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PROGRAM D-8159
Did anyone ever insult you—say something about you that was offensive or hurtful? No doubt we’ve all had that experience. I remember an occasion when I learned of an insult that someone had said about me. It was untrue, unkind, and unnecessary—and obviously I was not happy to hear about it.
My first reaction was to confront that person and express my anger. In addition, I wanted to tell other people how wrong and unkind that person was. It just so happened that part of my Bible reading that day was Proverbs 12. It was the 12th day of the month and, because for years I’ve read a chapter in Proverbs each day—there are 31 chapters, I read the one corresponding to that day of the month.
Proverbs 12:16 says, “Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult.” Wouldn’t you know it! That verse hit me right between the eyes! I knew it was a word of wisdom from God to me—to keep my mouth closed and to overlook that insult. Thankfully, I chose to obey—though there was a struggle in my heart for a while. Later, when more information came to me, I was glad that I had overlooked that insult and realized it had been very wise for me to do so.
That is just one example of how relevant the book of Proverbs is to our lives today. It is full of God’s wisdom. We are instructed to seek wisdom, to pursue it, and to ask for it. Do you do that? I want to challenge you—every day—to read a chapter in Proverbs and to pray that wisdom into your life. Are you willing to put that much effort into a pursuit of wisdom? If you are, then please also consider requesting from us a set of 10 nicely designed cards containing Words of Wisdom from the Bible. You can print them directly from our website or contact us and we’ll be glad to send you a set.
If you will practice this discipline in your own life, you will have many stories of your own to tell of how God’s wisdom worked in your life. You will become a wise person!