R³ Devotional - Day 168

The book of Proverbs offers insightful wisdom scenarios that we can learn from and easily apply to our lives. When we examine Chapter 26 in our reading for today, we see a detailed description of what a fool looks like.
I want us to go to verses 11 and 12 of this chapter. There is a harsh image comparing a fool to a dog that returns to his vomit. Though it’s harsh, it’s true. The writer is trying to make a point that going back to things that are not good for us is just foolish; however, it seems that we do that more often than we think.

I believe the next verse is the cause of that foolishness. It says: Do you see a man who is wise  in his own eyes?” That is the main reason I believe we go back to what is bad for us, because we believe we know best.
The writer here just wants to remind us that we should not be going back to the places that  God has already taken us out of. When we go back, it is probably because we are trusting more in our judgment than what God has to say about it.

There is a beautiful hymn that describes this: “I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back,  no turning back.”

Real: Life Principles  

• A fool is a person who goes back to the things that God rescued them from. A wise man is a person who follows what God wants him to do.
  
  
• Believing that we know better, that we are wiser than what God has to say, can lead to a road of destruction.  

Relevant: Life Applications 

• We need to examine ourselves, are we being fools in going back to things that God has already taken us out of?
  
  
• Let’s ask ourselves, are we following God’s will or our will? Once you are honest with that, we can be sure if we are on the right path. 

Ready: Life Action Steps

• Do not go back to the old habits, to the old way of thinking, to the things that made you a slave of sin. God has already delivered you from that; let’s live a new life in Christ.
  
  
• Memorize Proverbs 3:5: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own  understanding.”