8 Benefits of a Prudent Life & How You Can Have Them
TODAY’S PROVERB: At the end of your life, you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent—and you will say, “How I hated discipline! How my heart spurned reproof!” Proverbs 5:11-12
Here’s another “blink”* proverb. Tucked within a chapter on seduction, we find several verses that deal with prudence.
A prudent person is someone who acts or shows care and thought for the future. Given the first verse, we see that as this poor soul approaches the end of their life, there’s a lot of moaning and groaning due to foolish choices made over a lifetime.
What would a prudent lifestyle look like? Some of the choices that reflect prudence are:
- understanding ourselves
- understanding people and situations
- discernment in dealing with people and situations
- ability to accept correction
- accountability
- restraint
- discipline of our mind and body
- an ability to foresee an action’s outcome
These may seem like “spiritual” gifts, but according to Proverbs, they are merely the fruits of living a wise life:
Proverbs 1: 1-6: The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
- to acquire wisdom and discipline,
- to understand the words of insight,
- to receive instruction in wise behavior,
- righteousness, justice and fairness,
- to give discernment to the naïve,
- knowledge and discretion to the youth
- (let the wise listen and increase learning
and the discerning obtain wise counsel)
- to understand a proverb and a puzzle,
- the sayings of the wise and their riddles.
Proverbs 2: 1-17 goes into even greater detail of the benefits of pursuing our Heavenly Father’s wisdom.
Today’s proverb exhorts us to focus on exercising prudence in our own life so that we don’t end up like the poor soul in this chapter.
How to do that is not some great mystery. It’s clearly delineated in Proverbs and related portions of Scripture. We really are equipped with an owner’s operating manual for living a life as a follower of Jesus and the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
As the years tally in my life, I realize there were decisions I’ve made in the past that weren’t prudent and I’m paying the price today.
However, just as important, there are decisions I make today that can alter the future outcome of some of those poor decisions. From wearing sensible shoes, to how I spend my time and resources each day, to walking wisdom’s journey, to my relationship with the Lord and others, I can make prudent choices that make a difference in my life. Maybe even with a bit less moaning and groaning.
May we live a prudent life, my friends.
Proverbs 5:11-12 Tree of Life Bible Society, Tree of Life Version – TLV, #tlvbible, #tlvproverbs
*A “blink” proverb is a proverb that on the surface, we don’t believe applies to us or is relevant for today. However, on closer reflection, there are significant insights and wisdom for us. Thanks to Dr. Raleigh Washington for the great analogy.
