Mind Meld of A Different Kind

PROVERBS 1:1-7
These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel.

Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise. Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair. These proverbs will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernment to the young.

Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables, the words of the wise and their riddles.

Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Ignorance is bliss
Peter Pan lives in perpetual bliss in Never Land where he never has to grow up. Instead of learning correct English, and how to eat properly and think logically, he is content to stay uninhibited and free of concern in his pre-pubescent imaginary fairy-tale land.

Peter Pan is not alone; there are many people who try to live under the cloak of ignorance in order to avoid dealing with truth and reality. The writer of Proverbs calls such people fools. Only the fool despises wisdom, learning, and discipline. The fool craves unrestricted freedom and careless casualness.

Attaining wisdom requires submission, effort, and listening. There is nothing easy about growing. God does not ask us to check our brains at the door when we come to Him in faith; instead, we are invited to redirect our minds towards God. We are invited to learn, to become wise and attain knowledge. God wants us to reach our full capacity in every aspect of our lives, not just spiritually but mentally too. God invites us to explore the complex truths of this world for in them we discover more about the creator of the world and our reverence for God increases.

Creator of my heart and mind, I desire to grow in knowledge and wisdom as you reveal more of your truth to me through your creation and Word. In my pursuit of wisdom help me to grow more aware of your greatness. - Dan Jones

No shortcut to wisdom
When I think of a wise person I often picture Rodin’s sculpture, “The Thinker”. I picture a person who has thought deeply about life, experienced its breadth, and has come away with insights into successful living. I’m not quite on the same page as Solomon. I’ve missed a key ingredient, discipline. This idea comes up three times in these few introductory verses.

Solomon hopes to teach disciplined thoughts, disciplined living, and the pursuit of discipline. There is no wisdom without discipline!

Living wisely demands the ability to reject ideas and courses of actions that result in foolishness and to practice those that lead to success – the right, just, and fair. Discipline is difficult for me. After all, I’m a baby boomer.

Some of my generation have to fight living by what feels good physically. The body’s appetites rule. Me, on the other hand, I have to fight living by what feels emotionally good. Left to follow my instincts, I tend to choose those courses of action that make me feel secure, comfortable, accepted, approved, and loved. Trouble is, these are not reliable indicators of the right, just and fair.

So I can choose poorly and feel good – even spiritual – about it, at least for a time.

I need a self-disciple, or the fruit of the Spirit called “self control” that takes me beyond emotional feel-goodism. God’s Spirit has developed some of this in me. But coming to a season of reflecting on the Proverbs seems a good time to sharpen and expand this critical capacity.

All-wise God, you have an infinite and perfect capacity to act based on what is right. Grant me increasing skill to act similarly rather than out of my emotional – or physical – needs and wants. – Mike Leamon