The One Year Wisdom for Women Devotional: 365 Devotions through the Proverbs (7 page)

January 21

Crown of Beauty

Whoever thinks that the godly life of wisdom is a life of sparseness or drabness or poorness is absolutely dead wrong. God is the King of the entire universe. He alone made the diamonds from coal. He alone created gold and snowflakes, waterfalls and sunsets. God loves to make things that have beauty and nobility. And we, as daughters of God, are actually princesses. Romans tells us that we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ; so keep this in mind as we read this lovely description in today’s Wisdom for Women.

     
“Getting wisdom is the most important thing you can do!

          
And whatever else you do, get good judgment.

     
If you prize wisdom, she will exalt you.

          
Embrace her and she will honor you.

     
She will place a lovely wreath on your head;

          
she will present you with a beautiful crown.”

     
My child, listen to me and do as I say,

          
and you will have a long, good life.

Crowns. Wisdom will present you with a beautiful crown. Crowns are both valuable and weighty. In the Kremlin in Moscow the actual crowns worn by past rulers are displayed. Some are large, heavily encrusted with jewels. The person wearing it would always be aware that they had it on and aware of all that it meant. With a crown came great responsibility. When Queen Esther put on her royal robes and crown it was not just to rule, it was to serve.

And so, dear sisters, may we wear God’s wisdom as a crown, a crown of nobility and honor and beauty.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

We women wear many hats: daughter, friend, cook, shopper, organizer, sister, counselor, homemaker, teacher, wife, mother. The question is, do you do what you do with honor? Embrace wisdom! I know—you might be thinking
, I can’t! I fail.
Okay, I agree; none of us can, in our own strength.

Let’s Pray

Lord, here I am again, like an empty cup held up to you. Please fill me with your wisdom that I may live with honor and beauty.

One Year Bible Reading

Genesis 42:18–43:34; Matthew 13:47–14:12; Psalm 18:16-36; Proverbs 4:7-10

January 22

Guided

     
I guide you in the way of wisdom

          
and lead you along straight paths.

     
When you walk, your steps will not be hampered;

          
when you run, you will not stumble.

     
Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;

          
guard it well, for it is your life.

This is the ever-recurring picture of life being like a journey.

Alice, in
Alice in Wonderland
, came to a fork in the road.

“Which road do I take?” she asked.

“Where do you want to go?” responded the Cheshire cat.

“I don’t know,” Alice answered.

“Then,” said the cat, “it doesn’t matter.”

But, dear sisters, your life does matter; therefore, it is important that you head in the right direction. Each step that you take, each decision that you make takes you further along the path for better or worse.

If you have a GPS in your car, you program in the address of where you need to go, your destination. The GPS then plots the best and shortest path. It guides you along the way with arrows letting you know when and where to turn. One of the greatest things is the voice. If you make a wrong turn, it will say things like, “Make a U-turn,” or, “Recalculating your course.” The GPS never loses sight of the goal, even if you do. This is especially helpful when I have gotten turned around, lost my way, or accidently driven into a rough area at night.

Good news! God has given us his personal, persistent, internal GPS system, the Holy Spirit himself. Follow his arrows and obey his voice.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

I really love the words “recalculating your course.” These are words of hope and help. Maybe you feel you have lost your way. Does it seem you’ve hit a dead end? Take heart. The very fact that you are reading this right now is evidence that you desire to get back on track. Grab hold of God’s promise for you today: “I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.”

One Year Bible Reading

Genesis 44:1–45:28; Matthew 14:13-36; Psalm 18:37-50; Proverbs 4:11-13

January 23

We Must Shine!

Before you read today’s Wisdom for Women, close your eyes and imagine the word picture of the phrase “Like the first gleam of dawn.”

     
The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,

          
which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.

     
But the way of the wicked is like complete darkness.

          
Those who follow it have no idea what they are stumbling over.

“The first gleam of dawn.” Maybe it’s been a long time since you’ve gotten up early enough to see a sunrise. It is totally worth it. There is something about it that makes you feel like you’re witnessing a secret, almost holy moment. The darker the night, the more exciting and dramatic the first ray is. Once the light comes, nothing can stop it. It gets stronger and stronger until there is no darkness left.

Child of God, we are living in perilous times. Darkness is dark, really dark. We see people—people we love—falling, falling into darkness. We see young people making foolish, sinful choices, and then falling in a series of life-changing, life-damaging choices. They had no idea where those first steps would lead.

And so we must shine. We must shine like the lighthouse set high on the rock of God’s Word, the rock of truth, the rock of safety. We must shine. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14,
NKJV
).

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Okay, I am fired up about this. God is calling us! It is time for the people of God to stoke the fires of their love for God and their passion to make a difference in this world. There are people who have never heard the gospel that God loves them. There are people who have heard it but never seen it lived out. He can use our lives like “the first gleam of dawn.” Come on! Let’s fall on our knees and ask him to ignite us. If not us, who? If not now, when?

One Year Bible Reading

Genesis 46:1–47:31; Matthew 15:1-28; Psalm 19:1-14; Proverbs 4:14-19

January 24

Guard Your Heart

     
My son, give attention to my words;

     
Incline your ear to my sayings.

     
Do not let them depart from your eyes;

     
Keep them in the midst of your heart;

     
For they are life to those who find them,

     
And health to all their flesh.

     
Keep your heart with all diligence;

     
For out of it spring the issues of life.

The importance of the heart is the topic of today.

The New Living Translation Bible says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do.” Ladies, this may be some of the most important advice we’ll ever receive. For us as women, our hearts are places of great vulnerability; on the other hand, they’re also places of tenderness, compassion, and love.

And so may I ask you, what is the state of your heart? Do you have a broken heart, or a wounded heart? Do you have a troubled heart, a weary heart, an empty heart? Worse yet, do you have a cold, hard, or bitter heart?

In our proverb today God himself, our Father God, our Great Physician, gives us his prescription, his healing balm, the Word of God.

God’s Word cleanses. It frees our hearts. It softens and restores. It’s surgically sharp and can actually completely and permanently heal our hearts. We must also know that God’s Word guards our hearts with truth. It’s the antidote for the lie. God’s Word is the Sword of the Spirit that defends and protects. It’s light that gives our hearts hope; therefore, keep your heart with all diligence, “for out of it spring the issues of life.”

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

There is lots of advice out there for emotional and spiritual brokenness. Take a pill, take a trip, read a book, or talk to a professional. Some women just give up and drown their sorrow. But let me give you the best prescription ever given to man (or woman). Read Psalm 23 three times a day for one week. “Keep them [the promises] in the midst of your heart” and you will see; he will restore your soul.

One Year Bible Reading

Genesis 48:1–49:33; Matthew 15:29–16:12; Psalm 20:1-9; Proverbs 4:20-27