Make Your Daddy Proud!

Proverbs 23:15-16

My son, if your heart is wise,

My heart will rejoice--indeed, I myself;

Yes, my inmost being will rejocie

when your lips speak right things.

Put into their original context, Proverbs is a book of sayings that Solomon gave to his son Rehoboam, or possibly to all of his sons. It was intended to impart in easy to read, understand, and remember phrases the wisdom that Solomon had received from God for daily living. And it's pretty good stuff. I may have said it before, but I'll say it again--I've been trying to read the Proverbs daily for over 20 years. There are 31 chapters, 30 or 31 days in most months, so one can easily read through the Proverbs every month. Like I said, I've been trying to do so for more than 20 years now. I don't exactly have the book memorized as in chapter and verse, word for word quotation. But I think I have a Proverb for just about every eventuality. I often quote the Proverbs when I'm talking to people about life stuff. And each day I find encouraging insights in them.

In spite of having read them over and over and over again, there are still days where something will jump out at me as if it's the first time I've read it. Today was one of those days, and above is the Proverb that did it. It was Solomon telling Rehoboam how he would feel once he heard his own wisdom coming out of Rehoboam's mouth. But under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, there is a broader application to us.

Imagine how God feels when His words start coming out of our mouths. After all, the only time I'm speaking something that is totally God and none of me is when I am speaking His Word. To let His Word dwell in us is to have His wisdom and ways governing us in everything that we do. His Word brings life to us, and power for daily living. His Word holds the answer to every question, the solution to every problem, the key to every puzzle. And when our heart grows wise with wisdom Divine, how happy God is!

Proverbs says He will rejoice over us when His wisdom dwells in our hearts. And He will rejoice over us when His wisdom comes out of our mouths. How must He rejoice even more greatly when we go from knowing and speaking to living and doing? Let us be doers of that Word, and not hearers only! Let us practice what we preach.