“A man will be commended according to his wisdom, but he who is of a perverse heart will be despised” (Proverbs 12:8).
The desire to be commended (i.e., praised and appreciated) and the aversion to being despised (i.e., disrespectfully treated with contempt) are universal. At no age in life does anyone have a change of heart on these matters.
In light of these universal truths, everyone should be in passionate pursuit of wisdom and in vigorous flight from perversity of heart.
Because we live in a cause-and-effect world, you determine how much commendation and contempt you will reap. You decide how much wisdom you will pursue and how much perverseness you will shun.
You alone will determine whether you are commended or despised by God.
