Don’t be a wise guy

“Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.”
-Proverbs 3:7

As I get older, I’m losing that urge to tell people about what’s going on in my life. I still do, to an extent, because it’s important for Christians to pray for one another, but I’m much more selective about the people I tell. In the past, I’d talk a lot about this stuff, mainly because I wanted to connect with people, I wanted to feel like I was with the crowd.

Now, not so much.

The reason I’ve cut down on that so much is because everyone feels like it is very, very important to give me their advice. And I wouldn’t mind so much if the advice were at all worthwhile. It usually isn’t.

Of course, we give advice (even when it is not sought) because we think we know everything. We wouldn’t say so in as many words, but think about it. How often do you give advice? How often do you TAKE it? Chances are, you give advice a lot more than you take it, because you think you’re all that. Me too.

There are few things more annoying in life than the person who really thinks he knows everything. You know the one. The person who is always telling the teacher he’s wrong. The person who has never read the Bible, and yet will openly declare that the pastor was wrong in the sermon. Who keeps talking in the meeting so much that it lasts two hours when it was supposed to take one. Who keeps calling every day to tell you how to deal with your wife, and then complains when you didn’t follow his advice.

Solomon has been telling us in the last few verses to not trust our own understanding, but to lean upon the Lord. What it comes down to is this: “Be not wise in your own eyes.”

Why not? Because the person who thinks he needs to be heard is not apt to listen.

God wants to guide us. He wants to lead us and keep our paths straight. He wants to teach us righteousness and make us more like Him. To this end He sent His only Son, Jesus, to earth to teach us, counsel us, exhort us, and die for us. In our foolishness we have sinned, and we deserve death because of it, but God loved us so much that He sent Jesus to die in our place.

If we are so full of our own supposed wisdom, we will never see our own fallen state. But let’s face it. We’ll all wrong more than we’re right. We all walk down the wrong paths every day. We’re all consumed in greed, lust, selfishness, and pride. Pride, probably most of all. We all think the world needs to know what we have to say.

But if we turn away from that, repent of those sins, and believe in Jesus, we will be saved. In salvation we will be given the Holy Spirit, who is sent to instruct and guide us. To help us be wise, in other words.

Wisdom comes from God, not ourselves. The wisdom of the world has produced misery, death, war, famine, poverty, and hatred. The wisdom of God leads to life eternal.

The Bible tells us that if we lack wisdom, we should go to god in faith and ask. He does not withhold wisdom. If you would repent and believe in Jesus, then go to Him. Your prayer doesn’t have to be fancy. You don’t have to use “thee” and “thou.” Just talk to Him. Believe, and you will find wisdom.