Good Sense

For Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Proverbs 13:15

Good sense wins favor,
but the way of the treacherous is their ruin.

There are two reasons the "treacherous" come to ruin. The first is justice. Usually in this lifetime, always in the next life, justice punishes wrongdoing. The other reason is that wrongdoing is not wise. It can seem to be clever to lie, to plot ways to get ahead of a competitor or take advantage of a customer; but such actions lay traps for future failure. Such a person earns distrust and contempt. He must now expend energy protecting himself from his enemies. He becomes suspicious of everyone because through his own example he knows how devious others can be.

"Good" people often act without good sense. For one thing, they put too much confidence in their own goodness, thinking that others will act the same way; that others will recognize their good behavior and intentions. They become puzzled to learn that they have offended their colleagues, not realizing how their "goodness" comes across as self-righteousness; how their "goodness" has blinded them to the ways they have offended others through their speech and behavior.

Good sense means being sensible to the people around you. It means being able to judge properly the circumstances in which you find yourself and not barging into a situation with your own agenda unaware of how foolish or offensive you may appear. Use good sense today. Pray for good sense. You don't know what awaits you. All the more reason to go through the day prayerfully, asking the Spirit to grant you good sense.

Lord,

Grant me today good sense. Grant me good sense in being aware of the people around me that I may know how to speak; that I may be wise in my conduct and so honor the name of Christ is all that I do.

Amen