Getting wisdom elsewhere

I’ve been around for a while.  I know quite a bit.

BUT, am I wise?

The Bible is counter-intuitive when it comes to wisdom.

“Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.”  Ezekiel 28:17

“How can men be wise?  The only way to begin is by reverence for God.  For growth in wisdom comes from obeying His laws.  Praise His name forever.”  Psalm 111:10

What I consider wise and what the world considers wise, often isn’t.

A commentary on Psalm 111:10 uses the example of a well-known painter to make a point.  The painter attracts the praise of many as he sketches the passing landscape on the way down the Niagara River to, and over, Niagara Falls.  What was important to him and to those who admired him?  Obviously not the MOST important thing.

God gives us every good thing we have, yet too often we are deceived into thinking we deserve it.  We have made it possible.  God gets relegated to Sunday morning.  We know best without His involvement.

We miss who God is!  We lose our respect and admiration.  Our wisdom becomes “corrupted.”

Reverence for God is a full-time activity.  God is special.  He’s the best.  He’s been there, done it.

Shouldn’t I have a passion to want to know Him better?

Photography interests me.  When I find an expert in an area of photography that interests me, I actively chase after him/her.  I read.  I watch.  I chase.  Why?  They are the expert.  I want to get from them what I have a passion for.

If I claim to love God, I will have a passion to know Him.

The second part of verse 10 above gives instruction in this area: I need to obey His laws.  Surely, this requires knowing what His laws are.  What He wants from me.

I pour over articles in camera magazines chasing knowledge of something that interests me.  I must approach the Bible similarly.  Therein are instructions on how to be wise in God’s eyes.

Will I chase wisdom in the Bible as I do in other areas?

Start with God and learn from there

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding.  To Him belongs eternal praise.” Psalm 111:10.

I must start with God.

There’s no other approach.

To start without Him is to head immediately in the wrong direction.  The further away I go, the less I have His essential guidance.

The start is important but there’s more: I must follow Him.  That means that I must stay in “sight” of Him.  He must be on my mind.  My mind must be full of Him.

To live like that!  Wouldn’t it be grand.  And it’s there for me to be had.

I must totally surrender myself to Him for the long term.  I’ll see Him work in ways I can’t imagine.  I’ll say His Words to those who need Him.  I will say His Words to those I love.

The relationship is constant.  I see Him.  I hear Him.  I’m tuned into Him.

Surely this will lead to my praising Him, not because things are good but because I’m living life His Way.

Conclusion: Living with God is an all-day event.

Am I smarter than God?

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.”  Psalm 111:10.

How do I behave when I am around people who are smarter than I am?

I am a techno-midget when it comes to my cell phone.  Okay, I know a few things.  However, when I am with my two granddaughters, I am all ears when it comes to my phone.  I want them to show me how to use it better.  If I have been struggling with its use, I assume that they can give me help.

Do I treat God as if He is smarter than I am?  Often not.  I plunge into things without consulting Him.  I mess up and try to work my way out of it without Him.

But what would I do if I really believed He was smart?  Neither of those two things in the last paragraph!

I would chase His advice.  I would try to remember the things He has already taught me.  I would be so attached to Him that every step I took I would be in contact with Him.

Mess up?  He’s there to help.  I would turn to Him first.  I would willingly listen to His corrections.

I like the guidelines in 2 Timothy 3:16: Scripture is good for; showing what is right, showing what is wrong, telling how to get right, and telling how to stay right.  That pretty much covers it!  His Word is a great source of help.

Conclusion: God is wiser than I am, or ever will be. Will I behave as if that is true?

Wisdom is available

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding.” Psalm 111:10.

My relationship with God starts with awe of Him.  I am nothing.  He is everything.

If I believe that He is in this room with me, and I do, my interactions are at a different level than with people.

I can’t reduce God to the “Santa Claus” level: “I want this.  Give me that.”

In the presence of God, I may be unable to say anything!  If He interacts with me, I treasure every word/thought.

I am so impressed with Him, that I search for the things He has said to others.  I will look for guidance in His Word and seek diligently to understand them.

I love the promise that if I chase Him accurately, I will be rewarded with “good understanding.”  Who doesn’t want such a thing?

Life is filled with choices.  If I am in awe of God, and actively seek His Wisdom, I can learn what He wants me to do.

Conclusion: I must approach God in awe or I am minimizing Him.  I need His guidance.

Are you a wise guy?

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding.  To him belongs eternal praise.”  Psalm 111:10

(Verse chosen from today’s Bible reading – Ezekiel 20-21 & Psalm 111 & Revelation 8)

Is God wiser than I am?  No question!

Why, then, do I rely so much on my own wisdom?  

If I really believed that God had the wisdom I need, I would take complete hold of this verse.  I would start by recognized that God is awesome and I need total respect for Him.  My wisdom isn’t even a consideration.  God is the wisest of the wise and from Him will comes the best wisdom I could ever get.  

Note that I need to recognize God for Who He is at the BEGINNING.  I have way too many, “set-out-on-my-own’s”, followed by, “Lord-bless-me’s.”

How do I seek God’s wisdom?  I can certainly interact with Him in prayer 24/7.  I also have the Bible available 24/7.  If I am looking for some suggestions for acting Godly wise, they are available in the Bible.

But what about the wise folks of this world?  George Bowen in The Treasury of David addresses this: “It is like a man floating rapidly onward to the falls of Niagara who is occupying himself in drawing a very admirable picture of the scenery.  Men who are exceedingly great in the world’s estimation have made the most signal blunders with regard to the most important things; and it is only because these things are not considered important by the world that the reputation of these men remains.”

“Lord, this is a terrific verse and I need to own it.  You have the wisdom I need in all things.  Your awesomeness is all around me.  I can see You in Your Creation.  Your wisdom is just as awesome and I must seek it with all my heart.  I can ask for that wisdom in prayer and I can find it in Your Word.  Guide me, O thou great Jehovah.  I love You, Father!”

Wise up!

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding.”  Psalm 111:10

(Verse chosen from today’s Bible reading – Ezekiel 20-21 & Psalm 111 & Revelation 8)

When I respect God for Who He is, then I am at the starting point from where I can get His Wisdom.

Here’s a line from Martin Luther: “We are accustomed to admit freely that God is more powerful than we are, but not that he is wiser than we are.  To be sure, we say that he is, but when it comes to a showdown, we do not want to act on what we say.”

When I seek to sort out the details of my life using my own wisdom, I am venturing out on a limb that could snap at any time.  God knows all the details of my life and He is all wise.  Deferring to Him for insights on dealing with my life’s details makes perfect sense.

If God is wise (and He is!), then I need to find out what He wants me to do………and not do.  How?  Immersing myself in His Word.  Communicating (praying) with Him regularly.

So much in this verse is so obvious.  No question what is says is true.

“Lord, Your Ways are often easy to figure out…and I thank You for that.  It’s in life’s complications that I frequently go to Plan B in trying to sort out the details.  Forgive me for that foolishness.  I know better.  You are wiser than I am and I want to know what I should do to please You with my life.  Help me to immerse myself in Your Word.  Help me to communicate with You without ceasing.  I love You, Father!”

North Bridgton garden