“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.” (Proverbs 3:7-8)
It’s not that you and I don’t have any of our own wisdom apart from God. We do. It is based on our unique perspective of the world. Our experiences. Our point of view. And God tells us not to trust any of that.
Wow, is that a different message from what the rest of the world tells us. “Trust yourself.” “Don’t let anyone tell you that what you have to offer isn’t valuable.” And then God says, “Don’t be wise in your own eyes.” Your perspective isn’t reliable.
How much humility does it take to trust God’s perspective instead of mine? (Hint: Lots!) That’s what “fear the Lord” means. Whenever my POV doesn’t line up with his – his wins. Period. If I go my way, I go the wrong way.
The payoff here is that God’s way leads to a healthy life. Mine — when it’s different from his — leads to sin. And sin breaks things (including my mental, emotional, and physical health). Why not trust his eyes, instead?
Think: Has anyone ever given you the exact opposite advice from this, telling you to trust your own wisdom first in life? What’s wrong with that idea?
Pray: Ask God to help you not to be wise in your own eyes, but to fear him and shun evil.
Do: Ask a wise friend to tell you about a time with they trusted their own perspective and made a foolish choice. Or did the opposite.