Proverbs 19:20

The book of Proverbs gives us insights into so many different areas of life. The book gives us instruction on how to live our lives for God. Here is a proverb that gives us insight about correction:

Proverbs 19:20 (ESV)

Listen to advice and accept instruction,

that you may gain wisdom in the future.

If you were to ask the average guy on the street on how he obtains wisdom it would be the majority who said through years of experience and study. If you ask them to relate what they meant by "years of experience" you might, however, get a variety of answers.   In this proverb we see that wisdom comes from, at least, two sources:  Listening to others and allowing discipline to correct you (... perhaps, the discipline of life).   We seldom think of a season of "discipline" as a way to gain wisdom.   However, later in  this same chapter Solomon tells us: "Cease listening, my son, to discipline, and you will stray from the words of knowledge" (19:27).   Perhaps what Solomon is saying to us in the above proverb is not two things that provide wisdom, but one.  When we listen to the counsel of others as they give us discipline, we will have wisdom the rest of our days. You are never too old to receive this type of counsel from others. They can, and will, provide corrective reproof that can gain wisdom for us. We don't gain wisdom simply from living and experiencing life.   We do so by being corrected and repenting in the light of that correction and humbling coming to Christ who provides that correction through friends and strangers.   God uses others in our lives to humble us with counsel. As we heed their words we heed His discipline and gain His wisdom.