Choose Joyনমুনা

DAY 37 – GAIN THE WHOLE WORLD

In today’s reading, the way of wisdom is made clear by ‘antithetic parallelism’. It contrasts positive outcomes for the wise and the righteous with the negative outcomes for wicked evildoers.

It leaves us quite certain we want to be among the righteous who fear the Lord (discussed yesterday) because the results are fuller life, joy, and safety; compared to life cut short, futility, and ruin.

To be on the right side of this parallel point, wisdom decrees we should have the fear of the Lord, as we live ‘rightly’ by following the way of the Lord. There’s not much about ‘us’ in this godly wisdom equation. It’s not about focusing more on ourselves, getting smarter, getting more things.

Worldly advice will always point us back to ourselves (and charge a fee for it) because it's so easy to be selfish, self-centred, and self-serving. But Jesus says, ‘For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?’ Luke 9:24-26 NIV.

Choose joy: There’s a joy in deliberately losing yourself so you can find Jesus. It’s the joy of wisdom, the fear of God. Lose yourself today.