Hi and welcome back to another episode of Perspective For Today.
Today we’re going to talk about wisdom. This will be the final episode in the series Being a Success For The Kingdom.
Where do we get wisdom? Does it come with age as mentioned in Job?
Job 12:12-13 Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days. 13 With God are wisdom and might; he has counsel and understanding.
Maybe we can obtain wisdom by reading a lot of books like Paul. When Paul wrote to Timothy books were on his mind.
2 Timothy 4:13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments.
Some of my favorite authors are godly men like AW Tozer, Max Lucado, Oswald Chambers, and Billy Graham. It’s good to get the perspective of others but be sure that their perspective aligns with God’s perspective. Be leery of authors that fail to point toward the cross. Beware of false teachers.
When King Solomon took the throne he was just a child.
I’m sure when he took the throne he hadn’t read a lot of books and he was far from being an old man. Like any child he wanted to be like his dad. I believe that Solomon felt inadequate for the task. David’s shoes were big shoes to fill.
So instead of asking God to give him a long life, riches, or the lives of his enemies, he asked for wisdom. This pleased God. Because of Solomon’s desire for wisdom, God not only gave him wisdom he gave him a long life, riches and honor.
James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
The fruit of Solomon’s wisdom is found in the book of Proverbs.
If we try to read a chapter in Proverbs every day of the year, some of that wisdom is bound to become a part of us.
Another way to obtain wisdom is to hang out with godly people.
Not just on Sundays in a church service, but with others in a Bible study or maybe even Celebrate Recovery. Celebrate Recovery is a christ-centered 12-step program. The folks at Celebrate Recovery have obtained wisdom by making a lot of mistakes and learning from them. True wisdom comes from listening to godly counsel and applying it in your own life so that you can avoid the pitfalls that others have made.
Proverbs 13:20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
A casual or light-hearted relationship with God is not a wise idea. We need to have a healthy fear of our God. I say healthy because those who fear the Lord have a continual awareness of Him, a deep reverence for Him, and sincere commitment to obey Him.
Psalms 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!
We need to apply the wisdom that we have obtained. Wisdom is not just for our intellectual curiosity to be satisfied. God will not give you wisdom if you are not going to move forward and use it for his glory.
Proverbs 3:1 My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments,
Proverbs 3:2 for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.
As you grow in wisdom people will seek you out. They will want to know your perspective on a given subject.
1 Kings 4:34 And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.
The Magi or wise men from the East came seeking the infant Christ. If we are wise we will continually seek our Lord and Savior. The more we know of Him and identify with Him the more wisdom we will acquire.
I’d like to share some characteristics of a wise person taken from the book of James chapter 3:13-18. By no means is this all-inclusive but I believe it cuts to the heart of wisdom.
A wise person is humble and leaves his or her pride at the door.
A wise person lives for good deeds and strives to meet the needs of others.
They are gentle and brings a sense of calm to every situation.
A wise person is considerate and puts the needs of others ahead of themselves.
A wise person is peace-loving and strives to end conflict and division.
A wise person is merciful. Wise people are compassionate, forgiving, and kind to others.
A wise person is sincere. They are authentic, real, and honest; not deceitful, hypocritical, or false.
They are impartial and do not show partiality to others for their own benefit.
To get wisdom we must fear God, study his Word and prayerfully desire to understand life from God’s perspective.
It is a wise man who knows when to stop talking.
So I’d like to thank you for listening today and may you seek God’s wisdom for your life always.