Find God’s Eternal Wisdom!

Proverbs 8:22-23, 30, 35-36   
“The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old.  23 I have been established from everlasting, From the beginning, before there was ever an earth.   30 Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman; And I was daily His delight, Rejoicing always before Him,  35 For whoever finds me finds life, And obtains favor from the Lord; 36 But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; All those who hate me love death.”

Where does wisdom come from, and why is it important?  God is wise before creation, as wisdom is in His nature.  By wisdom He created all things, and was His master craftsman in all He made and did.  So when we find His wisdom, we find true life - in His only solution, Jesus Christ.  But when we reject that wisdom and understanding, we hurt ourselves and only find death. 

Wisdom and Understanding

Proverbs 8:1, 6-8, 13, 20 
1 Does not wisdom cry out, And understanding lift up her voice?    6 Listen, for I will speak of excellent things, And from the opening of my lips will come right things; 7 For my mouth will speak truth; Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.   8 All the words of my mouth are with righteousness; Nothing crooked or perverse is in them.   13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate.   20 I traverse the way of righteousness, In the midst of the paths of justice,

Wisdom and understanding must include the best things, right and true, just and fair, righteous truth, not wicked or evil or prideful or arrogant.  This is how we need to be to please God who made each of us in His image.  How we all fail in this broken world with each of us sinfully apart from Christ!  So my goal is to be wise in speaking the excellent things, not those of the flesh, but of wisdom and understanding from God-Who-Lives-In-me.

Philippians 1:9-11  And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, 11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. 

Value God’s Word by Heartfelt Obedience

Proverbs 7:1-3  
1 My son, keep my words, And treasure my commands within you.   2 Keep my commands and live, And my law as the apple of your eye.   3 Bind them on your fingers; Write them on the tablet of your heart.

Do I keep His words and really value each of them, seeing them as the best an most valuable thing?  He sees me as the apple of His eye, and so must I for all He says.  These must continue to be written on my heart of flesh given me when I was reborn...

Ezekiel 36:26-27  I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

2 Corinthians 3:3  clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart. 

Learn and Live God’s Commands Given

Proverbs 6:20-23 
20 My son, keep your father's command, And do not forsake the law of your mother.   21 Bind them continually upon your heart; Tie them around your neck.   22 When you roam, they will lead you; When you sleep, they will keep you; And when you awake, they will speak with you.   23 For the commandment is a lamp, And the law a light; Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,

Though parents may or may not teach us God's word, we are still bound to put them in our heart and follow the commands, principles, and examples given us there.  Then we can sleep, knowing we are pleasing to God, and wake to face the day with Him.  He gives light so we can see where we are going, and corrects us in love when we fail Him in life.  As the Apostle said, "You have the words of life; where else can we go?" 

Hate What God Hates

Proverbs 6:16-19 
These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:    17 A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, 19 A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.

Some things we must not do if we are to please God include pride, lying, murder (hate), evil intent (love does no harm to a neighbor), evil sinful actions, false witness (perjury), and a troublemaker (slanderer, gossip).  If God hates these, so should we.

Keep Your Heart Diligently

Proverbs 4:23-27  
Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.   24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you.   25 Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you.   26 Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established.   27 Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.

As Jesus said, everything comes from inside, from the heart.  This is why it must be guarded at all times.  Part of this is focusing on becoming like Christ as we trust and obey, and part is in avoiding saying or doing evil.  So we need to consider how we live, the direction we live in, and keep to the narrow path in following Jesus Christ. 

Iniquity Always Seen by God

Proverbs 5:20-22 
For why should you, my son, be enraptured by an immoral woman, And be embraced in the arms of a seductress?   21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, And He ponders all his paths.   22 His own iniquities entrap the wicked man, And he is caught in the cords of his sin.

God sees all we do in life and in the heart; this is why both men and women must guard their heart by God's word to follow the path that pleases Him and protects the person.  Those who go after one who is not their spouse are trapped in their sin, and hide nothing from Him.    Instead, those who are single must wait for marriage for intimacy, and the married must stay on the path with their spouse alone, "always being enraptured with her love (vs.19)." 

