There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. Proverbs 16:25
Today’s Scripture
Proverbs 16:20-25
Listen to Today’s Devotion
Today’s Devotion
A loud thump came from a window in the classroom where I was teaching and startled the students. Then another thump! A bird had flown headlong into the glass and bounced off, only to make another run for yet another crash. Later, I read that more than a billion birds die each year from hitting windows in the United States alone. Collisions happen when they catch reflections of vegetation in the window and go after them, convinced they see food or nesting material. Sometimes they also catch their own reflection and think another bird needs to be fended off. They’re sure they see clearly, but they’re confused.
It’s dangerous to think that we always see what’s true—that we possess internal clarity about our lives. However, we suffer from a deadly confusion and repeatedly demonstrate that even our best wisdom—left to itself—eventually yields misery. “There is a way that appears to be right,” Proverbs says, “but in the end it leads to death” (16:25). We think we see what’s real, but too often we’re confused. Even our keenest insight is riddled with misperceptions. Even our clearest vision is still cloudy, imperfect, and often ruinous.
That’s why we need God’s wisdom (vv. 20-21). We need Him to illuminate the truth and guide us into what’s real. We need Him to lead us out of our deadly confusion and into wholeness and life.
Reflect & Pray
When has false perception led you into confusion? How does God’s wisdom offer a better way?
Dear God, I need Your wisdom. Please show me the way out of confusion and into life.
Today’s Insights
Proverbs 16 emphasizes our dependence on God in all things (vv. 1-3, 10, 11, 33). In verses 20-25, the focus narrows to hearing and speaking words wisely. The two are closely related. Verse 20 spells it out: “Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.” That is, a person who’s living in humble, trusting reliance on God is also someone who’s able to listen to wise instruction from others. Their reliance on God’s wisdom to illuminate truth equips them to be “discerning” and to speak “gracious words” that “promote instruction” (v. 21). Those who humbly learn from Him and others are able to speak words that flow from His wisdom (v. 23) and bring healing (v. 24).
For further study, read: Satan: Master of the Almost True
DAILY DEVOTIONS, NEWS AND INFORMATION 