Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31 (NRSV)
Read Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31 on biblegateway.com
Verse 22The Lord created me at the beginning
Verse 2On the heights, beside the way,
Verse 3beside the gates in front of the town,
Verse 4"To you, O people, I call,
Verse 23Ages ago I was set up,
Verse 24When there were no depths I was brought forth,
Verse 25Before the mountains had been shaped,
Verse 26when he had not yet made earth and fields,
Verse 27When he established the heavens, I was there,
Verse 28when he made firm the skies above,
Verse 29when he assigned to the sea its limit,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
Verse 30then I was beside him, like a master worker;
and I was daily his
Verse 31rejoicing in his inhabited world
Devotion
What is wisdom? It’s “street smarts” versus “book smarts”. It’s how God brings structure into a chaotic world in Genesis 1. There are structures to how life operates. Live within those structures and you have a good chance of living a happy life—though the story of Job raises some serious questions about such thinking. It’s why God gave the Ten Commandments to be a kind of security fence around the playground. Stay within the fence, and you can have an enjoyable time. Get outside the fence, and problems arise. The Apostle Paul describes this reality in Romans 7:21: “When I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand!” Finally, he exclaims, “Wretched person that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” And knows the answer, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (7:24-25)
Remember your baptism; you are in Jesus’ arms—forever.
Prayer
Jesus, as in your parable, you loved both the Prodigal and Elder sons. Thank you for loving us, now, and forever. Amen.
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