In his book "Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life", the author Charles Swindoll tells a story about the 19th Century agnostic Thomas Huxley. Huxley was in Dublin and was rushing to catch a train. He climbed aboard one of Dublin’s famous horse drawn taxis and said to the driver -“Hurry, I’m almost late ... drive fast.” Off they went at a furious pace and Huxley sat back in his seat and closed his eyes. After a while Huxley opened his eyes and glanced out the window to notice that they were going in the wrong direction. Realizing that he hadn’t told the driver where to take him he called out ‘do you know where you're going?’ The driver replied “No, your honour, but I am driving very fast.”
Isn’t that the way it seems we go through life. We seem to be always in a hurry. We go through life fast without really knowing our destination. Everything around seems fast paced. We have fast food restaurants with drive through windows and microwave ovens. We built interstates to get us to our destinations faster. This desire for speediness is reflected in our ability to read the Bible regularly. It seems other things needing our attention takes away from our time.
But the Bible also has “micro” scriptures; little burst of wisdom that can help guide us in our daily walk. This book in the Bible is Proverbs.
Proverbs 1:1-4 says “These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel. Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise. Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair. These proverbs will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernment to the young.”
Now before you get insulted by the Bible calling you “the simple” you must understand the meaning of this word. It meant naïve, easily deceived. We have an enemy whose purpose is to deceive us. So we need wisdom to counteract those attacks. Wisdom means skill. Wisdom is our skill to live a life of victory over the deciever. Over the next few weeks we will study these bursts of wisdom found in the Word.
Wisdom gives calmness
Proverbs 12:16 “A fool is quick-tempered,
but a wise person stays calm when insulted.” We must develop a skill to remain calm when insulted.
Have you ever heard the story of Norma McCorvey? She was a single woman who wanted to end her pregnancy through abortion. However, she lives in the state of Texas where abortion was illegal. So she sued under the name “Jane Roe”. It was her lawsuit that opened the door to make abortion legal.
In 1995, Norma was answering phones at an abortion clinic when a pro-life group moved into the office next door. She tried trading insults with the pro-lifers but she was met with smiles, scripture, and invitations to attend church. Later that summer she quit her job and converted to Christianity.
It would have been easy for the pro-lifers to attack the character of Norma McCorvey. Her lawsuit has been responsible for the abortion and death of over 62 million babies. They could have reminded her of her sins and the impending doom that awaited her for all eternity.
Instead they told her of a loving God who cared about her. Instead of pushing her away, they befriended her. She was quick tempered, perhaps from feeling guilty of her sin. The others stayed calm.
It takes skill to remain calm. It takes restraint not to strike out. And before you hold Norma in contempt for her actions, remember God forgave her sins and cast them away.
Wisdom gives control.
Proverbs 12:23 “The wise don’t make a show of their knowledge, but fools broadcast their foolishness.”
How many of you have heard the saying “Loose lips sink ships”? Did you wonder where it originated? Well, you are about to find out.
During WWII soldiers were warned not to speak freely back home about what was going on in the war. An official Army memo contained ten specific things soldiers needed to be careful talking about. These words were added at the end of the memo: “loose talk is direct delivery to the enemy. If you come home during war your lips must remain sealed and your written hand must be guided by self-imposed censorship. This takes guts. Have you got them or do you want your buddies and your country to pay the price for your showing off? You’ve faced the battle front; it’s little enough to ask you to face this ‘home front.’ “Remember Loose Lips Might Sink Ships!”
The Bible says sharing too much information is wrong. James 1:26 states “If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.”
We are not to share all the little tidbits of information that we gather about others. When we do we play into the hands of our spiritual enemy by making our religion worthless. We, as Christians, should be the most trusted people in our sphere of influence. People should be able to confide in us with no fear of being the subject of gossip.
As the Army memo stated, it takes guts to not participate by sharing your knowledge of circumstances in people’s lives. It takes skill to control your tongue.
Wisdom gives direction
Proverbs 14:8 “The prudent understand where they are going, but fools deceive themselves.”
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go but he insisted that he build just one more house before giving him his retirement check.
The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to poor workmanship and used inferior materials. When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house, the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is your house," he said, "my gift to you." What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built so poorly.
The prudent, those who are wise and have understanding, are making plans for their future. But we as a nation are a people living from paycheck to paycheck. The majority of people retiring are doing so based on Social Security to provide for them. Social Security was established to be a supplement income, not an only income. 43% of those reaching retirement age have set aside less than $10,000 for retirement. 27% have set aside less that $1,000. 31% of all workers are not setting aside any funds for retirement.
In the midst of this climate we discover rampant spending among those not prepared for the future. People are looking for instant gratification with no thought of the “house they are building.” A house they will live in one day.
It is a stupid person that does not make plans for the future. God’s words not mine. It takes skill to plan for the future.
Wisdom gives discernment
Proverbs 14:15 “Only simpletons believe everything they’re told! The prudent carefully consider their steps.”
If it is on the internet, it must be true, right? I mean, they can’t put stuff that’s not true on there. And you know we can listen to the politicians and know we are getting fact.
In April of 1997 a freshman at Eagle Rock Junior High in Idaho began a petition demanding strict control or total elimination of the chemical "dihydrogen monoxide." The reasons he cited were factual and alarming.
The chemical · Can cause excessive sweating and vomiting.
· It is a major component in acid rain.
· It can cause severe burns in its gaseous state.
· Accidental inhalation can kill you.
· It decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes.
· It has been found in tumors of terminal cancer patients.
He asked 50 people if they supported a ban of the chemical. Forty-three said yes, six were undecided, and only one disagreed with the ban.
