August 4
Embrace Wisdom
Proverbs 3, 4
KEY
VERSE: Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding.
n
Proverbs
The only
thing better than wisdom is godly wisdom. That is what Solomon
prompted Solomon to observe that a man is truly blessed who gains true wisdom,
or godly understanding.
No one understood this better
than Solomon. When he became king, he asked God to give him a discerning or
understanding heart. God answered Solomon’s prayer, enabling the king to rule
his people wisely and well for many years.
In the Book of Proverbs we find
great wisdom attributed to Solomon. These wise sayings are worthy of lifelong
study and practice. Here we find splendid guidance about moral values that are
helpful to anyone, especially young men. More than once I have encouraged young
Christian men to read and study the Proverbs and to consider them as reliable
guidelines for living.
Many foolish ideas exist in our
culture. The thinking of many otherwise well-educated people in our society is
seriously flawed. The wizards of Wall Street have led many down a financial
dead-end street. The geniuses of clever advertising have deceived millions into
believing that it is our “outward appearance” that counts the most. Even some
of the media evangelists have, in the name of God, persuaded vast numbers of
people to embrace the insidious “prosperity gospel.”
Perhaps that is why Elton Trueblood included the search for wisdom in his definition
of the ministry of the Christian in today’s world: “The ministry of the
Christian today is three-fold – to pray, to serve, and to think” (Italics added). The wise philosopher stressed the
necessity for Christians to use their minds so as to think clearly in the face
of so much mindless religion in our culture.
We do indeed need to meditate
under the shade of “the tree of life,” which wisdom is, until we gain the
understanding that godly wisdom is “more precious than rubies,” or any of the
alluring “things” of this world.