Experience is a great teacher.
“Buy the truth and do not sell it – wisdom, instruction and insight as well.” Proverbs 23:23 NIV.
My thoughts and comments today are that,
“Life Provides Experience.”
You are not born with knowledge and understanding. You came into the world with a blank slate – a book of unwritten pages waiting to tell your story, as you learn and grow. That book of life lessons will become the story of your life, the sum of knowledge that you daily accumulate through your willingness and ability to listen and learn.
Truth is written on your heart by your Creator, but life, and the shared knowledge, and understanding from others will help you to discover and grow in wisdom. The Apostle Paul wrote of, “The law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness.” Romans 2:15 NKJV.
While listening for His voice, you must learn to look within to reveal truth which resides in the depth of your heart, pure and undeceived. Isaiah wrote, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it.’” Isaiah 30:21 NIV. Do not minimize the voice of the Holy Spirit.
God made this world, with wonders unexplainable apart from its Creator. David must have marveled as he wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.” Read Psalm 19:1-6 NIV.
The problem is not a lack of knowledge and understanding being available; that is ample, even abundant. God has given the Bible, His record of truth and wisdom, to be food for your mind and soul, as well as direction for your life. David was confident, “Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light for my path.” Read Psalm 119:97-106 NIV. God has also given you the promise of the Holy Spirit Who will reside within those who receive, welcome, and obey Him. Jesus promised His disciples – and you, “When He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth.” John 16:13 NIV. All the above prepare you to live wisely.
Valuable truth abounds. That is found where you translate what you have seen and heard into what you will believe with conviction and certainty. Life dispenses knowledge to those who desire it, and to those who will hear and embrace it. The most valuable truth to learn is this: keep God front and center in all ways at all times. From life you gain experience, some pleasant and others not so much. There is a price for experience. There is a wealth that comes with experience.
And that price can be costly. “Buy the truth and do not sell it – wisdom, instruction and insight as well.” Proverbs 23:23 NIV. There often is a price to be paid, but one well worth paying. From every experience you can learn something useful, but that does not happen automatically. You cannot avoid every mistake, but you can reduce their frequency, grow from them, and avoid making the same ones again.
Experience is a great teacher, a path to understanding if you will choose to learn its lessons. “Tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Read Proverbs 5:3-5 NKJV. People have experiences everyday; not everyone considers and evaluates their lessons in order to learn from them. Be one person who learns, and lives more wisely. It is sad to see people who spend their lifetimes making the same mistakes, with ever greater costs to themselves and others. Don’t let that be said of you.
Today I pray for you to always view life through adherence to God’s truth.
Christian Communications 2018
Website and archives: allenrandolph.com