Wisdom

“Wisdom is seeing life situations from God’s viewpoint.”

Recently in the news, as I write this, Robert Kraft, billionaire owner of the New England patriots; John Havens, former president and Chief operating officer of CitiGroup; John Childs, founder of the private equity firm J.W. Childs & associates, along with hundreds of others were arrested in Florida for allegedly soliciting prostitutes. The names mentioned are intelligent, knowledgeable people or they would not be as successful as they are. Wonder why they made such bad decisions? The answer is there is a great difference in having intelligence and knowledge and having wisdom.

Every day we see or hear about people making decisions that make no sense at all. Bad decisions are made without wisdom. If people were wise their lives would not be such a tangled mess. The fact is God wants all His children to be wise. Wisdom is not learned; it comes from God and we can have it in everyday life to help in every decision we make. The best definition of wisdom: Wisdom is seeing life and responding to life from God’s viewpoint. Proverbs is God’s book of wisdom about every aspect of life.

Sometimes people confuse a high IQ or knowledge with wisdom. There is a great difference between them; although, both knowledge and wisdom comes from God. God opens His vast knowledge and allows us to gain some of it through study and discovery. A person is born with intelligence; they gain knowledge through learning; however, wisdom is not endowed at birth, neither is it gained by personal effort. It is God given to His children who ask for it. Wisdom and knowledge are not antithesis to each other but complement each other. Wisdom is the ability to use knowledge in the best possible way for the best possible results.You can have all the knowledge in the world and still lack wisdom and make unwise decisions. Many are not claiming the wisdom God freely offers. Are you?

The Importance of God’s wisdom: In Proverbs 3:13-18, there are 8 ways listed that wisdom is important to you:

1. Wisdom is important if you desire to be happy. (V 13) “Blessed (Happy) are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding.”
2. Wisdom is important if you want your life to be profitable. (V 14)  “For she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.”
3. Wisdom is more important, more precious than anything you can desire. (V 15) “She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.”
4. Wisdom is important if you want a long life. (V 16a)“Long life is in her right hand;”
5. Wisdom is important if you desire wealth and honor. (V 16b)”In her left hand are riches and honor.”
6. Wisdom is important if you want to live a peaceful, pleasant life. (V 17)“Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace.”
7. Wisdom is important if you want eternal life. (V 18a)  “She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her;”
8. Wisdom is important if you want to be blessed. (18b) “Those who hold her fast will be blessed.”

The Beginning of Wisdom: We read in Proverbs 1:7 – “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” The greatest reason so many people live miserable lives is they are ignorant of God’s wisdom. To live life void of God’s wisdom is foolish. Fools despise wisdom and instruction. They do not fear (respect) God. They do not seek God’s knowledge. They seek the world’s knowledge. The beginning of wisdom comes when we establish a relationship with God. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Fearing the Lord means to respect Him, believe in Him and establish a relationship with him through His Son, Jesus Christ.

The Value of Wisdom: In Proverbs 1:1-6, we read, “These are the proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel. 

• Wisdom’s value is to receive instructions on how to live. (V 1) “To know wisdom and instruction;”
• Wisdom’s value is to have understanding. (V 2b) “To perceive the words of understanding;”
• Wisdom’s value is to understand God’s justice, Judgment, and what is considered fair and impartial. (V 3) “To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;”
• Wisdom’s value is to give subtlety, which is refinement or extreme acuteness (having or showing a perceptive understanding or insight), even to those who are not the sharpest knife in the drawer, and to the young is given knowledge and discretion. (V4) “To give subtlety to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.”
• Wisdom’s value is, a wise man will hear, will increase learning, become a man of understanding, and shall attain unto wise counsels. (V 5) “A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:”
• Wisdom’s value is to understand a proverb, and the interpretation, the words of the wise, and their not so easy to understand sayings. V 6, “To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.”

To desire wisdom is a thing, second only to our relationship to God. It is also the most valuable thing: Colossians 1:9 9. “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives.”

In 1 Corinthians 1:30, we read, “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God-that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.”

How to Get Godly Wisdom: In James 1:1-10, we read, “James, a servant of God and of the LORD Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings. Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the LORD.”

God’s wisdom is completely different from the world’s wisdom. The world has been mesmerized by TV and other media to believe a false wisdom. The world’s wisdom is on a broad road that leads to destruction: In Matthew 7:13-14, we read, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

In James 3:13-15, we read,“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such ‘wisdom’ does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.”

Prayer is the avenue that leads to wisdom but there is a framework that must be laid:

Christ acknowledged God’s sovereignty through a deeply held reverential awe, showing that answered prayer, eternal life, and the fear of God are intertwined. This is true because the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Wisdom comes for God, and right application is obedience.

Building a framework for wisdom: After establishing a relationship with God, the next requirement is meditating on God’s word: In Joshua 1:8 – 8, we read, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” Then comes applying God’s word and reflecting on what God is doing in your life. You can have God’s wisdom if you are willing to acknowledge wisdom’s source and ask God for it.

Tags: Wisdom, Decisions, Bible, success, prosperity, eternal life, relationship with God