We have choices in the way we live our lives. We can live in ways that will bring commendations our way, or we can live in ways that make others despise us.
Proverbs 12: 8
8 A man will be commended according to his wisdom,
But he who is of a perverse heart will be despised.
Here are the definitions of the main words in today’s Bible verse as found in the Online Dictionary:
commended: To express approval of; praise.
according: 1. To grant, especially as being due or appropriate 2. To bestow upon
perverse: 1. Directed away from what is right or good; perverted. 2. Obstinately persisting in an error or fault; wrongly self-willed or stubborn. 3. Marked by a disposition to oppose and contradict. 4. Cranky; peevish.
heart: 1. Emotional constitution, basic disposition, or character 2. The most important or essential part
despised: 1. To regard with contempt or scorn 2. To dislike intensely; loathed 3. To regard as unworthy of one's interest or concern
As we have seen in past studies, we gain wisdom as we study God’s ways and live according to His precepts. He also promises to give us wisdom if we ask for it. When we do these things, we become more and more like Him, taking on many of His attributes. The wiser we get, the more we realize that God is the one that helps us to become more and more like Him and we can’t take the credit for it.
Today’s verse tells us that we will receive approval or have praise granted to, or bestowed upon, us in accordance with the amount of wisdom that our lives show, but those whose most important or essential disposition or character is perverted, contradictory, wrongly self-willed, stubborn, cranky or peevish will be regarded by others as contemptible. They will end up being disliked, loathed, or regarded as unworthy of interest or concern by others.
We have the choice to turn to God and study His ways to become wise and receive approval, or to continue to live in self-willed stubborn ways, and end up becoming contemptible.
