PURSUIT OF WISDOM...weekly devotion

Thank you for joining us for this weeks devotion. It is my prayer that your heart will be challenged as we look at Gods Word!

A lot of people do not know the difference between intelligence, knowledge, and wisdom. INTELLIGENCE is the ability to learn, and there are different kinds of intelligence for different kinds of learning. KNOWLEDGE is the deposit of facts, memories, and experiences that we can recall. WISDOM is not the same as intelligence or knowledge - it is understanding how life works!

Wisdom comes from two sources: observation and divine inspiration. A lot of wisdom can be learned just from paying attention in life. You have heard the old proverbs that often reflect wisdom, such as "Crime doesn't pay" or "The early bird gets the worm" - this indicates wisdom that comes from observation. But some wisdom goes beyond what we can observe - it comes from God our Creator!

Solomon started his career with great wisdom (but later was seduced), early in Solomon's career he collected wise sayings. He was inspired by God to recognize great wisdom and start collecting it along with his own proverbs. The book of Proverbs is like Solomon's wisdom journal; a combination of wisdom that he collected and sayings that he wrote. Solomon was a patient teacher. He collected and wrote thousands of proverbs in his journal under the inspiration of God. These are not just Solomon's ideas, but also God's ideas as He worked through Solomon.

I have often thought that a person had to be advanced in years to be wise. In my imagination, I can picture a wise old man with a long, flowing grey beard walking with a cane. Someone who has wisdom is not necessarily old in age. It is never too early to start learning wisdom and it is never too late to renew your passion for learning.

Wise people were highly valued in ancient Israel and in other cultures as well. Just as government leaders today have advisers, so did ancient kings. They had wise men that they consulted. This kind of advising had more to do with the general skill of life and dealing with people than it did with specific knowledge. NOW THIS WAS WISDOM!

Last week, I polled readers in the weekly poll the following question: "Which area is most likely to get you into trouble?" The top results in the poll...

63% of those polled said that the words that come out of their mouth gets them in trouble.

18% of readers said 3 different things get them in trouble...financial matters, lack of desire to work hard at things they need to, and a quick temper.

Have you ever messed up and think to yourself

"I'm NEVER going to do that again!"

but find yourself making the same mistake?

WHEN ARE WE GOING TO LEARN TO MAKE WISER DECISIONS?

A person can observe life and learn to act wisely in many ways: avoiding arguments, valuing friendship, watching words, disciplining children, and many others. A person who is wise in such matters but DOES NOT fear the Lord is missing a great deal! This type of person is more about personal gain than respect for God.

TRUE WISDOM IS RELATED TO GOD!

God is a fortress for those who fear Him

PROVERBS 10:29

"The way of the Lord is a stronghold for the honorable, but destruction awaits the malicious."

Some of the best movie scenes are when people have unusual skills. For instance, when a spy pulls out a machine the size of a credit card, inserts it into a code-locked door, and breaks the entry code or when the crime-lab tech uses lab techniques to match fibers from a purse-strap to prove the guilt of a psychopathic murderer. (yea...I watch too many CSI episodes!)

Can you imagine being so skilled at life as this? Imagine approaching a conversation with that unruly relative and having the exact tool you need! You use your specialized tool to take the right actions to obtain that better opportunity at work.

This type of wisdom is not helpful unless it places God at the center of our lives. Becoming successful at managing conflict or handling finances will not take you to the highest levels of wisdom, but it is a good place to start. Wisdom requires genuine character and wisdom takes work, motivation and most importantly, the fear of the Lord.

ARE YOU PURSUING WISDOM?

WHAT STEPS ARE YOU TAKING TO OBTAIN

THE SKILLS TO BE WISE IN ALL THAT YOU DO?

PROVERBS 1:2-7 "For gaining wisdom and being instructed; for understanding insightful sayings; (3)for receiving wise instruction (in) righteousness, justice, and integrity; (4)or teaching shrewdness to the inexperienced, knowledge and discretion to a young man - (5)a wise man will listen and increase his learning, and a discerning man will obtain guidance -(6)for understanding a proverb or a parable, the words of the wise, and their riddles. (7)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction."

YOUR OPINION MATTERS....Please vote in this weeks poll, "What verbal vice irritates you the most?" You can vote on the side bar of this blog page. Thanks for voting!