Proverbs 8:1-7 "Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice? On the heights along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand; beside the gates leading into the city, at the entrances, she cries aloud: To you, O men I call out; I raise my voice to all mankind. You, who are simple, gain prudence. You, who are foolish, gain understanding. Listen, for I have worthy things to say; I open my lips to speak what is right. My mouth speaks what is true, for my lips detest wickedness."
Isn’t it funny how prude it sounds to even mention prudence? It is kind of a sad commentary that we have such a knee-jerk revulsion for the word and for the picture that it conjures up inside of us. Of all the discussion and devotional concepts, ideas and interested topics we have covered so far, and frankly all those to come, this topic is the most obviously contrary to current trends. I’m sure we almost all will agree that we live in a world which promotes the following beliefs to every one of us, all the time.
They are:
Go for it!
Try It!
Don't hold back!
Be all you can be!
Do it now!
You must have it!
Bigger is better!
More is better!
Get it now!
We should not confuse these zealous exhortations for the right to be imprudent. We are so bent on self-fulfillment and self-expression, that we often do irrational, inconsiderate, selfish, foolish, and stupid things. The best teaching model of prudence that I can give you is the following little test. It is a simple test, but profound lessons can be learned that will illustrate our lack of prudence. Everybody can do this…. Uhhhh….. maybe with a little help.
Pick an order of the following three words based on how that order best fits the way you usually function when making decisions.
The three words: Feel, Think, and Act. Which order represents you?
• Feel, Think, Act
• Feel, Act, Think
• Think, Feel, Act
• Think, Act, Feel
• Act, Think, Feel
• Act, Feel, Think
Of those six choices, only one is prudent. I'm not going to give you the prudent answer in this devotional, but I will give you a couple of clues to help you. Should our decisions be made based on feelings, actions, or thinking? What should you do first and what should you do last, and in-between? I want to encourage you, as friends, to seriously discuss why we make decisions the way we do. Herein is the key to prudence. I'll reflect on the “right” answer in another devotional sometime soon. I hope you keep reading. Until then!
Many blessings,
Pastor Fred
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Hmmmm....intriguing little exercise you've presented - my attention has officially been captured. I look forward to reading the upcoming answer :)
ReplyDeletePersonally, I intially responded in my own mind with "feel, think, act" as an accurate description of my own overall decision making process. However, was I actually "feeling" first or was I "thinking" first, and is there always a clearly drawn line between the two?
Yes, I think there is such a line, but now I wonder whether or not it's even possible to "think" unless we've first "felt." Do not our thoughts arise from what we first "feel?" Conversely, I now "feel" utterly confused by what I've been "thinking." From that, it would seem "think" preceded "feel" which would negate the conclusion that we are unable to "think" unless we've first "felt." So - I now "feel" the need to rest my cluttered mind from "thinking" anymore on this topic. I eagerly await the upcoming entry that holds the answer!
Thanks for sharing - my mind needed a good exercise!