FBC Daily Devotions

Lady Wisdom Gives a Dinner Party

 ^1-6 Lady Wisdom has built and furnished her home;
    it’s supported by seven hewn timbers.
The banquet meal is ready to be served: lamb roasted,
   wine poured out, table set with silver and flowers.
Having dismissed her serving maids,
   Lady Wisdom goes to town, stands in a prominent place,
   and invites everyone within sound of her voice:
“Are you confused about life, don’t know what’s going on?
   Come with me, oh come, have dinner with me!
I’ve prepared a wonderful spread—fresh-baked bread,
   roast lamb, carefully selected wines.
Leave your impoverished confusion and live!
   Walk up the street to a life with meaning.” 

 ^7-12 If you reason with an arrogant cynic,
   you’ll get slapped in the face;
   confront bad behavior and get a kick in the shins.
So don’t waste your time on a scoffer;
   all you’ll get for your pains is abuse.
But if you correct those who care about life,
   that’s different—they’ll love you for it!
Save your breath for the wise—they’ll be wiser for it;
   tell good people what you know—they’ll profit from it.
Skilled living gets its start in the Fear-of-God,
   insight into life from knowing a Holy God.
It’s through me, Lady Wisdom, that your life deepens,
   and the years of your life ripen.
Live wisely and wisdom will permeate your life;
   mock life and life will mock you.

Madame Whore Calls Out, Too

 ^13-18 Then there’s this other woman, Madame Whore—
   brazen, empty-headed, frivolous.
She sits on the front porch
   of her house on Main Street,
And as people walk by minding
   their own business, calls out,
“Are you confused about life, don’t know what’s going on?
   Steal off with me, I’ll show you a good time!
   No one will ever know—I’ll give you the time of your life.”
But they don’t know about all the skeletons in her closet,
   that all her guests end up in hell.

Lady Wisdom Calls Out

 ^1-11 Do you hear Lady Wisdom calling? Can you hear Madame Insight raising her voice?
She’s taken her stand at First and Main,
   at the busiest intersection.
Right in the city square
   where the traffic is thickest, she shouts,
“You—I’m talking to all of you,
   everyone out here on the streets!
Listen, you idiots—learn good sense!
   You blockheads—shape up!
Don’t miss a word of this—I’m telling you how to live well,
   I’m telling you how to live at your best.
My mouth chews and savors and relishes truth—
   I can’t stand the taste of evil!
You’ll only hear true and right words from my mouth;
   not one syllable will be twisted or skewed.
You’ll recognize this as true—you with open minds;
   truth-ready minds will see it at once.
Prefer my life-disciplines over chasing after money,
   and God-knowledge over a lucrative career.
For Wisdom is better than all the trappings of wealth;
   nothing you could wish for holds a candle to her.

 ^12-21 “I am Lady Wisdom, and I live next to Sanity;
   Knowledge and Discretion live just down the street.
The Fear-of-God means hating Evil,
   whose ways I hate with a passion—
   pride and arrogance and crooked talk.
Good counsel and common sense are my characteristics;
   I am both Insight and the Virtue to live it out.
With my help, leaders rule,
   and lawmakers legislate fairly;
With my help, governors govern,
   along with all in legitimate authority.
I love those who love me;
   those who look for me find me.
Wealth and Glory accompany me—
   also substantial Honor and a Good Name.
My benefits are worth more than a big salary, even a very big salary;
   the returns on me exceed any imaginable bonus.
You can find me on Righteous Road—that’s where I walk—
   at the intersection of Justice Avenue,
Handing out life to those who love me,
   filling their arms with life—armloads of life!

 ^22-31 “God sovereignly made me—the first, the basic—
   before he did anything else.
I was brought into being a long time ago,
   well before Earth got its start.
I arrived on the scene before Ocean,
   yes, even before Springs and Rivers and Lakes.
Before Mountains were sculpted and Hills took shape,
   I was already there, newborn;
Long before God stretched out Earth’s Horizons,
   and tended to the minute details of Soil and Weather,
And set Sky firmly in place,
   I was there.
When he mapped and gave borders to wild Ocean,
   built the vast vault of Heaven,
   and installed the fountains that fed Ocean,
When he drew a boundary for Sea,
   posted a sign that said no trespassing,
And then staked out Earth’s Foundations,
   I was right there with him, making sure everything fit.
Day after day I was there, with my joyful applause,
   always enjoying his company,
Delighted with the world of things and creatures,
   happily celebrating the human family.