Make a Straight Path in Life

Proverbs 4:23-27 
Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.   24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you.   25 Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you.   26 Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established.   27 Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.

How difficult to guard our hearts, lips, and eyes, yet so crucial as we consider how we walk.  The way straight ahead for our feet is the goal, pleasing The Lord and loving others.  Let us take our feet from evil and run the race, forgetting what is behind as we press to that goal as Paul said in Philippians. 

Choose Your Path in the Light

Proverbs 4:14-19 
Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil.   15 Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on.   16 For they do not sleep unless they have done evil; And their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall.    18 But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.   19 The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble.

How to live right, to walk in light through the darkness surrounding us?  Start by not living as those in the dark.  Do not do what they do, or even go (travel the same path) where they go.  They live to make those seeking God's way fall - even losing sleep over not making you sin as they do.  They are so lost in darkness that they cannot see what they are tripping over.   But we who know Christ have opened eyes and see clearly in the light. 

Get Wisdom and Understanding from God

Proverbs 4:5, 7, 13  
Get wisdom! Get understanding!   Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.    7 Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.   13 Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; Keep her, for she is your life.

To gain knowledge is the mere foundation; understanding in the heart and mind is then the start, with wisdom on using the understanding of the knowledge to live from the heart and guided by God's Spirit to please Him.  This is our purpose and goal Paul spoke of in the race to be conformed to the image of Christ - which image is that of God we were created in. 

Do Not Fear, Trust His Grace

Proverbs 3:25-26, 34 
Do not be afraid of sudden terror, Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; 26 For the Lord will be your confidence, And will keep your foot from being caught. . . Surely He scorns the scornful, But gives grace to the humble.

When tragedy happens around us in the news or even at our doorstep, we who are Christ's have the confidence that He can hold us up through it all, no matter the outcome.  Our times are in His hands.  He gives grace in the times we need it - but not to those who laugh at and reject Him as their God and Sovereign.

Having a heart of flesh for stone:  Yes, being born again, made a new creation, and being sealed and filled with His Spirit at that birth allows God to put a new mind - Christ's - and a new heart in us to be able to understand and obey with a willing heart! 

God’s Wise Creation

Proverbs 3:19-20 
The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; By understanding He established the heavens;  By His knowledge the depths were broken up, And clouds drop down the dew.

By God's skillful wisdom and infinite intelligence and perception He created the infinite heavens and wonderful earth we live on.  We are to seek wisdom, understanding, and knowledge from Him by the Bible and His presence living in us as well.  We are made in His image, and must rely on Him to become more as He is to be pleasing.

Honor the Lord with Our Best

Proverbs 3:9-10   
Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.

Do I really give God my best - always?  Do I give first to Him as I get more?   This is the only way to truly prosper, and the way most struggle with.  He honors those who honor Him .

1 Samuel 2:30   Therefore the Lord God of Israel says:‘I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever. ’ But now the Lord says:‘ Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed. 

Born Again in Light of His Word

2 Corinthians 4:6   
For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

- Acts 26:18   to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me. ’

- John 3:7-8   Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘ You must be born again. ’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

- 1 Peter 1:23   having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,

Just 33 years ago today I walked into light as my chains fell off into the darkness!  I was led through the years to the point of this slow but certain light, until I heard His words put together to reconcile my sinful state with my loving creator and Lord.  I agreed I offended God with my sin, turned from it to Him, believed Jesus died to pay my sin's due wages, and was reborn from above as God took up residence within me.  He has been there ever since, and will never leave.  This birthday is forever.

Lean on God-given Understanding

Proverbs 3:5-8  
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.   7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. 8 It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.

Do we really trust God and seek to find answers from His word and Spirit's understanding?  When we do this, acknowledging Him as the source of all, them we find the way to walk.  When we obey and seek righteousness and truth, then we fear Him and find spiritual health.  Let us be wise in HIS eyes! 

