Proverbs 2:10-11

¹⁰ For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. ¹¹ Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.

It’s my choice!

In life, knowingly or unknowingly, we have choices. We choose what’s beneficial.

How do you make choices that would be favorable to your lifestyle eventually?

Someone confidently said: “It’s my life; it’s my choice. Where I’m happy, I will go. What I think best for me, I will do.” And, that was how a very promising young person decided; he pursued what he thought to be the best path for his lifestyle. He quit school and went on to work for minimum wage to support his lifestyle. But few years later, he realized that his salary cannot sustain a freewheeling lifestyle that he desire to have.

In every generation, the enticement of freewheeling lifestyle is attractive among independent thinkers: they want to follow their natural instinct; they resist disciplines; they abhor rules; they just want to be master and the captain of their soul. Little did they know that the inclination of the human heart is not always beneficial eternally.

King David personally confessed his wickedness in Psalm 51:5, ⁵Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

David was the greatest king of Israel, but human instinct caused him to sin. He’s very humble to admit and confess his sin. To admit and confess our sin is a regenerating work of the Holy Spirit of God. It is advantageous for us to be repentant. Really? Why? When we confess our sin, we also made a choice of a lifestyle pleasant to God.

1.  Please

¹⁰ For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

Can you personally sense it, if you are pleased with your life? Of course! Soul is part of our inner being where we sense desire, passion, appetite, emotion; it is part of us that desires to be pleased or satisfied. Everyone will certainly desire to have pleasant life. Who won’t? But, how do we make a choice that may result to pleasant lifestyle?

We believe God gave us life; therefore, only God knows how we can be pleased. God loved us; he wants us to be satisfied; so, he gives wisdom to anyone who asked him. With godly wisdom and knowledge, we follow that which gives contentment in life.

Godly knowledge is not simply collection of information; it involves meditation and choices of things that God prescribes. Relatively, godly wisdom is skillful application of godly knowledge in godly manners and results to please the soul subsequently.

Godly wisdom has done its part in us whenever we choose what God prescribes. Whatever may happen, there are no worries at all; we can sense tranquility of the heart.

Have you been pressured by friends, relatives or acquaintances, lately?

Possibly, you just want to please them to get their support, when you need them.

You may expect times that you cannot control and may find yourself seeking their help.

King David

King David chose to do what’s right in the eyes of God. With godly wisdom and knowledge, he defeated all his enemies. Before David was installed as king of Israel, King Saul tried to kill David several times because he very envious of David’s popularity. It says in 1 Samuel 24:2-7, ²Saul took 3,000 able young men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats. ³He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave. ⁴The men said, “This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. ⁵Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. ⁶He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.” ⁷With these words David sharply rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.

King Saul was trying to kill David, but David did not want to harm Saul. When David cut off a corner of Saul’s robe, he was conscience-stricken; he felt so bad. David may have interpreted that it was not pleasant to the Lord for him to kill King Saul.

The men of David were loyal to him; they helped him win battles. But when they instigated him to kill Saul, David rebuked them not to touch the Lord’s anointed. When David was conscience-stricken and didn’t harm King Saul, godly wisdom was functional in his decision. Whenever he decides, David considered things that God had prescribed.

Praise to the Lord was culmination of his choices. It says in Psalm 18:1-3, ¹I love you, Lord, my strength. ²The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. ³I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies.

Pleasant life should cause us to praise and thank God. With godly wisdom and understanding, we make godly decisions that protect us from undesirable situations.

2.  Protect

¹¹ Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.

Discretion is personal choice, decision or judgment of action or speech. With godly wisdom, we choose things favorable to us. Choice of speech or language keeps us from undesirable condemnation or accusation of affected individuals. With godly understanding, we decide on things that promotes our safety and tranquility in life.

Peaceful life is pleasant and desirable more than abundance of materialism, right?

King Nebuchadnezzar

Most often, we are envious of rich and famous celebrities; we assume that they have enjoyable lifestyle. Prosperity, popularity and power are three common goals that most individuals may pursue in their life; they are useful but cannot dictate pleasant life.

After King Nebuchadnezzar conquered the world, he was very prosperous, and powerful. And because of that, he claimed in Daniel 4:30-32, ³⁰“Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” ³¹Even as the words were on his lips, a voice came from heaven, “This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you.  ³²You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes.”

Truly, whatever the Lord declares, it happens. Nebuchadnezzar lost his sanity but after he raised his eyes toward heaven, the Lord restored his sanity and throne. He became even greater than before and he praised and exalted the Lord Most high.

The experience of the proud King Nebuchadnezzar is not very desirable. We can’t control our future; but with godly wisdom and understanding, we can have pleasant life even when expectation fails and even when friends and relatives turn their backs to us.

What unpleasant experience did you go through lately? Are you anxious about it?

It says in Philippians 4:6-9, ⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ⁸Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

You’ll certainly sense peace whenever God is active in your heart. It is advisable to pray earnestly when making decisions that involve other people because you cannot control results. Nevertheless, if you believe that your decision is right and pleasant to the Lord, his peace – the fruit of his Holy Spirit – will guard your heart and mind, and you will praise and thank him and not waste time complaining or arguing for preferred result.

With godly wisdom we can choose whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy. Those are open secret to pleasant lifestyle!

Pray for increase of faith when asking God for wisdom and understanding.

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