One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil. – Proverbs 14:16
It is nearly impossible to make a cross-country drive without encountering at least one detour. Sometimes, they are only a few hundred yards, but other times, a detour can take you a long way from the highway you had planned to take. You might see a detour as a way of taking a slightly longer time to reach a destination or you may look at it as someplace where discoveries are made that you would not have seen any other way.
A detour sign is also a warning that, if you try to stay on the road you’re traveling, there could be perils ahead. God’s Word is filled with directions and warnings, such as the one in today’s verse, which can be like detour signs. A wise person is curious but also cautious, realizing that curiosity by itself, without guidance from the truths of Scripture, can be dangerous. So, the curious but wise person is aware that there could be pitfalls and turns away from evil—the wise person obeys the detour sign!
When feel curiosity about what may lie behind current events or about new ideologies, check what you are discovering against Scripture. See if it aligns with the pathway God has laid before you to avoid the traps that the devil has hidden. Stay close to your Savior and Guide. Intercede for officials in government to learn the will of God and turn from evil. Pray for those who are sharing the truth and holding up the warning signs.
Today’s Verse: Proverbs 14:16
One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil,
but a fool is reckless and careless.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Recommended for further reading: Romans 12:1-12
12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
