Got Wisdom?

Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a sudden good break can turn life around.         Proverbs 13:12 (The Message)

A joyful heart is good medicine,
but a broken spirit dries up the bones.           Proverbs 17:22 (HCSB)

Do you read Proverbs? It is the book in the Bible that is stuffed full of wisdom. Almost every verse has a “nugget” of wisdom. So why am I not reading in this book at least every week? Good question!

Wisdom is accumulated knowledge, good sense, insight, and good judgment. What words come to mind when I think of wisdom? Do certain people who are or have been in my life come to mind? What made them wise? If they are still in my life, do I spend time with them? Geography means nothing in this day and time. Cell phones and Internet make access to wise people that God puts into my life possible even if they live in another country.

James 1:5 gives me a promise from God that if I need wisdom, God will give it generously. How does God give me wisdom? He speaks His wisdom in our prayer time. He speaks His wisdom to me through His Word, the Bible. He speaks His wisdom through teachers, preachers, and His friends that He has given me. He has even spoke wisdom to me through my young grandchildren. A child will look you right in the eyes and speak wisdom!

Jesus said that wisdom is known by the fruit of her actions (Matthew 11:19). I can learn wisdom by the outcome of events, conversations, and even reading and prayer time. If I come away from prayer with strength, encouragement, and loving God more – then I was wise to be in that prayer. That may seem obvious, but I have been in prayer meetings that left me exhausted, confused, and that is not a place I need to revisit. I have been around people that habitually leave me tired and wore out. I do not need to spend time with those people on a regular basis. And if this is the way I feel in the church I attend – I surely need to re-evaluate that commitment!

Colossians reminds me that Jesus has all the “treasures of wisdom and knowledge”. The more time I spend with Jesus, the closer that our relationship becomes, the more wisdom I will receive. It’s like rubbing up against a freshly painted wall, I will come away with some of Jesus’ wisdom.

Proverbs has 31 chapters in it. How many days in a month? 30 or 31, right? What a great “coincidence”! I can read a chapter a day. Even if I read ½ a chapter a day, I will glean good words that will help me, strengthen me, and help me to walk a better path in my life.

[Moses said,] “Look, I have taught you statutes and ordinances as the LORD my God has commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to possess. Carefully follow [them], for this will [show] your wisdom and understanding in the eyes of the peoples. When they hear about all these statutes, they will say, ‘This great nation is indeed a wise and understanding people.’” Deuteronomy 4:5-6 (HCSB)

The acceptance of wisdom begins with me but there is a bigger picture here. A “nation” of people who seek God for His wisdom and understanding can create a great nation of wise and understanding people. This is not about being exclusive but being inclusive. Others desire what I have because what I have attracts them. God desires that all will accept Him and have eternal life (1 Timothy 2:4). Wisdom.