Proverbs 9:11-12 (ESV)
11 For by me your days will be multiplied,
and years will be added to your life.
12 If you are wise, you are wise for yourself;
if you scoff, you alone will bear it.
Not only is it wise to enter a relationship with wisdom; it is necessary. Wisdom promises life. As Deuteronomy 11:19-21 makes clear, those who love and follow God’s word will flourish. They will make better decisions, spared from many of the consequences of sinful choices and the lingering scars of regret. The fruit of wisdom is a spiritually rich life, but it must be pursued with intention.
If you are wise, you are wise for yourself. Wisdom benefits you. You will be blessed by it, for she brings her own reward. This is a personal choice. You see what wisdom teaches in the word of God, and her path lies clearly before you. Will you step onto it, or remain where you are, assuming you know better than the one who was there at creation? No one is keeping you from becoming wise but you, and you are the one who stands to gain from submitting to wisdom.
But if you scoff, you alone will bear it. If you reject wisdom, you will suffer the consequences. There is no one else to blame. You cannot point to your parents, your spouse, or your circumstances as an excuse for rejecting wisdom’s call. If you refuse to yield to her, the responsibility is yours, and so is the outcome. You will answer individually for your life before God, and the one who ultimately loses by rejecting wisdom is you.
Wisdom offers herself to all. She blesses those who receive her and stands against those who reject her. We are given one life, and what we choose now will echo into eternity. Once God brings our days to an end, there are no second chances. We will live forever with the consequences of what we did here. Nothing this world offers is worth more than living according to wisdom.
What are you putting off that you already know is right? Is it opening God’s word consistently, choosing to listen to him instead of filling your mind with everything else? Is it addressing a strained relationship, choosing humility and forgiveness instead of letting distance or frustration grow? Is it turning from a pattern you know is sin, even if it feels normal or comfortable in your environment? Do not wait. Turn from what you know is wrong and step into what God has made clear. The path is set before you. Walk in it today.