Joyful Moments in Christ

As someone who highly values education, it always shocks me when someone places low value on wisdom and correction. When I have tutored various children, it never fails to amaze me how many of them would prefer to turn in mediocre work than be told how to make it better. Even more disturbing is when I encounter the parents who say that it is bad for the child’s self-esteem to be corrected! This perspective misses the fundamental reality that correction is a form of kindness. To leave a student in their error is to leave them unequipped for the world ahead of them.

How much worse is it to not be corrected in matters of spiritual affairs? In the same way that a student needs a teacher to point out a mathematical error, the Christian life is a process of constant refinement. We are all students in the school of Christ, and his correction is the very thing that shapes us into the people he intends us to be. We should not shy away from the moments when our errors are pointed out; instead, we should view them as invitations to grow in grace and truth. The goal of spiritual instruction is to hear and understand. We want to call out for insight, seek it like silver, and search for it as for hidden treasures. The result is fear and knowledge of the Lord.

The Search for True Treasure

This spiritual search is not a passive activity. It requires a heart that is actively engaged and a will that is surrendered to the teaching of the Holy Spirit. If we treat the word of God like a casual suggestion, we will never experience its transformative power. We must approach the scriptures with the same intensity that a prospector might search for precious metals. There is an urgency in the language of Proverbs that suggests that wisdom is not something we stumble upon by accident, but something we must pursue with all our heart, soul, and mind.

My son, if you receive my words
and treasure up my commandments with you,
making your ear attentive to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding;
yes, if you call out for insight
and raise your voice for understanding,
if you seek it like silver
and search for it as for hidden treasures,
then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.

Proverbs 2:1-5 (ESV)

This pursuit begins with a receptive spirit. The text speaks of receiving words and treasuring up commandments. This implies that we must make room in our hearts for the truth of God to take root. We live in a world that is saturated with information, yet it is starving for wisdom. We are constantly bombarded with the opinions of man, but the knowledge of God is a different kind of treasure altogether. It is the foundation of all true understanding. When we incline our heart to understanding, we are essentially telling the Lord that we are ready to be taught. We are admitting that our own logic and our own limited perspective are insufficient for the complexities of life. This humility is the first step toward the fear of the Lord, which is not a cowering terror, but a deep, reverent awe of who he is as our Creator and Sustainer.

The Source of Sound Wisdom

When we have this knowledge of the Lord, we will find that he is not stingy with his wisdom, but shares it freely. As we learned in Proverbs 1, Lady Wisdom is shouting the truth in the street. All we need to do is listen and seek insight. Without this insight, we may seek the wrong kind of wisdom; what we want is “sound wisdom.” The wisdom of the world may seem fun and enticing, but in the end it leads to death. We want the wisdom of the upright, the ones who walk in integrity, guard justice, and watch over the saints. We must realize that wisdom is a gift that originates from the mouth of God. It is not something we can manufacture through human effort or academic achievement alone. It is a sovereign distribution of grace to those whom he has called to walk in his ways.

The Lord is the ultimate source of all truth. When he gives wisdom, he does so with a purpose. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright, acting as a reservoir of strength for those who seek to live according to his will. This wisdom serves as a shield. It protects us from the deceptions of the enemy and the folly of our own hearts. It is a beautiful thought to consider that the Lord is actively guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. This means that as we seek his wisdom, we are under his protective care. We do not walk the path of life alone. His knowledge and understanding provide the boundaries we need to stay within the safety of his grace. He is not a distant deity who leaves us to figure things out on our own; he is a shepherd who speaks to his sheep.

The Pleasure of Right Living

It is only when we seek out these characteristics that we will come to understand righteousness, justice, and equity. Without these characteristics, the “good path” will be very hard to find. But when we find them, then the Holy Spirit will pour wisdom into our hearts. Without this wisdom, we might long for the lies of the world, but with God’s wisdom, the knowledge of right living will be a pleasure, discretion will be a joy, and we will be delivered from all kinds of evil. The transition from searching for wisdom to wisdom entering the heart is a work of the Lord. It moves from an external pursuit to an internal reality. When wisdom resides in the heart, it completely changes our tastes and our desires.

Then you will understand righteousness and justice
and equity, every good path;
for wisdom will come into your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
discretion will watch over you,
understanding will guard you,
delivering you from the way of evil,
from men of perverted speech,
who forsake the paths of uprightness
to walk in the ways of darkness,
who rejoice in doing evil
and delight in the perverseness of evil,
men whose paths are crooked,
and who are devious in their ways.

