Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – October 12, 2018
There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. Proverbs 14:12
Good intentions need to be governed by God’s wisdom, or they lead down the wrong path. My sincerity does not make up for incorrect assumptions or foolish choices. For example, I can talk myself into trusting someone who has questionable character because of his potential to bring in business. But if I rush and hire the wrong person, it sets back the organization and threatens the morale of the team. Wisdom first clarifies God’s choice.
Good intentions in marriage occur when a husband or wife thinks they are helping their partner, but in reality they are hurting them. A surprise large purchase by one spouse that was not in the budget can become a nightmare of worry in financial liability. Well-meaning intentions that are irresponsible do damage to those who are there to help.
What decisions are you facing—a move, a purchase, a gift? Have you vetted your decision-making process with wise counsel? Ignorance and naïveté are not protected from producing wrong results. If you rush into a relationship or a deal without taking time to test your assumption, it may very well lead to regret and a waste of time and money.
“The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice” (Proverbs 12:15).
However, you can find the right way by first following the way of Jesus Christ. He said, “I am the way” (John 14:6). With the ways of Jesus as our beginning point, our self-delusion is replaced by His divine revelation. And we read, “He who walks with the wise grows wise” (Proverbs 13:20), and then we submit to wise advisors. Wisdom puts us on the path of constructing Christ’s will, thus moving toward a productive outcome.
Above all else, test your good intentions about God. You may think He is all love without standards for living, or you may assume He is all judge without love. Either extreme causes you to miss the real thing. Yes, the Lord requires a personal relationship through His Son Jesus to exit hell and enter heaven. And the beauty of knowing God is the ability to follow God. The path of death is paved with good and bad intentions, but the path of life is paved with wise ones. So seek not what seems right but what is right.
“Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow” (Isaiah 1:17).
Prayer
Heavenly Father, give me a discerning heart so I might have the best intentions, not just good intentions, in Jesus’ name, amen.
Application
Am I objective and teachable in my pursuit of truth and the best path to follow?
Related Reading
Isaiah 45:19; Isaiah 58:2; Zephaniah 2:3; Hebrews 12:11; 1 Corinthians 7:35
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Good intentions need to be governed by God’s wisdom or they lead down the wrong path. #WisdomHunters #intentions
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6 minutes – Louiso Bala, Neville D, Ivan Siegelaar:
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I believe that the times we have found ourselves having made a decision that was some distance from wisdom we can also find that at the moment of that decision we had moved the same distance from our God. Both wisdom and love find their source in Him and therefore our ability to wield those things are derived from His presence (Emmanuel!). Therefore, we do not have to fear too much of one.
We must be sensitive to His presence and patient in His promise —always asking for His wisdom which we know He gives.
This was the error of the prodigal son. He left with the blessing of the father but not with the presence of the father. We should never separate God’s promise and God’s presence else we end up returning broken, sad and confused. And yet His grace remains the same.
Dear Brandon,
Thank you for your insightful response to the devotional, “Good Intentions”. Yes, I agree with you, the times we are hasty to make the wrong decisions are generally the times we have distanced ourselves from the Word and our God. You stated in clearly and beautifully.
Yes! He is our source for love and wisdom!
Brandon, my guess is that you are shining His Light for others to know Him. Please keep on shining and living the life dependent on Him! What a witness that is for others around you.
So thankful that you are part of our Wisdom Hunter’s family,
Gwynne
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur each other on toward love and good deeds.”
Hebrews 10:23-24
Hebrews 10:
Dear Brandon,
Again, we are thankful for your wise thoughts regarding our good intentions and our decisions. Yes, Brandon, as you stated: “We must be sensitive to His presence and patient in His promise”. Because we are”earthly beings” the challenge sometimes is in the “patient in His promise” part.
I really liked how you ended your comments: “And yet His grace remains the same”. Please Lord, help us to remember that always…
Thank you again, Brandon. We look forward to hearing from you again.
And yet His grace remains the same,
Gwynne
“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace was not without effect. No, I worked harder than al of them – yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.”
1 Corinthians 15:10