Is wisdom valued in our society? Do you see popularity of politicians, entertainers and athletes rise with the wisdom they convey to the masses or is it their promises, their appeal and their athletic prowess that is rewarded with votes, concert tickets and jersey sales?
Wisdom is not always my top priority. Sometimes I opt for convenience, the least amount of risk or distraction over wisdom. These paths are wider and well worn.
Wisdom is a narrow, rocky path that might cause a broken ankle. It’s hard to see the reward when you are uncertain about what exists along the path.
We don’t know the value to place on wisdom. And why would anyone want to work for something they don’t regard as valuable enough to put in the time to obtain?
Put aside the chaos of our culture and the short-attention spans oversaturated by the rat race, news, entertainment and various vices and one might see that God offers wisdom as a free gift to anyone who would seek to obtain it. And the way to begin seeing through the distractions is to begin a relationship with Jesus Christ, where we not only receive salvation, but we receive help from the Holy Spirit to navigate the world we live in with Godly wisdom.
Here’s a list of what God offers in Proverbs 2 for those who seek wisdom.
- Knowledge and understanding in unlimited supply
- A shield to those that walk in integrity
- Justice
We would be crazy to leave those on the table by not slowing down and seeking wisdom. In a world where we are not certain what to believe in the news and where misunderstanding can create a firestorm, isn’t it refreshing to know we have access to unlimited knowledge and understanding?
Where many don’t feel safe because of anger, pride, lust, greed, envy, laziness and gluttony around them, God promises to shield those who walk in integrity. Does it mean no harm will ever come to a Christian? Not always. But it does mean God’s plans won’t be thwarted and a Christian is most safe when they are the most intimate with God.
Today we hear a lot about injustice and abuse of power. Isn’t it good to know that true justice is in the hand of the God and He won’t let injustice prosper without doing something about it, even if it appears delayed to us.
However, there’s work to do. We Christians don’t always like that word, but it is exactly what is needed in order to seek.
Proverbs 2 mentions taking these actions:
Treasuring up commandments
What do we truly treasure? Does it include God and His word found in the Bible?
Inclining your heart
Like programming the coffee pot, setting our alarm, starting our shower or whatever is included in our wake-up routine, inclining our hearts takes deliberate action as we prepare for the day. We can do so by treasuring God and His word.
Call out for insight
We don’t like to ask for help. Aren’t we rewarded more for what we know already and for how skilled we can prove we are? It doesn’t work this way in God’s economy. Asking for God’s help is rewarded more and it’s a great thing to do when inclining our heart while treasuring God and His word.
Raise your voice for understanding
This action adds a degree to calling for insight. We are instructed to yell for understanding. How much do we want understanding as we spend time treasuring God and His word?
Seek it like silver and hidden treasure
We seek it like silver and hidden treasure, that’s how much. We seek all sorts of things on a daily basis. A good deal, a good meal or even a good laugh might make us move to acquire them as quickly as possible. Our approach to seek wisdom should be like a treasure hunter laboring to get there first, knowing that he or she is not racing against others to get something of temporary value, but is racing against him or herself from missing out on what God might have to share with them that day.
By actively seeking we are told we will
- Understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path
- Understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God
- Walk in the way of the good
- Keep the to the paths of righteousness
- Inherit the land as an upright
- Remain in it because of your integrity
Looking at the list above, it’s difficult to argue that there isn’t an enemy that would be bent on distracting people to keep them from seeking wisdom so that they wouldn’t enjoy these gifts from God.
That enemy is definitely seeking and is seeking to destroy.
Keep seeking wisdom in the face of this assault. Wisdom will be rewarded one day.
Access will be granted to an eternity with God in Heaven.
It won’t require a vote or money.
It’s the best value out there.
21 Days of Proverbs
Proverbs 1
Proverbs 2
Proverbs 3
Proverbs 4
Proverbs 5-7
Proverbs 8
Proverbs 9
Proverbs 10
Proverbs 11
Proverbs 12-15
Proverbs 16
Proverbs 17-19
Proverbs 19-23
Proverbs 24
Proverbs 25
Proverbs 26
Proverbs 27
Proverbs 28
Proverbs 29
Proverbs 30
Proverbs 31
