book wise man

The Greatest, Most Uncommon Resolution

With the recent turning of the calendar, many have made New Year’s resolutions. Lose weight, watch less TV, exercise more, etc. How many resolved to grow in wisdom? Take a look at where this is found.

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A wise man once said……

We all would like to have wisdom in our lives. What is it? How do we get it?

Proverbs 9:10 says “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…” The word fear here is not a shaking in the corner, cowering kind of fear. It is a picture of reverence and awe, worshipping the Creator of the universe.

Wisdom is personified in Proverbs 8 as a woman. She calls to men speaking truth (vs.7) and gives them counsel (vs.14). It is something that comes through diligently seeking (vs.17). The source of this wisdom is God himself, present at the very Creation of the world (vs.22-31). The way it is obtained is through keeping the ways of God (vs.32) and as they keep them, life itself springs forth. (vs.35).

Solomon, the author of most of Proverbs, was the recipient of a gift of wisdom from God. (1 Kings 3). However, even with this knowledge, he lacked application in his life and wandered far from God. The author of Ecclesiastes would call this “vanity” or “meaningless”.

Even in the New Testament, we see the Pharisees possessing the greatest levels of knowledge. Yet without application, without the change in their hearts; Jesus calls them “hypocrites” and “white washed tombs” in Matthew 23. They went from having the first five books of Moses memorized at the age of 12, to being unable to apply these truths in their lives. What went wrong?

If the fear of the lord is the beginning of wisdom, than what is the rest of the journey? Often Scripture demonstrates continuation of journey is similar to the start of it. Galatians 5:16 tells us to “live (or walk) by the Spirit”. Just as fearing God is standing in awe of Him, this is a picture of a life lived in trust and dependence on that same Spirit of God. Growth in wisdom comes by knowing God.

Francis Schaeffer, in his book True Spirituality, says Christianity is a “moment by moment dependence on God.” I would say this is a fitting description of our pursuit of wisdom. In reality it is a pursuit of God, the author of wisdom.

book wise man
By: belgianchocolate

Application:

  • How can we avoid making the same mistakes as Solomon or the Pharisees? Do we apply the truth that we are learning in the pages of Scripture?
  • Consider what it means to have a “moment by moment dependence on God”
  • Make a commitment to study the Word of God on a regular basis, trusting that God will build your foundation to be used in the future.

biblia del disipulo2

 

This post is one in a series of devotionals which were published in La Biblia Del Discipulo (The Discipleship Bible), which is a Spanish language Bible. For more information on the Bible, please visit : http://www.bibliadeldiscipulo.com.

The E-Version is also available for IPads or mobile devices. Copyright 2011.


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