 ^32-36 “So, my dear friends, listen carefully;
   those who embrace these my ways are most blessed.
Mark a life of discipline and live wisely;
   don’t squander your precious life.
Blessed the man, blessed the woman, who listens to me,
   awake and ready for me each morning,
   alert and responsive as I start my day’s work.
When you find me, you find life, real life,
   to say nothing of God’s good pleasure.
But if you wrong me, you damage your very soul;
   when you reject me, you’re flirting with death.”

Nothing but Sin and Bones

 ^1-2 Dear friend, pay close attention to this, my wisdom; listen very closely to the way I see it.
Then you’ll acquire a taste for good sense;
   what I tell you will keep you out of trouble.

 ^3-6 The lips of a seductive woman are oh so sweet,
   her soft words are oh so smooth.
But it won’t be long before she’s gravel in your mouth,
   a pain in your gut, a wound in your heart.
She’s dancing down the primrose path to Death;
   she’s headed straight for Hell and taking you with her.
She hasn’t a clue about Real Life,
   about who she is or where she’s going.

 ^7-14 So, my friend, listen closely;
   don’t treat my words casually.
Keep your distance from such a woman;
   absolutely stay out of her neighborhood.
You don’t want to squander your wonderful life,
   to waste your precious life among the hardhearted.
Why should you allow strangers to take advantage of you?
   Why be exploited by those who care nothing for you?
You don’t want to end your life full of regrets,
   nothing but sin and bones,
Saying, “Oh, why didn’t I do what they told me?
   Why did I reject a disciplined life?
Why didn’t I listen to my mentors,
   or take my teachers seriously?
My life is ruined!
   I haven’t one blessed thing to show for my life!”

Never Take Love for Granted

 ^15-16 Do you know the saying, “Drink from your own rain barrel,
   draw water from your own spring-fed well”?
It’s true. Otherwise, you may one day come home
   and find your barrel empty and your well polluted.

 ^17-20 Your spring water is for you and you only,
   not to be passed around among strangers.
Bless your fresh-flowing fountain!
   Enjoy the wife you married as a young man!
Lovely as an angel, beautiful as a rose—
   don’t ever quit taking delight in her body.
   Never take her love for granted!
Why would you trade enduring intimacies for cheap thrills with a whore?
   for dalliance with a promiscuous stranger?

 ^21-23 Mark well that God doesn’t miss a move you make;
   he’s aware of every step you take.
The shadow of your sin will overtake you;
   you’ll find yourself stumbling all over yourself in the dark.
Death is the reward of an undisciplined life;
   your foolish decisions trap you in a dead end.

Your Life Is at Stake

 ^1-2 Listen, friends, to some fatherly advice; 
   sit up and take notice so you’ll know how to live.
I’m giving you good counsel;
   don’t let it go in one ear and out the other.

 ^3-9 When I was a boy at my father’s knee,
   the pride and joy of my mother,
He would sit me down and drill me:
   “Take this to heart. Do what I tell you—live!
Sell everything and buy Wisdom! Forage for Understanding!
   Don’t forget one word! Don’t deviate an inch!
Never walk away from Wisdom—she guards your life;
   love her—she keeps her eye on you.
Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom!
   Write this at the top of your list: Get Understanding!
Throw your arms around her—believe me, you won’t regret it;
   never let her go—she’ll make your life glorious.
She’ll garland your life with grace,
   she’ll festoon your days with beauty.”

 ^10-15 Dear friend, take my advice;
   it will add years to your life.
I’m writing out clear directions to Wisdom Way,
   I’m drawing a map to Righteous Road.
I don’t want you ending up in blind alleys,
   or wasting time making wrong turns.
Hold tight to good advice; don’t relax your grip.
   Guard it well—your life is at stake!
Don’t take Wicked Bypass;
   don’t so much as set foot on that road.
Stay clear of it; give it a wide berth.
   Make a detour and be on your way.

