Some Wise Words

Greetings, my few loyal readers!  I come with a blog topic that varies somewhat from the cross country fare that I have previously filled this portal into my mind with.  Today's blog appeals to the spiritual and intellectual side of things (yes, they can and DO coexist).

There is a certain quality praised greatly by God and man (although it is not for the sake of praise one should want to possess this quality, let me make that VERY clear).  This quality opens a multitude of doors to us that will make our lives as men and women of God somewhat easier to handle.  This quality is wisdom.  Allow me to provide a sampling of the claims the Bible makes about wisdom.

It will draw you nearer to God (Proverbs 2:5, 3:3-4)
You will gain protection (Proverbs 2:7-8, 3:23-26)
You will have an easier time avoiding temptation and evil (Proverbs 2:12-16)
Bring you happiness (Proverbs 3:13)

Did you notice that all the scripture I listed is from Proverbs?  As most of you probably know, it is God's instruction booklet for how to live a wise life.  It doesn't necessarily give you all the ins and outs of being a Christian, but practicing some of the wisdom provided for you here certainly will not hurt anything.  I would highly recommend giving this book a look.  Take a look at what happens if you don't make a little room in your life for gaining knowlege and understanding:

Proverbs 1:20-33
Wisdom calls aloud outside; she raises her voice in the open squares.  She cries out in the chief concourses, at the openings of the gates in the city she speaks her words:  "How long, you simpletons, will you love simplicity?  For scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge. Turn at my rebuke; surely I will pour out my spirit on you, I will make my words known to you.  Because I have called and you refused, I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded, because you disdained my counsel, and would have none of my rebuke, I also will laugh at your calamity, I will mock when your terror comes, when your terror comes like a storm, and your destruction comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.  Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but will not find me.  Because they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord.  They would have none of my counsel and despised my every rebuke.  Therefore, they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled to the full with their own fancies.  For the turning away  of the simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil."

So, in short, it's best to learn to be wise before you find yourself in a situation where you need wisdom.  It's similar to me the other day, driving down the highway.  I know absolutely nothing about cars, whatsoever.  And I've been fine my whole life without any knowledge about them, or even caring about them.  But, when something went wrong, I had no idea what to do, and I would have been in some deep trouble had I been alone.  Luckily, Dad was there and knew what to do, and everything is fine.  But there isn't always going to be someone there to save you.  And that's true, to an extent, spiritually, as well.  We need some wisdom, some knowledge of what God wants us to do, of how we need to address and handle different situations that may arise.  And we have to be certain that we are truly understanding of God's will.  We can't get by on our own wisdom, or even pretend that we have wisdom of our own.  The wisdom we need comes from reading God's word, from prayer, and from talking to more experienced believers.  Consider the following.

Proverbs 3:7- Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil.  If you think you know everything, chances are, you're going to screw up.  Be humble, and assume that you need to pray over any matter of importance, even slight importance, to make a decision.  That's not saying that you'll need God's opinion on whether you should order turkey or ham at Jason's Deli, but if it is a decision that carries a bit more weight (use the wisdom you gain from scripture to make that call), then make sure you go to God.

Proverbs 3:5-6- Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own uunderstanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.  When you make these decisions, place the care on God.  If you stress out over a decision, you're not really trusting in God.  I'm not saying I execute this perfectly, and I'm not sure I know anyone that really does a good job with this.  You've got to trust that God knows what He is doing.  Don't use petty reasons to try to make the decision yourself (that would, once again, be making the assumption that you're wise, that you know what you're doing).  Now, if you end up making a really good choice (or, rather, God makes one for you), make sure that it is made very clear to any observers that God inspired that choice.  When you do this, God will continue to make you decisions good ones.

Well, that's all for today, and I hope that these wise words can help someone out.  They aren't my teachings.  They come from a pretty seasoned little book.