NIV Once-A-Day At the Table Family DevotionalSample

The Source of Wisdom • How can you tell if someone is wise? • What is the wisest thing anyone has ever said to you? In the Garden of Eden, the serpent — ​the devil — ​had a specific strategy for getting Adam and Eve to sin. Look at his words to Eve in Genesis 3:1: “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Notice how he tries to make Eve question God’s words. Satan knew that whatever useful knowledge Adam and Eve possessed came from God. He knew that if he could plant doubts in their minds about God’s words, he stood a good chance of making them sin. Unfortunately, his strategy worked. In fact, it worked so well that he still uses it today. For us, the Bible is the source of wisdom. God’s Word helps us distinguish right from wrong and equips us to make the best choices for our lives. Naturally, then, that is Satan’s target. He tries to get us to doubt God’s Word and underestimate its importance. He tries to convince us that it’s boring or too hard to understand. The way to defend yourself against Satan’s attacks is to meditate on what the Bible says. If you fill your mind with God’s wisdom, you will have the confidence to shoot down temptations and doubts. Dear God, thank you for giving us your wisdom in the pages of the Bible. Please bless our efforts to meditate on your Word and let it make a difference in our lives. Amen.