Proverbs 15:21-24

In Proverbs 15:21-24 Solomon gives us a bit more on those who lack wisdom and live a life of folly. For the fool, their foolishness (folly) is something they take pleasure in. They only hate their folly when they have to pay the bitter consequences of it. Otherwise, it is joy to them.  They have no real sense of what life could be if they lived it based on wisdom. “Folly is a joy to him who lacks sense, but a man of understanding walks straight ahead”. With wisdom, our life is ordered and upright. The wise person finds joy in what is good and upright. It delivers a life based on God’s principles that yield a good return.

Solomon was clear that success in life is not something that happens alone.  We need to be surrounded by wise people. The difference between success and failure can often be found in those who plan with or without counsel. Wisdom understands that other people also have wisdom. I have learned the hard way that one of the best sources of counsel is my spouse.  We need to begin there with every decision. “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed”. Normally there is more insight from many people than from one. Getting many eyes to see and many minds to think about plans can often see those plans established and successful.

When we can help someone else with our wisdom and experience, it is exciting. Right and wise words have the potential and power to bring great joy to one’s self and to others. And they can truly make a difference in the outcome of another person, company or organization. “To make an apt answer is a joy to a man, and a word in season, how good it is”! Saying the right thing at the right time is a real blessing to all. The value in a good word is often not only found in its content, but also in it’s timing. The right word at the right time (in due season) is a powerful force for good. We can all impact those in our patch by sharing what we have learned and know with others.

Time keeps moving, and with it, so does the impact of life. One of the great benefits for a life of wisdom is that, generally, life gets better as the years go on. The progress of their life winds upward and not down; they move from glory to glory. This doesn’t mean a perfect life, or one free from pain or suffering, but a blessed life where God is in complete control. “The path of life leads upward for the prudent, that he may turn away from Sheol beneath”. The progress of a wise life isn’t just in what it heads toward (upward), but also in what it moves away from. Heaven becomes closer and hell becomes further distant behind.