June 13, 2013

“And apply your heart to understanding; Yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk uprightly; He guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints.  Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path.”   Proverbs 2:2b-9

 

This is the Summer of Solomon as we spend these three months studying the Proverbs. In chapter one we gained this insight into wisdom: "KNOWING GOD IS WHERE WISDOM BEGINS AND WHERE FEAR IS TURNED INTO FAITH”.

 

The second truth we will explore is this: "WISDOM IS NOT JUST ABOUT WHAT YOU KNOW, IT IS ABOUT KNOWING GOD IN A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP!"

 

Since wisdom comes from a relationship with God, the things that build relationships also work to develop wisdom. Those four factors are:

 

Listen

Look

Learn

Live

 

In the previous post I talked about the importance of learning to listen to God in order to gain wisdom. Solomon urges you to "incline your ear toward wisdom".

 

Today I want to consider the second wisdom builder - Look.

 

Look for what? "....you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God..."

 

When Betty Goldstein of Staten Island, New York, entered the hospital, her husband Ron wrapped her 3.5-carat diamond ring in a napkin for safekeeping. But in a forgetful moment, the 63-year-old Goldstein threw the napkin in the trash.

When he realized his mistake, he dashed outside, only to see the garbage truck rumbling down the street. So he called the local sanitation department and got permission to follow the truck to a transfer station. Workers began sorting through hundreds of garbage bags and recovered the ring an hour later.

The writer of Proverbs urges us to search diligently for something far more precious, wisdom. This strenuous search for wisdom is actually a search for God Himself

 

There it is!

 

Wisdom comes from your relationship with God and listening to Him and looking for Him are two key factors for gaining wisdom!

 

So, I ask you, "What are you looking for?"