Posted on 05/27/2019 6:25:27 AM PDT by Pilgrim's Progress
“A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished” (Proverbs 27:12).
The definition of prudence is “seeing things in advance.” It is being concerned with, and dealing with, future results, sowing and reaping and so forth and so on. That's all a prudent man is. Before he does things, or says things, he is concerned about what effect it will have on his future, and somebody else’s future. A prudent teenager would not post something silly on Facebook that will keep him from ever getting hired by a decent company. He looks at how it's going to come out. He's got the long view, and not the short view.
Some people are only concerned in what they can get today. Bob Jones Sr. said, “Never sacrifice the permanent on the altar of the immediate.” In other words, don't throw away the future just for a thrill today. That's not a prudent man. That's a simple person. Solomon says, “The simple pass on, and are punished.” They don't see the result of what they're doing, they don't want to see it. They're just so wrapped up in what they're doing they don't want to see the punishment, the result, the judgment that will come upon them.
The prudent man hides himself from all that. That's a great passage! See, all it’s saying there is that a prudent man understands the law of sowing and reaping. And a simple do not understand that what you do today can affect you for bad tomorrow.
Be careful! Be cautious! Do not get surprised! What could happen that might hurt you? Optimism is risky; pessimism is safe. Learn wisdom. Prudent men look ahead and adjust their lives to avoid loss, pain, or trouble. Wise men are vigilant to spot changes coming that could cost them, and so they avoid them. Foolish men live day by day without regard to the future and get caught by life’s frequent changes, and so they are hurt by them.
Do you believe most of what you hear or read? Are you decisive and opinionated? Be careful! Wise men are cautious, critical, pessimistic, and skeptical about unproven assertions or situations. They do not believe all they hear or read, and they do not make decisions without carefully analyzing possible danger (Proverbs 14:15). Only foolish simpletons naively view the future and rush forward optimistically. And they get punished for it.
Let’s read a chapter of Proverbs a day and see what God might have for us. As the Lord leads, share with us what God has shown you in a special way and by His grace let us build up a devotional repository. Let’s keep our knives and forks handy for some daily bread!
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By the love and grace of God I have become far more prudent . Thank you for posting Gods word Pilgrim !
You are most welcome, mythenjoseph. It is a true joy to receive such positive comments as yours.
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