TODAY IS…

the day to see the nose on your face.

“If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.”  Proverbs 9:12 NLT

The truth of Proverbs 9:12 should be obvious to us all. Who can argue with the fact that people benefit from wisdom? It would be difficult to argue with the second part as well. After all, it just stands to reason that if we can benefit from wisdom then scorning it will only hurt us.

It is as plain as the nose on your face, right?

It is obvious. It is common sense. But it was Voltaire who pointed out that, “Common sense is not so common.” He made that observation in 1764 and demonstrated that he was wise, indeed.

Wisdom never gets old or goes out of style. It is something that should be sought after and the thought of scorning it should not even enter our minds. The acquiring of wisdom can only improve the quality of our lives, especially when it is the wisdom of God. The fact that there are those who would scorn it, or scoff at it, makes no sense.

Enter Voltaire again.

The Book of Proverbs is full of wisdom that should be devoured and absorbed with enthusiasm and avarice. We can close our eyes and let our fingers drop to any point in Proverbs and, when we open our eyes, discover something that is worth understanding and that can enhance our lives, or make us just a little wiser.

Much of what we can discover in Proverbs will strike us as being incredibly simple and easy to understand. No one ever said wisdom was complicated. Much of what we can discover will appear to be very obvious. No one ever said wisdom was hidden away and required special skills or tools to acquire.

Sometimes it is as plain as the nose on your face.

For instance, “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” (Proverbs 14:23 NIV).

Certainly there is nothing complicated, complex or convoluted about this statement, but we all probably know someone who is all talk and no action. Hopefully that person doesn’t stare at us when we look in a mirror.

Like all things of value, wisdom requires a little bit of work to acquire, but locating a great source to use for discovering it is as easy as picking up our Bible. While Proverbs itself is focused on wisdom, the entire Bible contains wisdom in great abundance. When we pray to God to help us in our search, and pick up the Book containing His Word, we are exercising common sense, doing something that should be obvious.

And it is as plain as the nose on your face.

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Taken from “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”, (C) 2013 Tony Casson