This transcript was generated by whisper.ai.

Welcome back to our study through the book of Proverbs and daily drive time
devotions. Today beginning with a look at chapter 26, Proverbs chapter 26 verse
12 is the verse I'd like to focus on today. That verse says, "There is more hope
for fools than for people who think they are wise.

" This verse follows a section in this chapter that lets us know just how
foolish a fool really is. The fool in that section is described as a disgrace to
his parents, disgrace to his boss, as someone whose words and actions are a
constant irritation. And then this verse hits us like a bolt out of the blue.

What's worse than being a fool? I mean, it's a terrible thing to be a foolish
person. What is worse than being a fool?

Thinking that you're wise. Who hasn't thought that you're wise from time to
time? Oh, I was wise in that situation.

There's more hope for fools than people who think they are wise. So here's the
question that I have in this. How can you be wise without pridefully somehow
thinking that you're wise?

Because the book of Proverbs is all about wisdom. It tells us that God wants us
to be wise. The book of Proverbs is all about wisdom.

It tells us that God wants us to have his wisdom. We are supposed to be wise. So
how can you be wise without having the prideful thought, "Look at how wise I am.

" How do you gain the kind of wisdom that distinguishes itself without noticing
itself? Well, throughout the book of Proverbs, we come back to the same answer
to that one again and again. Trust.

A trust in God that enables you to give the credit to him and enjoy the
blessings he gives without becoming full of yourself. I guess I'd say it feels
sort of like a kid learning to ride a bike. When a kid's first starting to learn
to ride a bike, and they see, "Hey, nobody's holding on.

I'm doing it myself. " They notice themselves too much, and they start doing
this "look at me" kind of a thing. They immediately fall off the bike.

In order to learn to ride a bike, you can't notice you're riding the bike so
much. In order to be wise, you can't notice your wisdom so much as you notice
the fact that God is there, that God is beside you. Now, the truth is, when it
comes to wisdom, we're all human beings.

We're all novices. We're all like that child who's just starting to ride the
bike with wobbly wheels and not going very fast yet. And yet, whenever you gain
some wisdom from Proverbs, whenever God gives you the right word to say or the
right thing to do, instead of thinking you're wise, you are being wise.

You see, a lot of people settle in this world for thinking they're wise.
Proverbs encourages us to genuinely be wise. The only way to get there is to
depend on God, to trust.

To trust in the God who enables you daily to enjoy his wisdom. Let's trust him
right now. God, we trust in you for wisdom.

Wisdom is yours. You created it, and you are willing to give it to us. We don't
want to settle for thinking we're wise on our own.

We'd rather be wise. That means we have to be humble enough to say we don't know
it all. That means we have to be humble enough to say we need you.

But God, we are willing to say that. I say to you, I don't know it all. I need
you.

Would you strengthen me today with the wisdom I need to live the life that
you've made me to live? Help me to understand. And God, deliver me from the
pride of thinking I'm wise.

Give me the grace to enjoy the wisdom that you've given, a gift from you, to
enjoy it and then be grateful for it. I pray for that grace in Jesus' name.
Amen.