Tossing Out the Junk (Friday Devotional)

 

Happy are those who find wisdom and those who get understanding, for her income is better than silver and her revenue better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her.

Proverbs 3:13-15

Even as an adult, there’s still a lingering trace of excitement when you go out to the mailbox. Will there be a postcard from an old friend? A wedding invitation? This month’s issue of your favorite magazine?

Unfortunately, more often than not what greets you when you sort through the mail is none of the above. Instead, you get a paper copy of that bill you already paid two days earlier. A business card from a local landscaping company. A flyer from the cable company begging you to upgrade your package. Junk, junk, junk.

Whether it comes the old-fashioned way or by email, junk mail has a way of ruining the whole experience. After all, when you were a kid, the only mail you ever got was something good, whether it was a Lego catalog or a birthday card from Grandma. But as an adult, you get so much junk mail that it’s almost surprising when you come across the real deal.

The same principle applies when it comes to wisdom—you have to sift through a lot of trash before you come upon any treasure. Thanks to mass communication, you receive no shortage of recommendations, suggestions, and outright orders every day. Some are advertisers trying to sell their product, some are politicians trying to win your vote, and some are just lonely folks crying out for attention. But little of it is wise.

So how do you sort out the trash from the treasure, the junk mail from the real deal? Line up what you’re hearing with the gospel and see how it compares. Is the dispenser of the advice stoking anger or service? Are they pointing you towards holiness or selfishness? Is their ‘wisdom’ making you more or less like Jesus?

You hear a million messages every day, and it can seem impossible to sort through them all. So make the gospel your filter—if you’ll take it seriously, it’ll help you separate the wisdom from the junk.