Mercy and Truth Written on Our Hearts

Proverbs 3:1-4   
1 My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands; 2 For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you.   3 Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart,  4 And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man.

We must not forget what God lays out for us to do, but value it so much as to fill our heart and so obey willingly and eagerly.  Living then guided by the truth with mercy (speaking the truth in love) in our heart will honor God and show the love for others in His image that He commands us.  He will so keep us in perfect peace with our mind stayed on Him. 

Stay the Course of Righteousness

Proverbs 2:20

So you may walk in the way of goodness, and keep to the paths of righteousness.

Why get knowledge that leads to wisdom?  So we can live right - according to God's standards, and not our own.  Anything less misses the mark in learning and living. 

Wisdom, Knowledge, Discretion, and Understanding

Proverbs 2:10-14 
When wisdom enters your heart, And knowledge is pleasant to your soul, 11 Discretion will preserve you; Understanding will keep you, 12 To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things, 13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness; 14 Who rejoice in doing evil, And delight in the perversity of the wicked;

With godly knowledge and wisdom guiding your life you will be kept from evil people who only want you to follow them in saying and doing twisted and harmful things.  They want to pull you towards darkness, to laugh and seek to do what is evil - harmful to others and offensive to God.  But taking God's word to heart and living by it will preserve you.  It is good. 

Lean into Learning from God

Proverbs 2:2,3,6  
So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding; 3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding,  6 For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;

Pay close attention to what God says in the Bible, seeking to understand and put it into practice - this is wisdom.  Ask for seeing what is right and wrong, what is best and eternal. God will answer with real wisdom, understanding that applies to life.  Only He can give true knowledge and understanding; our own is limited and misleading. 

Dwell Safely in Listening to God

Proverbs 1:29-33 
Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the Lord,   30 They would have none of my counsel And despised my every rebuke.   31 Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, And be filled to the full with their own fancies.   32 For the turning away of the simple will slay them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them; 33 But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, And will be secure, without fear of evil.”

Those who mock God and despise what Jesus told us by hating His word and not willing to obey Him will simply reap what they sow.  The wages of sin is death as they fill themselves with their desires instead of God's.  But those who choose to listen to God, living by the words in the Bible, will be safe and secure from evil, able to rest at night and during waking moments, because they trust Christ Jesus. 

Turn and Learn When Rebuked

Proverbs 1:22-23 
“How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning, And fools hate knowledge.   23 Turn at my rebuke; Surely I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.

Many sneer at Jesus Christ, choosing ignorance over seeking knowledge of Him.  But those who see value in knowledge seek, find, and then turn from their ways that offend God.  These are the ones who are reborn, find God's very presence in them, His Spirit, and find understanding in the Bible's words that seemed out of reach before.  They find life so full and leave foolishness behind. 

Learn More and Be Wise in the Lord

Proverbs 1:5-7 
A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,   6 To understand a proverb and an enigma, The words of the wise and their riddles.   7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

To be wise, I must seek to learn by listening - both to God's word and to those who teach it. Then He can sharpen me to do deeper into things not so clear.  But all learning must be founded on the fear of The Lord - knowing that living what I learn must be to please Him, not for my own "bettering."  Only fools hate to learn and to grow wiser. 

God’s Word Living Through Us

Colossians 3:16-17 
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.    17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Does God's word live inside you, taking residence and filling your house with wisdom that enables you to teach and correct each other in love?  If so, then this leads to being able to live in ways that honor God the Father through the Son - in all we both say and do.  Thank Him in living for Him this way. 

Express Praise for God’s Work

Psalms 150:1-2   
1 Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament!   2 Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!

Where do we tell God how great He is and thank Him for all He has done, does, and will do?  Here are some places - in church gatherings (sanctuary), for where He is in heaven, in all He does in power and wisdom, and in His greatness for who He is!     In other words, wherever we go we need to praise Him - He deserves it in all that He has made, which is everywhere and in everything.