Friday, May 16, 2008
Our series on Proverbs will come to an end this Sunday (5/18). However, that doesn't mean that living a life of wisdom ends. Hopefully, we will choose to seek after the wisdom of God in our lives. I'm going to keep the book of Proverbs in my daily reading schedule. A Proverb a day can keep foolishness away (the preceding quote is not in the Bible).
There's a wonderfully instructive passage in Proverbs 2, under the heading of "The Benefits of Wisdom". It reads, "My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding." (Prov. 2:1-6)
I noticed some "ifs" and a "then" in this reading. Godly wisdom doesn't just come on us like the flu. There's some accepting and applying and calling and crying and some searching and seeking that I must do. It's almost like it says: if you want Godly wisdom then hunt for it. I was captivated by the phrase "search for wisdom like you would search for hidden treasure". I'm wondering if that's how we apply ourselves to seeking God's wisdom? A few years ago I saw a documentary about Mel Fisher. Mel is a treasure hunter who searched for gold and found it. In 1985, after 16 years of looking, he finally discovered the Spanish wreck Nuestra Se-ora de Atocha in 55 feet of water near Key West, Florida. His divers salvaged millions of dollars' worth of treasure from that sunken ship--but it didn't come easy. They toiled long and hard with metal detectors, diving to investigate every metallic "hit." Fisher's dreams and work eventually paid off when he came upon his big find. Mel commented that after 16 years of searching, the find was worth it.
God's wisdom is more valuable than treasure. Again, Proverbs 3:13-15, "Blessed is the man who finds wisdom (notice the word find), the man who gains understanding, for she (wisdom) is more profitable than silver and yields better return than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her" (parenthesis are my own comments).
I hope through our studies in Proverbs that our appetites have been whetted to seek God's wisdom all our lives, every day. And know this: the payoff is well worth it!
Seeking God's wisdom with you,
Pastor Tim
There's a wonderfully instructive passage in Proverbs 2, under the heading of "The Benefits of Wisdom". It reads, "My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding." (Prov. 2:1-6)
I noticed some "ifs" and a "then" in this reading. Godly wisdom doesn't just come on us like the flu. There's some accepting and applying and calling and crying and some searching and seeking that I must do. It's almost like it says: if you want Godly wisdom then hunt for it. I was captivated by the phrase "search for wisdom like you would search for hidden treasure". I'm wondering if that's how we apply ourselves to seeking God's wisdom? A few years ago I saw a documentary about Mel Fisher. Mel is a treasure hunter who searched for gold and found it. In 1985, after 16 years of looking, he finally discovered the Spanish wreck Nuestra Se-ora de Atocha in 55 feet of water near Key West, Florida. His divers salvaged millions of dollars' worth of treasure from that sunken ship--but it didn't come easy. They toiled long and hard with metal detectors, diving to investigate every metallic "hit." Fisher's dreams and work eventually paid off when he came upon his big find. Mel commented that after 16 years of searching, the find was worth it.
God's wisdom is more valuable than treasure. Again, Proverbs 3:13-15, "Blessed is the man who finds wisdom (notice the word find), the man who gains understanding, for she (wisdom) is more profitable than silver and yields better return than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her" (parenthesis are my own comments).
I hope through our studies in Proverbs that our appetites have been whetted to seek God's wisdom all our lives, every day. And know this: the payoff is well worth it!
Seeking God's wisdom with you,
Pastor Tim
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