Proverbs 3:1
My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart.
Scripture Insights
Becoming a Christlike disciple means learning to make godly decisions in our daily routines. This requires knowledge, wisdom, and discernment. Knowledge is what you know. It relates to your intellectual and mental capacity. Wisdom is what you have learned through experience. It relates to common sense.
Although true knowledge and authentic wisdom come from God, one does not have to be a Christian to have them. But discernment is different. True discernment, according to Tim Keller, is “the ability to notice distinctions and shades of difference where others see only a blur.” It is “to recognize multiple options and possible courses of action where others can imagine only one or two.” This ability to discern between “good, better, and best” requires the power of the Holy Spirit.
It is enhanced by the teaching of God’s Word, hidden in our hearts. The writer of Proverbs 3:1 reminds us that this kind of “teaching” will give us a flourishing life, marked by the peace (shalom) of God (Prov. 3:2). As Jesus’s holiness grows in our hearts and minds, we discover that we have a “depth of insight” (Phil. 1:9) that becomes a reality in all of our decision-making.
Today’s Prayer
Lord, help us not to forget the wise teaching that comes from your Word. May it be a light before our feet and a light for our journey (Ps. 119:105). Guide our decisions to reflect the righteousness and holiness of Jesus so that our lives become a witness to the beauty and goodness of your ways.
—David Busic
General Superintendent, Church of the Nazarene
