Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Wisdom


For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his
mouth come knowledge and understanding.
                                           Proverbs 2:6 

     Have you ever referred to someone as being smart but lacking common sense? Have you ever asked yourself how someone can be so “book” smart but have no wisdom? Have you ever thought about yourself in those terms? How do we become wise? Where does wisdom come from? What is wisdom? I have a friend who has a simple definition of wisdom. He says, “Wisdom is to think and act like God would think and act.” That is pretty simple. I like it.

     The dictionary defines wisdom as exercising or showing sound judgment and being marked by deep understanding. It also tells us that wisdom is characterized by “evidencing or hinting at the possession of inside information—knowing”. Either or both of those definitions agree with God’s written Word.

     Proverbs 1:7 tells us that the “fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge”—the knowing. Job 28:20-28 tells us that “God knows the way to it (wisdom) and he alone knows where it dwells.”  Verse 28 confirms “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.”

     Knowing that wisdom begins with fearing the Lord and that it ultimately comes from God, how do we find it? James 1:5-6a clearly answers that question—“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.  But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt.”

     We live in a world that is begging us to obtain wisdom. God’s Word reveals the path we should take.

1.   True Wisdom – Proverbs 2:6
2.   Source is God – Job 28:20-28
3.   Comes from
a.)         Reading the Bible – Psalm 119:97-104
b.)         Listening – Proverbs 1:23-28
c.)         Seeking – Proverbs 2:3-6
4.   It will cost you something – Proverbs 4:5-7
5.   World’s wisdom vs. God’s wisdom – Obadiah 1:8
 
     As a child of God, when it comes to wisdom, I have connections to "insider information". So do you! Let us light our world with the wisdom of God by seeking to "think and act" following God's instruction manual.
 
 
©JP 2013

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