Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Wisdom and knowledge; gifts of God
“The
fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: but fools despise wisdom and
instruction.” (V.7)
The book of
Proverbs is perhaps the best book in the Bible to study when seeking to learn
biblical wisdom. It offers practical advice through poetry; short, pithy
sayings; and vivid comparisons. The main point of the book is that we should
always seek the wisdom of God.
Billy Graham once
said, “Knowledge is horizontal. Wisdom is vertical….it comes down from above”.
Wisdom is the ability to discern the best path from amid all the other ideas as
we deal with the everyday struggles and problems of life.
Wisdom is a gift from God. V. 2, explains why it has been written. It’s for
people “to know wisdom and knowledge”. Knowledge is what is gathered over time
through study of the Scriptures. It can be said that wisdom, in turn, reveals
itself by acting upon that knowledge. In other words, knowledge manifesting
itself in any given situation through wisdom. If one lacks knowledge, he will
also lack wisdom. The two go hand-in-hand.
Two major points in seeking more wisdom in our life.
We must be
teachable:
A lot of people
presume wisdom is something you’re born with, but that’s not true. V. 5 says,
“A wise man will hear, and will increase learning.” Notice that he hears and
his wisdom increases. There are a lot of people who hear but don’t get more
wisdom because they hear but don’t listen. Some people have too much pride, or
are stubborn or are too self-sufficient to be teachable. They will never
increase in wisdom.
Wisdom begins
with a right relationship with God:
V. 7 also clearly
explain what it means to have Biblical knowledge: “The fear of the LORD is the
beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.”The Bible is our
teacher and tutor. It provides the practical information we need understand to
grow in wisdom. Through Prayer we can deal with the specific problems,
shortcomings, and sins in our life. When we fear the Lord, which is the most
basic form of knowledge, God can then begin to provide us with wisdom through
Jesus, whom the Bible says is wisdom itself.
Prayer: Dear God, give me not only the wisdom of men, but the
wisdom of God. I pray that You would impart into me divine wisdom, that I may
be able to rightly follow the Word of truth…. .Amen
Thought for the
Day: “Wisdom is not for the elite
few. Wisdom is available to everyone who will seek it.”
Rev.
Mathew John, MTC Greater Seattle