Proverbs 2:1-22 (NLT)
1 My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands.
2 Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding.
3 Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding.
4 Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures.
5 Then you will understand what it means to fear the LORD, and you will gain knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.
8 He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him.
9 Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy.
11 Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe.
12 Wisdom will save you from evil people, from those whose words are twisted.
13 These men turn from the right way to walk down dark paths.
14 They take pleasure in doing wrong, and they enjoy the twisted ways of evil.
15 Their actions are crooked, and their ways are wrong.
16 Wisdom will save you from the immoral woman, from the seductive words of the promiscuous woman.
17 She has abandoned her husband and ignores the covenant she made before God.
18 Entering her house leads to death; it is the road to the grave.
19 The man who visits her is doomed. He will never reach the paths of life.
20 So follow the steps of the good, and stay on the paths of the righteous.
21 For only the godly will live in the land, and those with integrity will remain in it.
22 But the wicked will be removed from the land, and the treacherous will be uprooted.
The fear of the Lord that produces wisdom, and the knowledge of God that gives direction and insight for right choices, do not come through a casual acknowledgment of their value. The blessings and benefits found in the way of righteousness are experienced only by those who intentionally and passionately seek after them. Until this pursuit is treasured above the fleeting pleasures of temporary gratification, the necessary investment of time and focus will never be made. A heart that burns for wisdom’s rewards will also burn with devotion to the holy ways of its Provider. When pleasing Him governs every thought embraced and every decision made, the fruit of righteousness and its abundance will naturally follow.
Strategizing, planning, and taking action are necessary, but if they are not first inspired and shaped by the Spirit, those efforts will lack God’s blessing. A heart devoted to knowing and pleasing Him will be led to the places and outcomes that pursuing Him brings.