December 2, 2025 Morning Devotional
Morning Devotion: Read Proverbs
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. 8 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: 9 For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck. 10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. 11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: 12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: 13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: 14 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: 15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: 16 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood. 17 Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. 18 And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives. 19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.
Job 28:28 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
Job 28:28 correlates with verse seven of our text. Notice, the fear of the Lord, by implication of verse 7 of our text, allows us to receive and understand instruction. Then, beginning in verse 8, instruction is given. God says in verse 7 that fools despise instruction. Are you a fool? Do you despise the instruction of God?
It’s wonderful to see Christians who have received the instruction of God and embraced wisdom; they have a unique continence about them, it is one of trust and satisfaction and without worry and fret. By wisdom they know the Lord and by wisdom they are content in the Lord and His instruction. It is as an ornament of grace that defines them from all others.
In verse 10 the instruction begins. There is a warning against enticement. Enticement is a great motivator to do wrong.
What exactly is enticement? “The act or practice of inciting to evil; instigation; as the enticements of evil companions. Means of inciting to evil; that which seduces by exciting the passions. Flattery often operates as an enticement to sin.” It is an allurement. Webster’s dictionary - 1828. Enticement is nothing more than a temptation to sin.
Back in the days of Rome and the Roman rule, Christians were often pointed out because they would not run with the crowd of the world. They would not participate in sins of Rome. They were different from others because they were Christians and could not be enticed to run with the crowd nor do wrong.
1Peter 4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. 3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: 4 Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:
It has often been said, that one should do right even when the majority is doing wrong. In our modern world, there are movements, philosophies, laws, ordinances, ideologies and a host of others things that entice the majority to follow. The bible helps the born again believer to see through that and motivates us to do right no matter what.
Enticement to do wrong and run with the majority for ill gotten gain is never right, no matter how attractive it is and no matter how many are doing it.
The wisdom of the Lord is found in the word of God. Let me encourage you to read it and know.
The first step toward wisdom is to realize Jesus is the way the truth and the life.
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
The choice is still yours,
Pastor Cook
