September 4

Ecclesiastes 7:1-9:18, 2 Corinthians 7:8-16, Psalm 48:1-14, Proverbs 22:17-19

Pray: Dear Lord, help me remember what a difference it makes when I make time with You a priority in my morning. Awaken me in body and spirit each day with a desire to meet with You and to hear You speak words of affirmation, assurance and wisdom over my heart as I prepare to go into my day. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Read: Have you ever heard anyone say that sometimes we have to learn by making our own mistakes? As we continue in Ecclesiastes we read Solomon’s thoughts on the importance of wisdom and the limits of that wisdom. He also writes to the future generations about the importance of obedience and the inevitability of death. Solomon’s efforts in these chapters of Ecclesiastes are meant to help people understand the way the world works so that people could learn from his wisdom and experience gained by his successes and mistakes rather than learn by making their own mistakes. In spite of this vast amount of knowledge that has been shared with us by the wisest man in the world, I see so many people ignoring his teachings and doing life without consulting the Book of Life. Are you one of them?  

Edify: Wisdom is so important yet so neglected. Solomon could have asked for anything in the world and he chose wisdom. To be wise is to understand the way that the world works and interacts with itself. Our culture today glorifies beauty and riches and ability, but to be wise is to understand all of those things and to understand all of those things not only allows you to obtain them but to also have dominion over them. Solomon was wise just in his wishes which boded well for him in all areas of life.

Practice: Today, take a moment to listen to the words of someone you consider wise. Hopefully, there are people that you interact with that you consider wise. Just listen and learn. Ask questions, and listen some more.