The reason for his petition was an entrance in the Idaho Falls Science Fair. He was attempting to show how conditioned we have become to alarmist practicing junk science and spreading fear of everything in our environment.
He won first place. The chemical that he was able to spread fear about was the compound H2O (water). The title of his prize winning project was, "How Gullible Are We?"
Hebrews 5:14 states that “Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill (wisdom)to recognize the difference between right and wrong.”
A newborn baby is not ready for solid food. A child must mature before they can eat solid foods. Some of us have not matured enough to eat the solid food of discernment. We have difficulties in determining between right teaching and wrong teaching. The Word says we must train ourselves to have wisdom. And how do you train properly? Through the training manual, the Bible.
There is a saying, “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.” It takes skill to achieve discernment.
Wisdom gives discipline
Proverbs 15:5 “Only a fool despises a parent’s discipline;
whoever learns from correction is wise.”
The word discipline has become to have many meanings. It can be a stern rebuke, time out, or a hickory switch. But in this verse it means teaching to correct errant behavior.
We, who are parents, strive to teach our children the right path to walk. We would prefer that they listen to our correction so that further actions are not necessary. Often as not they don’t listen. Whether you know it or not, you as a parent are living under a curse. I am not talking about sin. The fact is that at some time your parents whispered under their breath, “I hope when you have a kid it’s just like you.”
I must admit that I did not have a great deal of problems with my children. They were not into the usual misadventures of teenagers. People have asked Debbie and me how they turned out so well. Today I will give you that answer.
As youngsters they had a drug problem. We drug them to church every Sunday morning. It wasn’t an option in our house. Church was where you went on Sundays.
We as parents have an obligation to correct errant behavior. We have an obligation to teach and show them God’s way of living.
But we should also remember that we are children of our heavenly Father who at times disciplines us. He will allow situations in our lives to correct our errant behavior.
Hebrews 12:10 informs us that “our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline (teaching) is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness.”
When we fid ourselves in stressful situations we must ask ourselves if there is a lesson to be learned. Don’t lose faith. It takes skill to learn discipline.
Wisdom gives knowledge.
Proverbs 18:15 “Intelligent people are always ready to learn.
Their ears are open for knowledge.”
When God began creation He had a conversation with several animals. He created the mule and told him: "You will be mule, working constantly from dusk to dawn, carrying heavy loads on your back. You will eat grass and you will lack intelligence. You will live for 50 years." The mule answered: "To live like this for 50 years is too much. Please, give me no more than 20." And it was so.
Then God created the dog and told him: "You will hold vigilance over the dwellings of Man, to whom you will be his greatest companion. You will eat his table scraps and live for 25 years. You also will have some intelligence" And the dog responded: "Lord, to live 25 years as a dog is too much. Please, no more than 10 years."
And it was so.
God then created the monkey and told him: "You are the monkey. You will swing from tree to tree, acting like an idiot. You will be funny, almost have full intelligence and you shall live for 20 years." And the monkey responded: Lord, to live 20 years as the clown of the world is too much. Please, Lord, give me no more than 10 years." And it was so.
Finally, God created Man and told him: "You are Man, the only rational being that walks the earth. You will have full intelligence and have mastery over the creatures of the world. You will dominate the earth and live for 20 years." And the man responded: "Lord, to be Man for only 20 years is too little. Please, Lord, give me the 30 years the mule refused, the 15 years the dog refused, and the 10 years the monkey rejected." And it was so.
And God made Man to live 20 years as a man, then marry and live 30 years like a mule working and carrying heavy loads on his back. Then, he is to have children and live 15 years as a dog, guarding his house and eating leftovers after they empty the pantry, then, in his old age, to live 10 years as a monkey, acting like a fool to amuse his grandchildren. And it was so.
What really is intelligence? It’s the ability to comprehend. When God created man he gave him something that no other animal would have, the ability to comprehend. Only man can create. Only man has the ability to put their hands and intelligence to use for creation. All others animals can be trained to simulate the actions of man but only man have that true capability.
And because of that we should always be ready to learn, to seek wisdom in doing things better. Our ears should always be open to gaining understanding. Learning about God is a process that is ongoing. We should always be ready to learn more. Our ears for understanding should always be open. It takes skill to gain knowledge.
Wisdom gives protection.
Proverbs 22:3“A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.”
Proverbs 27:12“A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.”
Do you notice the fact that the verses are word for word the same?
One time a new pastor came to a church, and he preached a sermon that the people just loved. It was perfect in that it discussed just the right things.
The next week he preached the same sermon, and while the congregation enjoyed it, they were a little confused that he gave the same sermon twice.
The following week he preached the same sermon yet again. This time the people moved from confusion to concern about why this guy kept repeating himself week after week.
Guess what happened the next week? That’s right - he preached the same sermon. This time the people started getting a bit miffed.
After the service, the leaders came up to him and told him they would like him to preach about something different next week.
He said, "When you start living THIS sermon, I’ll preach about something else."
King Solomon felt that this warning was so grave it deserved being repeated. A person filled with wisdom will evaluate the results of their actions. They will foresee what consequences may await them if they continue in the direction they are headed. If they see a sign that says “Bridge washed out” they don’t continue driving down the road and over an embankment. Instead they turn around and follow the detour.
It takes a simpleton, a stupid person to drive off a bridge after they have been warned. It takes skill to find protection.
So we begin our understanding of living a life filled with wisdom. We must develop certain skills. The skill of being calm in the midst of chaos. The skill of guarding our words. The skill of guidance for our lives. The skill of not being naïve. The skill of willingness to being taught. The skill of gaining knowledge through those teachings. The skill of protecting ourselves by heeding God’s warnings. All these skills will result in living a successful life.
