These are the wise words of Solomon son of David, king of Israel.
They teach wisdom and self-control; they will help you understand wise words.
They will teach you how to be wise and self-controlled
and will teach you to do what is honest and fair and right.
They make the uneducated wise and give knowledge and sense to the young.
Wise people can also listen and learn; even they can find good advice in these words. Â Â Â Proverbs 1:1-5 (NCV)
Recently I have been reading my Scripture in the New Century Version which is written for about a 3rd-grade reading level. I like that as a study option because it brings the message to my basic level. I am a college-educated woman who has worked in a area that is considered a profession by every state and so they issue me a license to do what I do. Proverbs is a book that takes my relationship with God and brings it down to the basics. I believe God was really pleased when King Solomon asked for wisdom and then proceeded to write all that “good stuff†down so it would be passed along for generations to come. Makes me ask myself, “Why don’t you read this book more often? Why wouldn’t you want more wisdom?â€
Education. We in the 21st century have elevated education and the number of letters that we post behind our names to a distorted level. It is certainly not easy in our modern society to “get your foot in the door†in many job opportunities without a college education. However, I think it is also true that it is impossible to go through that door to personal success without wisdom. Education does not equal wisdom. It is God’s desire that I desire wisdom above all else. He made me and knows the needs of this one He created.
Energize. As I spend time learning wisdom from my Teacher, Jesus, I see the reason for my existence. I become more alert and aware of opportunities that open in my life. I tell young people all the time that if you have a passion for something and have talents for something – there’s a God-given reason for that! Pursue it! Don’t let people tell you to “get a real jobâ€. By who’s standard and definition do you want to live your life? People who are trying to find their own way through life or the One who made this life and knows all the roads through this life? Let me stay plugged into the wisdom that will keep me energized through this marathon that I am running!
Empowerment. Wisdom is the power in people who are living in victory in God’s Kingdom. They are moving at God’s command. They seek Him every day, asking for His wisdom in all things. They receive the love that God expresses through His involvement in their life.
Jesus showed me in His life what victory looks like whether in a miracle or in suffering. He set the example for me to spend time in quiet with the Father, learning and receiving His wisdom.
No matter how the world judges my education level; no matter how old I am and how many experiences I have accumulated, God has some new wisdom to freely give to me every day. It’s a gift to receive every day.
“For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the Lord.
They rejected my advice and paid no attention when I corrected them.
Therefore, they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way, choking on their own schemes.
For simpletons turn away from me—to death.
Fools are destroyed by their own complacency.
But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.†   Proverbs 1:29-33 (NLT)
Caught Up In The Middle, written and sung by MercyMe (2005)
