A Disciplined Life

Proverbs 10:17 in The Message says, “The road to life is a disciplined life; ignore correction and you’re lost for good.” I’ve talked before about what a disciplined life looks like, but the aspect of listening to correction is a new twist on it for me. This verse links together a disciplined life with the idea that an undisciplined life ignores correction. So accepting correction is part of what a disciplined life is all about.

As I read further in Proverbs I came to Proverbs 11: 14, which says, “Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances.” Having good direction I think comes from taking correction from wise counsel. It’s not just getting wise counsel that makes the difference. A lot of us seek counsel and often find wise counsel. What makes the difference in our lives is following the wise counsel’s suggestions.

I asked myself, after reading Proverbs 10:17, where does my correction come from? I no longer have teachers or parents in my life that are the obvious sources for correction. I had to think about that for a while. But I was able to come up with several sources of wise counsel in my life. One such source is trusted friends. I have a couple of those that I communicate with on an almost daily basis. I share what’s going on in my life and they offer suggestions and constructive criticism.

I also have some professional people in my life that offer wise counsel and offer corrections to the ways I’m doing things and thinking about things. It’s their jobs to offer wise counsel in the areas of their expertise. For instance, one of these professionals is a nurse practitioner who specializes in diabetes management. I see her once every three months. She offers sound advice for ways to manage my diabetes including advice on diet, insulin dosing, and exercise. I would do good, and have a better quality of life, if I followed her wise counsel a little better.

A final source of wise counsel comes from God’s Word. Just like these passages in Proverbs, Scripture is filled with nuggets of wisdom and directions for my life. There’s enough in the pages of my Bible to keep me reading it and to keep me with a list of things I can do to make my life better and more useful to God. Now to just obey the Scripture I read and implement the concepts into my life. There’s a long way to go in doing that.

Are You Confused About Life?

This is the question of the day. Are you confused about life? In The Message, in Proverbs 9, two very different personas ask this same question.

First Lady Wisdom calls the question out. In verse 3 – 4 it says,

“Lady Wisdom goes to town, stands in a prominent place,
    and invites everyone within sound of her voice:
‘Are you confused about life, don’t know what’s going on?

    Come with me, oh come, have dinner with me!’”

Lady Wisdom seeks out all who will listen to her. In verse 6 it tells us what she has to offer those who listen to her voice and pays attention to her:

“’Leave your impoverished confusion and live!
    Walk up the street to a life with meaning.’”

Meaning. Purpose. A reason to live. A life with meaning. That’s what Lady Wisdom has to offer those who listen to her. She promises a reason to live.

Also found in Proverbs 9 is Madame Whore calling out the same question [verses 14 – 16]:

“She sits on the front porch
    of her house on Main Street,
And as people walk by minding
    their own business, calls out,
‘Are you confused about life, don’t know what’s going on?
    Steal off with me, I’ll show you a good time!’”

She asks the same question but from a position of lying in wait for the unsuspecting passerby. And what does she have to offer the person who listens to Madame Whore? A good time. Probably a short-lived good time. Passing pleasure. No long term meaning for living that Lady Wisdom has to offer.

So the same question is asked by Good and Evil. The results are drastically different. One offers a purpose-filled life and the other offers temporary pleasure. What do I really want? I want a meaningful, purposeful life. I’ll get that by listening to Lady Wisdom.