Press the arrow to listen to “Revelation Song” by Kari Jobe while reading today’s devotion.

Scripture
He who digs a pit may fall into it, and a serpent may bite him who breaks through a wall. Ecclesiastes 10:8

Observation
Being clever is a risky thing. There are some who can think ahead, slip in from around from the side and work behind the scenes. They seem to move ahead, sometimes quickly. But there are consequences. The most immediate is that the clever man must keep ahead not just of the pack but of himself. The price of being clever once is that one must be more clever again, and again and again. That can be exhausting. Then like a rubber band that has stretched to its farthest limit, life can snap back to the beginning. Cleverness has its consequences.

The pit dug is a secret trap for an enemy. A wall broken through is a robber’s way to gain entry. These metaphors are images of the clever man ensnaring and snatching to get his way ahead. There are pits and fangs ahead.

So what is the opposite of cleverness? The most convenient word is “candor”. Candor is not speaking one’s mind, but speaking the truth without hidden agendas. The man of candor has a refreshing plainness about him. There is discretion, there is a sense of timing, but when the time is appropriate the heart is as clear as the facts.

Application

I want to be a man of candor. When I reflect through life, the leaders I’ve respected the most have been men like that. It is the safest way to stay out of the pits or to ward of snake bite.

Prayer
Father, show me how to be a man of candor. Amen.