Thought from today’s Bible reading from Proverbs 13-15.
“The naive believes everything, but the sensible man considers his steps.
“A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is arrogant and careless” (Proverbs 14:15-16).
The wise and sensible man is compared to two different types of people: the naive and the fool. Both of these people end up in sin. The fool acts arrogantly, rejects the truth, and follows after that which is evil. The naive is simply ignorant of the truth and, as a result, ends up believing a false way that on the surface seems to be right. Where the naive and the fool are the same is that neither one is careful to be sure that what he does is right.
There are various reasons why people fall into sin. Some are arrogant and rebellious. Others simply do not know the truth. In either case, when one transgresses the law of God, whether through arrogance or ignorance, he sins. John writes, “Sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). Regardless of one’s attitude, a violation of God’s law is sin.
We should not desire to be like the naive or the fool. So what should we do if we desire to be wise and sensible? We must:
- Consider our steps – pay attention to what we are doing and whether or not it matches up to God’s standard.
- Be cautious – guard against temptation in all its forms, recognizing that we can fall into sin if we are not careful.
- Turn away from evil – make the conscious decision to do what is right and avoid what is wrong.
Let us consider our steps and avoid sin in our lives.
Tomorrow’s reading: Proverbs 16-18
[I’m using the Chronological reading plan on the Bible Gateway website if you’d like to follow along, too.]
Daily Notes & Observations contains all 365 articles from this series and is available in paperback from Gospel Armory.
