Wisdom
Proverbs 3
If there is any chapter of the Bible that needs to be read more than others it is Proverbs 3. Wow, what a great Proverb that is chock full of wisdom, insight, knowledge, and teaching. I could write/speak for hours on this chapter in Proverbs alone, but today I will talk about one subject and that is wisdom.
Proverbs 3:13-20 (NIV)
13 Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding,
14 for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.
17 Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed.
19 By wisdom the LORD laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place;
20 by his knowledge the deeps were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew.
Wisdom is defined on dictionary.com as:
the quality or state of being wise, knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgement as to action, sagacity, discernment, or insight.
scholarly knowledge or learning.
wise sayings or teachings, precepts.
a wise act or saying.
These eight verses in Proverbs 3 are right in line with this definition and in this case, we are talking about God’s wisdom, not man’s wisdom. So, what is the LORD’S wisdom? And how do we find it? And then what do we do with it once we have it? All great questions and the first one is rather simple. The LORD’S wisdom is his teachings, his precepts, his commands, his truth. And it all starts with a desire to know what the LORDS wisdom is. It may start with a deep inner desire to know the LORD, who he is, what he stands for and how he can relate to you in your own personal life. This desire and search will most likely have you end up with a personal relationship with Jesus culminating in your eternal salvation. We satisfy this desire by searching his word, the scriptures, the Owners Manual, the Manufacture’s Handbook, the Bible. This may seem like a daunting task but, if you use a systematic approach, you will find what the LORD’S wisdom is. Yes, there are other ways you can find what the LORD’S wisdom is like listening to preachers, teachers, pastors and other people and I encourage that but the best method to find wisdom is reading and studying the Bible on your own. Pure and simple. If you are beginning this search, I don’t recommend starting in the book of Genesis and reading through the entire Bible. I would recommend reading the first three chapters of Genesis and then going over to the Gospel of John and reading it. I have written a Bible reading plan that covers the New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs in a year. It is a systematic approach to reading the Bible that only takes about ten minutes a day. And I can guarantee that at the end of the year, or even a week for that matter, you will have satisfied your desire and search to know what God’s wisdom is.
My very simple desire is that I want to be blessed by God and his answer is to seek wisdom and gain understanding. This doesn’t come overnight, in fact, it has been a life-long pursuit. I have been reading the Bible for most of my life and yes, I have been blessed far beyond my wildest dreams. I have experienced healing like no other. I have experienced peace as to who I am, why I am here currently in history, and what I am to be doing now. I have an assurance of my salvation and eternal life. And all of this started with a desire and search to know God’s wisdom. This doesn’t mean I am perfect by any stretch of the imagination! Boy, do I know how to mess things up and fail miserably. I could write volumes on all the things that I have done that are against God’s teachings and precepts. And very simply that is called sin. My favorite verses from the Owners Manual on this come from Romans and I John.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for our sins.
I John 1:8-10 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth in not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his work has no place in our lives.
Romans 10:9-10 That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
Like I said earlier, gaining wisdom and understanding about God is a life-long endeavor but it is the most rewarding journey ever. Get plugged into reading the Owners Manual and you will be on the right track to being blessed, finding
Blessings
