Proverbs 5:7-10 

⁷Now then, my sons, listen to me; do not turn aside from what I say. ⁸Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house, ⁹lest you lose your honor to others and your dignity to one who is cruel, ¹⁰lest strangers feast on your wealth and your toil enrich the house of another.

Prodigal Son

Many individuals saved money just to spend it on Christmas season. It is very timely to be reminded of the reckless and wasteful expenditure of the Prodigal son. The Prodigal son wasted his inheritance in wild living. Practically, he proved that prodigal expenditure is foolishness. With wisdom, we choose the admirable path of dignity.

The Lord won’t stop anyone to spend their money in whatever pleases them. God patiently waits for us to return to him, just as the father waited for his son. The father did not stop him when his son left and prodigally spent his inheritance in wild living.

Is it considered as prodigal if we spend hard earned money in luxurious travel, leisure and pleasure? It is our right to spend our money in any manner we desire. God won’t stop how we may spend our money. Moreover, he still patiently waits for us to realize that it is far satisfying to spend time with the Lord more than anywhere else.

Pertaining to the Prodigal Son, it narrated in Luke 15:17-20: ¹⁷When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ ²⁰So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

The story teaches that life with God is abundance. It also requires godly wisdom to realize that wild living causes starvation, even spiritually. Many Christians have not experienced fullness of life in Christ yet, why? They may have disregarded and failed to listen when the Lord talked to them. Why do we ignore God when he speaks to us?

When we hear a command, we sense some sort of pressure. Instinctively, we resist godly commands. But God won’t force anyone to accomplish his commands.

God had already prepared blessings for obedience. What practical steps should we take then? The commands of the Lord take us there. But we need godly wisdom to acknowledge that and obey him. We must listen carefully to his instructions.

1.  Listen

⁷Now then, my sons, listen to me; do not turn aside from what I say. ⁸Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house,

When it instructed, “My sons, listen to me,” can you accept that God our Father is talking to us as his sons and daughters? Godly commands are not meant for anyone who can read it. The commands of God are given to his sons and daughters. Are you a son of God? Are you a daughter of God?

If we say that God is our heavenly Father, our personal reflection is: “Am I worthy to be called child of God? Do I attentively listen to God my Father?” If we are his children, we are obligated to listen to God our Father, right? If so, and if, we treasure God as Father, we should attentively listen to God when he speaks.

Children of God Almighty: Listen carefully and attentively! Turning aside from what the Lord says implies no regard, no care of our relationship with God as our Father. Our heavenly Father wants each of us, his children, to have dignified life. But how?

If we listen attentively, it implies that we desire his loving ways. We regard his godly path of dignity. God knows everything. He can see future struggles and problems if we follow our natural instinct. His ways are best choice to dignified life.

God warns against unfaithfulness to him. Unfaithfulness to him is compared to sexual immorality. Many men fall into the trap of sexual immorality when they delight in sweet and smooth flattery words of adulterous women. Beware of flattery. It’s a trap!

Good Job!

One of the most overused phrases of appreciation is “Good Job!” When parents say “Good Job!” to everything their children do, don’t they just flatter their children?

It is good to appreciate what others do, but it is also helpful to give accurate comment. Accordingly, experts have higher standards. It is not easy to please them.

A TV show featured a writer critic who visits several coffee shops within a day and then writes his comments, critics and recommendations. At one time, he was banned from a certain coffee shop, not because of his accurate criticism. He was not very discreet in his manner. When he was allowed, he visited the same coffee shop.

He indiscreetly criticized not just the coffee he drinks but even costumers who were drinking coffee. An employee was surprised that his manager was not annoyed. The boss admitted that the writer critic made accurate assessment. The writer critic was banned from the café again because his behavior caused costumers to leave the café.

Sadly, some church attendees are offended even by constructive criticism. They may prefer flattery. It has warned in 2 Timothy 4:3, ³For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

The Book of proverb is not feel-good poetry; it is wisdom book that teaches path to dignity. Godly wisdom helps us to be faithful to the Lord and not lose our dignity.

2.  Lose

⁹lest you lose your honor to others and your dignity to one who is cruel, ¹⁰lest strangers feast on your wealth and your toil enrich the house of another.

As it happened in all generation, sexual immorality destroys dignity and one may lose respect of others. Some people lost some wealth as compensation to immorality.

Many people think they are Christians but they ignore words of wisdom from the Lord; that is not glorious. If believers don’t seek wisdom from God, that’s foolishness.

Does our pride cause us not to admit our limitation? Nobody can remember the word of God always. It is very helpful to read his words often and listen carefully to him. When God speaks, do you always hear the message he wants you to obey?

Magi

Let’s learn again from the wise men from the east. It says in Matthew 2:8-12: ⁸Herod sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” ⁹After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. ¹²And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Were the Magi properly called wise men because they discerned which voice they had obeyed? King Herod told them to report to him what they might find out. But when the wise men warned in a dream, they followed another path and avoided Herod.

We cannot control what we may hear, but with wisdom we follow dignified life. Many listeners are quick to say, “I am blessed?” after they hear sweet-talking preachers.

Here’s a warning in  Romans 16:17-18: ¹⁷Watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. ¹⁸For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.

When you hear a message and you feel good, do you readily conclude that you were blessed? Our human instinct wants to hear feel good speeches. Our human nature resists godly messages instinctively. We resist change of our behavior and attitude; we reject conviction from the word of God. When God speaks, we do not feel good. So, if human nature resists when God speaks, how could we easily say we are blessed?

Listen: If you say you are blessed after hearing the word of God, you are tempted not to aspire for the greater blessings that the Lord prepared for obedience to him.   If the Lord inspired you by to take the path of dignity, you may silently keep that to yourselves until you have obeyed and personally proven that his word is true.

Did Christ say that we are blessed when we hear him speak? He had declared in Luke 11:28, ²⁸Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.

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