LEARNING DAILY

 

Proverbs 8:12-14,17, I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge and discretion. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate. Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding, I have strength. I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me.

 

As we begin the quest to find out about wisdom, it seems good to come to an understanding about what wisdom is. Solomon, in these verses, links wisdom to the qualities of prudence, knowledge, and discretion. Prudence is one who has good sense and is smart as compared to one who is simple, gullible or naïve (see verse 5). Knowledge in the book of Proverbs refers to facts, information learned over a period of time. Discretion is the ability to make godly decisions based on the knowledge we have.

 

One who is prudent, one who has prudence because of the presence of Jesus Christ in his/her life, is humbled by his/her sinfulness and turn to Him to walk daily with Him on the narrow way and walk with Him as wise and not as a fool. The secular world wants people to be impressed with their knowledge and advancements, but I fear they are far from the will of God. Yes, our life has become easier because of many advancements, I do not believe these advancements have brought people closer to God. Have you read about the advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI)? Scary stuff!

 

God gives those who walk with Him discretion to know the real meaning of life and to know His will (read 2 Corinthians 2:14). Have you had thoughts about the times we live in and that the return of Christ is close? Are there those people you know you do not want to be around and others you move toward? Have you sensed that something is not right without really knowing? That is the Lord directing you away from wrong choices that could have bad results for you and the kingdom of God. Because of God’s wisdom in the lives of Believers, they can make better choices; we can choose between right and wrong, and between good and best.

 

The New Testament verse that reflects this idea is Ephesians 5:15-17, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be in unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.” God wants each Believer to gain wisdom; He wants us to walk with Him as wise and not as foolish. We do that by “redeeming the time” or by making the best of each moment in our lives. How can that be done? It happens only by gaining wisdom, but understanding that God’s will for our lives is to be redeemed by His Son.

 

Can I tell you that we must stop wasting our time on the things that do not make us wise in the matters of God. He placed us on this earth for Himself. He meant for us to get our lives right with Him through Jesus Christ, to glorify Him, be a light to others so they are drawn to Him and to live righteously as His children. We are to be an example for others and we do that through gaining His wisdom. Our Father in heaven wants you to know how much He loves you and He will be found by you when you diligently seek Him and His wisdom.