Title

The Wise Know That They Are Not

Scripture
Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
(Proverbs 26:12)
Devotional
If you know that you are righteous, spiritual, or wise, most likely you are not. Godliness is always accompanied by humility, mercy and faith. When you get to a point in your life that there is no one who can teach you or that there is no one who knows what you know, you have arrived to the level of a fool. Think about the apostle Paul’s proclamation, “O wretched man that I am!”(1) John the Baptist’s declaration, “He must increase, but I must decrease,”(2) or Solomon’s pronouncement, “I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.”(3) If these people did not see themselves as wise in their own eyes, where should that leave us? There is only one “know-it-all,” and you and I are not Him. If you know a self-proclaimed wise man or woman, avoid them. If you find yourself proclaiming to be somebody who you are not, change.

(1) Romans 7:24, (2) John 3:30, (3) 1 Kings 3:7
Text For The Day
Proverbs 26:12: Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
Thought For The Day
“The deceptiveness of pride is that it is founded on good things.” Tony Foglio, Founding Pastor of Sonrise Community Church.
Questions To Ponder
·         Is pride the sinister sister of faith?
·         Is not wisdom something we possess, rather than something we are?
·         How would you define: wisdom, pride, and faith?  
Morning Study Guide
Defining:  “In his own eyes”: Self esteem, ego, self-worth, quite simply how one perceives his or herself. Usually we are the opposite of what we think we are.
 
Referencing: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’” Luke 18:10-13
 
Applying: Focus on Christ and others and you will not wrongly see yourself in your own eyes.