercy to their neighbor and all God’s creatures.  Not so with the wicked/stupid.  They rely on their own understanding, by their own lusts they are carried away and overthrown.  The righteous stand in the knowledge and understanding of the Lord.

Proverbs 12:13-23:  The righteous know lying lips are an abomination to the Lord.  They love truth, and without hesitation, speak good words and sound doctrine.  They escape trouble by not giving the tongue freedom to speak lies.  Healing words are on their lips.  Though their words of grace and love may cut, they’re meant to heal and restore those to whom they speak.  (I bet a lot of you mom’s know exactly what this is all about)

Proverbs 12:24-28:  The righteous press on in diligence, discipline, and endurance, looking out not only for their own interests but the interests of others.  Anxiety is far from the righteous person.  We trust God with everything.  When our heart and flesh fail, we seek God through prayer, with thanksgiving, making our requests known to God.  We know God is faithful and will carry us through.

The iworship devotional for today says, “Worshiping God is no different.  It takes discipline to get our selfish souls to acknowledge God, and it takes further discipline to learn to honor Him.  That means reading, studying, observing.  It means diligence.  It means discomfort.  It means reordering priorities.  It means loving the process and accepting correction.”

It also says in the devotional for today, “discipline brings freedom and reward.  To be prepared, to know you are ready for whatever comes, is a wonderful thing.  To be able to respond successfully – is there a joy better than this?  That is why the proverb writer exhorts us to “love discipline.”

God knew exactly what He was doing by having me focus on this verse for nearly a month.  He knew exactly that I was puffed up and full of pride and needed to see that all these unexpected things were happening for a reason.

How about you?  Summer break has begun for most of us.  Have you shut off the alarm to sleep in a little longer and ignored your devotional time with the Lord?  Or have you ignored a nudge to get involved in something new?  I pray that all of you will learn to love God’s discipline.