Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - How to Make Better Decisions | Annie Kelly | Proverbs 1:7

Starting point is 00:00:05 Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life in the time it takes to get to work. I'm Keith Simon. I'm Tanya Wilmuth. And I'm Patrick Miller. On today's episode, we have a special guest, Annie Kelly. She's been on our show before. She's a part of our church community and a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary. I've learned a lot from Annie, and I think you'll enjoy learning from her as well.

Starting point is 00:00:27 We all know impulsive people. People who tend to do things suddenly and without careful thought. If you know me, maybe I'm not impulsive. friend who came to mine. I have had my fair share of impulsive moments. Like the time I got tattoos in college. Or the time I got carried away dancing to Christian rap and tore my ACL, La Cray fanatic, if you're wondering. Or the time I insisted on getting the golden doodle from Craigslist because it was such a good deal. Turns out he's not a golden noodle, so that explains the good deal. I seriously could go on and on. Moments of impulsivity make for great stories, but often they come at a cost.

Starting point is 00:01:01 For me, that looked like tattoo removal, a nine-month recovery, and well, I guess, a waste of money, but we do love our not golden noodle dog boon. Maybe your own moments of impulsivity are coming to mind. Even Peter, one of Jesus' closest disciples, was impulsive. Peter's impulsive nature is evident in pretty much every story that mentions him by name, when he walks on water, when he denies Christ, and even cuts off a man's ear. Jesus actually changed Peter's name from Simon to Peter because Peter means rock. So even in his name, Jesus was addressing Peter's impulsivity. He challenged Peter to pause and focus on the true rock. So if you relate to Peter, know that you aren't alone, and you aren't the first to struggle with impulsivity.

Starting point is 00:01:40 Wisdom is the opposite of impulsive. Impulsivity comes from faulty decision-making, while wisdom uses discernment to make thoughtful decisions. I've always been a yes person, jumping into commitments quickly without much regard for their consequences, hence all my stories. But I've learned a lot about true wisdom and why it's important. Having a solid foundation leads to true wisdom, which yields godly behavior. Wisdom affects so much in our lives, and today we're going to talk about it. When I said wisdom, maybe your mind jumped to the book of Proverbs. Proverbs is famously known for its wise words.

Starting point is 00:02:12 The book of Proverbs is a collection of practical life tips. It's primarily written by King Solomon, who will talk about in a little bit, and the overarching theme of Proverbs is, you guessed it, wisdom. Why is wisdom such a big deal? Well, wisdom always has been. It's primary. Proverbs 319 says this. The Lord by Wisdom founded the earth. Wisdom isn't a result of the fallen sin, and this alone teaches us a lot. If God acted in wisdom and if we're all created in God's image as his representatives, then part of that responsibility involves stewarding wisdom. That's pretty heavy stuff. If I asked you what

Starting point is 00:02:48 are you a steward of, I bet wisdom wouldn't make the list. Hopefully in 10 minutes that will have changed. People often use wisdom and knowledge interchangeably. The terms are related, but they're definitely not synonymous. You can have knowledge without wisdom, but not the other way around. Wisdom takes knowledge and puts it into action. Like I mentioned earlier, the author of Proverbs is King Solomon. He's remembered as the wisest man in the world. And how does the wisest man in the world become the wisest man in the world, you might ask?

Starting point is 00:03:14 He asks. I know that sounds dumb. How could being wise be as easy as asking to be wise, but that's the reality. Here's the play-by-play. In 1 Kings 3, Solomon had the opportunity to ask for anything. Think about what your answer would be if you could do that. First Kings 3-9 states his answer. Give your servant, therefore, an understanding mind to govern your people that I may discern between good and evil.

Starting point is 00:03:39 It's pretty crazy. That's what he asked for when he could ask for anything in the world. It's not like a range rover plus like, you know, a good life. It's like, give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people that I may discern between good and evil. James 1-5 reiterates this reality. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him. How do you get wise?

Starting point is 00:04:04 You desire wisdom and you ask for wisdom. It really is that simple. FYI, this isn't a miraculous turning point for Solomon. He messes up, he falls short, he forgets, he has a lot of wives, but at the end of his life, Solomon looks back and acknowledges that he had everything and nothing compares to God. That's what the entire book of Ecclesiastes is about. The idea of wanting wisdom goes all the way back to Genesis. You know, the birth of sin and all its woes.

Starting point is 00:04:29 That started with the desire to be like God, to know good from evil, to discern. The serpent said, if you eat of the tree, you'll be like God, knowing good and evil. And so Eve ate of the fruit because the tree was desired to make one wise. That's literally what set this whole thing into motion. In the garden, there were two paths. Seek your own wisdom and worship yourself and creation. Or submit to God, honor him, and allow him to be source of wisdom. Paul puts it like this in Romans 1.25. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie,

Starting point is 00:05:00 and worshipped and served the creature rather than the creator. Woof. From God at creation to Adam and Genesis, to Solomon and Proverbs, to Peter in the New Testament, to us today, the theme of wisdom has certainly made its mark. A favorite verse reminds Proverbs 1-7, and it addresses wisdom. Proverbs 1-7 says this. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Fearing God doesn't have to do with fear in the sense of being scared. It has to do with humility and reverence and awe. Fearing God has more to do with the posture of our heart than anything else. It's a posture that acknowledges he's God and I'm not.