Proverbs 2:9-15 (ESV)

There is a profound joy that comes when knowledge becomes pleasant to the soul. In our natural state, we might find the commandments of God to be burdensome or restrictive. But once the Holy Spirit enlightens our understanding, we begin to see that his ways are life. We find a deep sense of gladness in choosing what is right. Discretion becomes a faithful companion that watches over us, helping us to navigate the crooked paths of a fallen world.

We see the contrast between those who rejoice in doing evil and those who find their joy in the Lord. The delight of the wicked is fleeting and perverse, leading only to darkness. But the pleasure of the saint is rooted in the eternal goodness of God. This joy is our strength, providing us with the discernment to see through perverted speech and devious ways.

Protection from the Snares of Sin

The ways of darkness, evil, and perverted speech often seem enticing. Cheating people and finding gain through dishonest means seem more pleasant than right ways of getting ahead. But when we are delivered from sexual sin and many other types of sin, we will be glad in the end. Sin is attractive on the surface, but when we go down that path, often we find that there is no retreat. We are snared and caught fast. The forbidden paths are designed to look like short cuts to happiness, but they are actually dead ends. The smooth words of the world are meant to lull us into a false sense of security while we drift away from the covenant of God.

So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman,
from the adulteress with her smooth words,
who forsakes the companion of her youth
and forgets the covenant of her God;
for her house sinks down to death,
and her paths to the departed;
none who go to her come back,
nor do they regain the paths of life.

Proverbs 2:16-19 (ESV)

This is a stark warning about the finality of certain choices. Sin has a way of hardening the heart until the path back to life feels impossible to find. The house that sinks down to death is a vivid image of the ruin that follows a life of disobedience. When we forget the covenant and forsake the truth, we lose our way in a very literal sense. This is why the guarding work of understanding is so precious. It keeps us from the first steps toward that sinking house. God’s wisdom delivers us by showing us the end of the road before we travel too far down it. It reveals that the smooth words of temptation are actually sharp hooks. By listening to the Lord, we are spared the anguish of those who realize too late that they have traded their life for a lie.

Walking in the Light

Fortunately, God is always ready to bring us back to the right path. He will teach us to walk in the ways of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous. His mercy is new every morning, and his patience with his children is vast. Even when we have strayed, his voice calls us back to the paths of life. He is the one who empowers our feet to stay on the righteous road.

Walking in the way of the good is not just about avoiding evil; it is about actively pursuing what is holy and pleasing to the Lord. It involves a daily commitment to seek his face and follow his lead. The paths of the righteous are well-worn by the saints who have gone before us, and we are called to follow in their footsteps. As we do, we find that the burden is light because he is the one carrying us. The wisdom we sought like silver becomes the map for our journey. Every step taken in obedience is a step toward greater joy and deeper fellowship with our Savior. We are being trained for an eternal kingdom, and this walk is our preparation.

A Call to Repentance and Hope

If you are ensnared in sin, call out to God right now. Ask him to give you his wisdom. Ask him to correct you. Ask him to make wicked things repulsive and the ways of God a delight. There is no hole so deep that the grace of God cannot reach you. He is the God of restoration. He takes the broken pieces of a life lived in folly and puts them back together according to his perfect design.

The promises of God are sure. There is an inheritance for those who walk in integrity. While the wicked and the treacherous will eventually face the consequences of their rebellion, the upright have a secure dwelling place. This land mentioned is more than just a physical space; it is the promise of being in the presence of the Lord forever. If you call out to him, he will answer. Depending on how far down the path of sin you have walked, it may not be easy, but the Holy Spirit will walk with you every step of the way. Jesus will pick you up when you fall. Put your trust in him! Don’t allow yourself to be cut off from the promise of heaven! He is the wisdom of God made flesh, and in him, we find the fullness of joy and the paths of eternal life.

Reflection Questions

1. In what areas of your life are you currently resisting the correction of the Lord?
2. How does the idea of searching for wisdom like hidden treasure change the way you read the Bible?
3. What are some smooth words or worldly wisdom that have recently tempted you?
4. How can you tell if wisdom has truly entered your heart and become pleasant to your soul?
5. What is one practical step you can take this week to incline your heart toward understanding?

Reflective Prayer

Consider using these verses to pray using the ACTS method: Adoration, Confession, Thankfulness, and Supplication:

• Adoration: Praise God. Do these verses bring any specific characteristics of God to mind?
• Confession: Tell God that you are sorry for specific sins. Do these verses bring any specific sins to mind?
• Thankfulness: Show gratitude towards God. Does anything from these verses inspire gratitude?
• Supplication: Make requests for yourself and for others. Does anything from these verses inspire a prayer?

If helpful, you can use a prayer journal template.

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English Standard Version (ESV): Unless otherwise noted, scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.