by David Brenneman
"Does not wisdom call, And understanding lift up her voice? On top of the heights beside the way, Where the paths meet, she takes her stand; Beside the gates, at the opening to the city, At the entrance of the doors, she cries out: “To you, O men, I call, And my voice is to the sons of men. O naive ones, understand prudence; And, O fools, understand wisdom. Listen, for I will speak noble things; And the opening of my lips will reveal right things. For my mouth will utter truth; And wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the utterances of my mouth are in righteousness; There is nothing crooked or perverted in them. They are all straightforward to him who understands, And right to those who find knowledge. Take my instruction and not silver, And knowledge rather than choicest gold. For wisdom is better than jewels; And all desirable things cannot compare with her. “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, And I find knowledge and discretion. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverted mouth, I hate. Counsel is mine and sound wisdom; I am understanding, power is mine. By me kings reign, And rulers decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, All who judge rightly. I love those who love me; And those who diligently seek me will find me. Riches and honor are with me, Enduring wealth and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, even pure gold, And my yield better than choicest silver. I walk in the way of righteousness, In the midst of the paths of justice, To endow those who love me with wealth, That I may fill their treasuries. “The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old. From everlasting I was established, From the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, When there were no springs abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills I was brought forth; While He had not yet made the earth and the fields, Nor the first dust of the world. When He established the heavens, I was there, When He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep, When He made firm the skies above, When the springs of the deep became fixed, When He set for the sea its boundary So that the water would not transgress His command, When He marked out the foundations of the earth; Then I was beside Him, as a master workman; And I was daily His delight, Rejoicing always before Him, Rejoicing in the world, His earth, And having my delight in the sons of men. “Now therefore, O sons, listen to me, For blessed are they who keep my ways. Heed instruction and be wise, And do not neglect it. Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at my doorposts. For he who finds me finds life And obtains favor from the Lord. But he who sins against me injures himself; All those who hate me love death.” Proverbs 8:1-36.
"Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil." Proverbs 3:7.
"Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him." Proverbs 26:12.
My Dear Reader...how often do you really seek wisdom from God?
How often is what truly matters to Jesus matter to you?
How often are you letting doubts and fears run your life?
Look at what Jesus said.
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd." John 10:10-16.
In your world you indeed will come across those under the influence of the god of this world, who's intent is only in himself, caring not for you or others, bent on getting you off the work of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Paul preached about taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ Jesus.
This includes what the Scriptures say about not being wise in your own estimation.
Seek the Lord all your days. Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.
Life is to be lived, yes, but to the glory of God in Christ Jesus first.
Wisdom is of extremely short supply in the world today.
People raised to get participation trophies. People demeaned for pursuing personal growth in Christ. People masquerading in public not being who God made them to be.
Wisdom is described right there in that chapter we started with.
Is that important to you? Or is the pursuit of higher status among people? Is it more important for you to be known as a somebody than to be right in the sight of God?
Is the pursuit of entertainment a higher priority to you than your walk with Jesus?
Be careful about how you respond to those questions. You can lie to me and others but you cannot lie to Jesus.
Whether in word or deed I prefer people who see me turn their thoughts to Jesus. If any wisdom resides in me my hope and prayer is that it comes from God.
While I do have a hobby or two, my desire is to use it to glorify God. While I have a job, my thoughts are that it be done as Colossians 3:23-24 say. Do what you do as if you are doing it for Jesus.
It's a very dangerous place to be when you are trying to be wise in your own eyes.
I find myself grieving for those going through life without Jesus. Without that relationship. Doubts are a continual part of their life. The pressure, the stress and strain!
All because they refuse to accept what Jesus is offering.
Jesus said to come to Me you who are weary and heavy laiden and He will give you rest. This isn't simply a physical rest this is the mental and spiritual rest.
Only in Christ do we have the wisdom of God to lean on and learn from.
My prayer for you is that you do indeed seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.
Seek His wisdom. Don't rely on yours. Take up what He says, let go of what He says. Do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.
Start off on the right foot starting right now. All you need in this life is in the hands of your Savior and Lord.
All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.
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