Starting point is 00:05:36 Solomon is saying, do you want to be wise? Fear God. Do you want knowledge? Fear God. Other places in scripture we see that fearing the Lord is an answer to even more than that. The duty of man, fear God. Do you want life? Fear God. What does the Lord require of you? Fear God. Okay, I'll stop. You can probably tell, but the phrase fear. God's mentioned a lot in the Bible. And if you didn't know, repetition signifies importance. God doesn't want us to miss this. He's letting us know that this isn't just important. This is urgent. God has made us to properly fear him. And when we improperly fear him, our foolishness

Starting point is 00:06:08 leads to destruction. It leads to sin, like shame, anxiety, hopelessness, and pride. We must fear him rightly. The fear of the Lord's the beginning of knowledge. There's no way around this. Our foundation matters and we're told what that foundation is, the fear of the Lord. I can't I can't make it through this point without reading to you all from Matthew 7. This isn't Jesus' famous sermon on the mouth. In fact, it's Jesus' closing remarks. Buckle up. Matthew 7, 24 through 27. Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them

Starting point is 00:06:36 will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and on that house and it fell and great was the fall of it. Hopefully you get the parable. We're all building our life on something. That foundation is either one of wisdom or foolishness. Actually, foolishness

Starting point is 00:07:04 comes from a lack of wisdom. This hits home for me, no pun intended. Right now my husband and I are building a house. All I want to do is pick out the stuff on the inside, the interior design, and all Matt cares about is building it right and getting the foundation perfect. He knows that in 10 years, if our foundation is shifting, we're going to be in huge trouble. In order for everything we're building to last, the foundation has to be enduring and stable. Proverbs 1-7 goes on to say, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Solomon was emphasizing that the fear of the Lord's just the beginning of our knowledge of God.

Starting point is 00:07:38 It's our first section of cement that's poured, and along with it comes wisdom, because we have to know how to use that knowledge to get anywhere. In numerous other places, Solomon reiterates this by simply saying, the fear of the Lord's the beginning of wisdom. When we have the right foundation, a fear of the Lord, then we're led to true wisdom. Naturally, when we understand the fear of God, we're motivated to know and obey the word of God. Really, the word of God is the wisdom of God. You can find wisdom other places, but that wisdom won't last.

Starting point is 00:08:06 Wisdom must be tied to action, and a healthy fear of God's the place to begin. Are these pieces falling in a place for you? Let me put it as plainly as possible. Ultimately, healthy fear of God produces godly wisdom, which yields faithful action. This is such good news. Since we have full access to God's wisdom, we don't have to get caught in the broken, impulsive foundations of the world.

Starting point is 00:08:27 Through fearing the Lord, we can steward and sustain wisdom. Does anyone have Proverbs 1-7 memorized yet? Say it with me. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. But fools despise wisdom and instruction. What does that mean? James 1.22 through 25 gives us an answer.

Starting point is 00:08:45 But be doers of the word and not hearers only deceiving yourselves. for if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he's like a man who looks intently at his face in the mirror, for he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he looks like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres. Being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. After my tattoo debacle that I referenced earlier, I decided I was done with impulsivity.

Starting point is 00:09:12 I learned the importance of hearing and doing and the consequences of being only a hearer of the word. I knew that my parents were my authority, and I knew they had a rule, literally one of their only rules, that my siblings and I couldn't get tattoos. Yet I had a lapse in judgment and wisdom that led me to act disobediently. Not once but twice. I got two tattoos, because one just wasn't enough. The consequences of that decision were real, a relationship that needed forgiveness and reconciliation, personal savings of mine, a lot of time for that tattoo removal, not to mention the pain of that. I chose the wrong way of wisdom because I was a forgetful hearer. Remember how we talked about Peter's impulsivity earlier, how Peter was anything but the rock, how Jesus named Peter Rock to point to the true rock and cornerstone Jesus Christ himself?

Starting point is 00:09:55 Every time impulsive Peter heard his own name, he was reminded of who he should be relying on and following. I mentioned that Peter impulsively cut off a man's ear. Tattoos were my ear-cutting incident, if you will. I really feel like I relate to Peter in a lot of ways. And frankly, the tattoo removal was probably just as painful. The story of Peter cutting off the man's ears mentioned in all four Gospels. Judas had just betrayed Jesus and Jesus' arrest was impending. The soldiers were questioning who Jesus was. And then in John 18, 10, and 11, we see Peter's response to the situation.

Starting point is 00:10:29 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. So Jesus said to Peter, put your sword into its sheath. Shall I not drink the cup that the father's given me? Peter likely had pure intentions, yet he was impulsive. He didn't act out of wisdom. Peter was the most rebuked disciple. And this is just one example where Jesus immediately rebukes Peter, telling him to put back his sword. Jesus telling Peter there is another way.

Starting point is 00:10:54 I like coming back to this picture because I think of my own life when I make impulsive decisions. I think of that. Put back your sword or Annie, take a step back. This really helps me to focus on ways that I'm impulsive and I'm choosing the wrong way. Without Christ, we're all forgetful hearers. We forget so easily. Adam and Eve forgot. Solomon forgot.

Starting point is 00:11:13 Peter forgot. I forget. Though I matured, I still struggle with impulsivity. Specifically, I'm impulsive with my spending and my speech. That looks like unnecessary online shopping or purchases or even thoughtless words. Even if they have pure intentions, I'm still a forgetful hearer. When we forget, we're unintentionally despising wisdom and instruction. Yet the Lord tells us there is another way. The way of wisdom exists and it's available because it's God. It's the person of God and the word of God. Our firm foundation has way less to do with us and way more to do with God. Our to do list is simple. Fear God.

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Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - How to Make Better Decisions | Annie Kelly | Proverbs 1:7

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