Great Plains Daily Devotional for 2/19/2020

Proverbs 2:1-15

My son, accept my words and store up my commands.
Turn your ear toward wisdom, and stretch your mind toward understanding.
Call out for insight, cry aloud for understanding.
Seek it like silver; for it like hidden treasure.
Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and discover the knowledge of God.
The LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
He reserves ability for those with integrity. He is a shield for those who live a blameless life.
He protects the paths of justice guards the way of those who are loyal to him.
Then you will understand righteousness and justice, as well as integrity, every good course.
Wisdom will enter your mind, and knowledge will fill you with delight. Discretion will guard you; understanding will protect you. Wisdom will rescue you from the evil path, from people who twist their words.
They forsake the way of integrity go on obscure paths.
They enjoy doing evil, rejoicing in their twisted evil.
Their paths are confused; they get lost on their way.

People who know me are fully aware that I’m a “Star Trek” nerd. Actually, I’m into most things labeled science fiction. But “Star Trek” has always held a special place in my heart. Part of it is the logic shared by Mr. Spock.

In the last movie with the original cast, “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country,” Spock has an exchange with a confused younger Vulcan named Valeris. Spock is trying to explain how to sort things out in what the movie portrays as a particularly puzzling time. The line goes something like: “Logic, logic, logic. Logic is the beginning of wisdom, Valeris, not the end.”

Wisdom. Logic may start it, but how do we truly obtain it? The teacher in Proverbs 2 offers up one solution. The teacher implores the student to “turn your ear toward wisdom, and stretch your mind toward understanding.”

In other words, we have to seek out wisdom. We have to be willing to stretch our minds to find it. And stretching our minds means we have to exercise our brains. Seeking wisdom without effort is — and I think Spock would agree with me on this — illogical.

So, how do we seek wisdom? Verse 6 tells us that “The Lord gives wisdom; form his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” God gives us wisdom through God’s Word, that is the lessons taught by Jesus and the words contained in scripture.

It seems simple, but it’s all about reading the Bible, and doing so regularly so you can gain perspective, discern what is written and reason for yourself what God is telling you through

those words. Put simply: You can’t gain wisdom about God without spending time with God, in the scriptures provided to us.

Lent begins in one short week. Often we talk about giving something up for Lent — usually something bad for us like sugar, soda or smoking. Why not this year add something, such as a reading plan for scripture each day during the Lenten journey toward the cross.

As verse 10 says, “Wisdom will enter your mind, and knowledge will fill you with delight.”

Sounds logical to me.

— Todd Seifert, director of communications

tseifert@greatplainsumc.org

Prayer for Reflection