Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking Him to meet with you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to heed a warning. The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom. I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king’s successor. There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
– Ecclesiastes 4:13-16
Devotion
In Matthew 7, Jesus concluded His Sermon on the Mount with a parable about heeding his instruction. Those who hear and put His words into practice are like a wise man who builds his house upon a bed stone of rock. Those who listen but do not put His words into practice are like a foolish man who builds his house on the shifting sand. Both types of people hear the instruction. The difference between the two is that one puts the teaching into practice. This is the same difference between the old king and the youth in this passage from Ecclesiastes. The foolish king hears the warning and yet keeps doing the same things, so he loses the loyalty of his subjects regardless of his birthright to the throne. The wise young man listens to the warning and re-aligns his life accordingly, becoming a powerful leader who usurps the king despite his lowly past.
The Big Question
What advice or warning are you currently receiving that you need to follow? What is the biggest obstacle for you to put this into practice? What is at stake if you do? What is at stake if you don’t?
Close your time with Jesus asking him to give you the grace, courage, and strength to follow Him today.