“Prize wisdom [and exalt her], and she will exalt you; She will honor you if you embrace her. 9“She will place on your head a garland of grace; She will present you with a crown of beauty and glory.”

Proverbs 4:8-9 AMP

The Lord offers a full and abundant life if we are willing to follow His ways that establish the function of the universe! If I want my vehicle to function to its fullest potential, I must read and follow the owner’s manual. Many time now when you purchase a car, the manufacturer requires that you follow a specific set of activities in order not to void your warranty. If you chose not to follow the instructions the warranty is voided. It isn’t because the manufacturer will not honor their pledge, it is because you did not honor your end of the deal! So it is with the principles of God’s Word! In a day and an age of instant gratification and pop-psychology, one needs be careful to decide which way is right! The Scripture give us good instruction in this area.

“This is what the LORD says: “Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls. But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!”

Jeremiah 6:16 NLT

Can you see it? “Stop at the crossroads and look around!” We as believers should never simply follow the crowd or the wisdom of this age. We are called to stop and consider the result and ending point of any activity or actions of our lives. Remember that the Scripture says,

“for we walk by faith, not by sight [living our lives in a manner consistent with our confident belief in God’s promises]—”

2 Corinthians 5:7 AMP

In the opening verse we see the word “she will exalt.” She of course is the personification of wisdom. The promise here is that if you “prize” or “treasure” Godly wisdom, there is a result. The word exalt here is the Hebrew word meaning “to cause a state or condition to remain’” or I love Kittle’s definition, “to limit access and movement of persons or objects in and out of an area, implying protection to the object being guarded!” If is telling us that if we do our part which is simply obeying, God will do all the rest! The Bile is clear about the mission of our enemy Satan,

“Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour.”

1 Peter 5:8 AMP

Amen! The enemy will try to subvert our path so that instead of life and peace, death and destruction will reign! I love the description of the duty of the believer described here, “well balanced,” “self-disciplined,” “alert and cautious.”  He will try to convince us that the way of the Lord is not applicable to our lives today! In the book of Psalms, we read that,

“The [boundary] lines [of the land] have fallen for me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.”

Psalms 16:6 AMP

Do the boundaries of living in the Lord’s land fall in a pleasant place for you? We all have our doubts and failings but God is the strength of our lives. When you find yourself in the middle of a difficult trial or situation, remember, look up, for your Redeemer draweth neigh!

Have a blessed day! Pastor Ken