 ^16-17 Evil people are restless
   unless they’re making trouble;
They can’t get a good night’s sleep
   unless they’ve made life miserable for somebody.
Perversity is their food and drink,
   violence their drug of choice.

 ^18-19 The ways of right-living people glow with light;
   the longer they live, the brighter they shine.
But the road of wrongdoing gets darker and darker—
   travelers can’t see a thing; they fall flat on their faces.

Learn It by Heart

 ^20-22 Dear friend, listen well to my words;
   tune your ears to my voice.
Keep my message in plain view at all times.
   Concentrate! Learn it by heart!
Those who discover these words live, really live;
   body and soul, they’re bursting with health.

 ^23-27 Keep vigilant watch over your heart;
   that’s where life starts.
Don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth;
   avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip.
Keep your eyes straight ahead;
   ignore all sideshow distractions.
Watch your step,
   and the road will stretch out smooth before you.
Look neither right nor left;
   leave evil in the dust.

Don’t Assume You Know It All

 ^1-2 Good friend, don’t forget all I’ve taught you; take to heart my commands.
They’ll help you live a long, long time,
   a long life lived full and well.

 ^3-4 Don’t lose your grip on Love and Loyalty.
   Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart.
Earn a reputation for living well
   in God’s eyes and the eyes of the people.

 ^5-12 Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
   don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
   he’s the one who will keep you on track.
Don’t assume that you know it all.
   Run to God! Run from evil!
Your body will glow with health,
   your very bones will vibrate with life!
Honor God with everything you own;
   give him the first and the best.
Your barns will burst,
   your wine vats will brim over.
But don’t, dear friend, resent God’s discipline;
   don’t sulk under his loving correction.
It’s the child he loves that God corrects;
   a father’s delight is behind all this.

The Very Tree of Life

 ^13-18 You’re blessed when you meet Lady Wisdom,
   when you make friends with Madame Insight.
She’s worth far more than money in the bank;
   her friendship is better than a big salary.
Her value exceeds all the trappings of wealth;
   nothing you could wish for holds a candle to her.
With one hand she gives long life,
   with the other she confers recognition.
Her manner is beautiful,
   her life wonderfully complete.
She’s the very Tree of Life to those who embrace her.
   Hold her tight—and be blessed!

 ^19-20 With Lady Wisdom, God formed Earth;
   with Madame Insight, he raised Heaven.
They knew when to signal rivers and springs to the surface,
   and dew to descend from the night skies.

Never Walk Away

 ^21-26 Dear friend, guard Clear Thinking and Common Sense with your life;
   don’t for a minute lose sight of them.
They’ll keep your soul alive and well,
   they’ll keep you fit and attractive.
You’ll travel safely,
   you’ll neither tire nor trip.
You’ll take afternoon naps without a worry,
   you’ll enjoy a good night’s sleep.
No need to panic over alarms or surprises,
   or predictions that doomsday’s just around the corner,
Because God will be right there with you;
   he’ll keep you safe and sound.

 ^27-29 Never walk away from someone who deserves help;
   your hand is God’s hand for that person.
Don’t tell your neighbor “Maybe some other time”
   or “Try me tomorrow”
   when the money’s right there in your pocket.
Don’t figure ways of taking advantage of your neighbor
   when he’s sitting there trusting and unsuspecting.

 ^30-32 Don’t walk around with a chip on your shoulder,
   always spoiling for a fight.
Don’t try to be like those who shoulder their way through life.
   Why be a bully?
“Why not?” you say. Because God can’t stand twisted souls.
   It’s the straightforward who get his respect.

 ^33-35 God‘s curse blights the house of the wicked,
   but he blesses the home of the righteous.
He gives proud skeptics a cold shoulder,
   but if you’re down on your luck, he’s right there to help.
Wise living gets rewarded with honor;
   stupid living gets the booby prize.