Did anyone see this story this week?
A Texas woman said a burglar stole up to $1 million worth of designer bags and accessories from a treasured room in her Houston-area house — her closet.
Theresa Roemer, an entrepreneur and former Mrs. Texas United America, recently displayed her three-story, 3,000-square-foot closet on ABC’s "Good Morning America." “To me, my closet is my retreat,” she said at the time, referring to the space as her “she-cave.”
On Friday night, Roemer, 52, and her husband, Lamar Roemer, returned home to find that a thief had broken into their house in The Woodlands through a bathroom window, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Her collection included expensive watches and flashy jewelry. The jumpsuit-wearing thief reportedly made off with three pricey Hermès Birkin travel bags filled with expensive jewelry, watches and high-end handbags. Roemer said the burglar also took an irreplaceable item — a locket that held a piece of her late son’s hair. “It's the only thing left of my son and it's gone,” she told the paper.
Roemer admitted they did not turn on their alarm system on the way out of the house on Friday night. “Shame on me for the one night I forgot to lock the glass door and set the alarm,” she said. Roemer’s massive and lavish closet, which she told “GMA”, cost about $500,000 to build, grabbed headlines in July. The house dubbed the “largest closet in America” has a champagne bar and doubles as a place to host fund-raisers and charity events.
My description from this news article does not due justice to the pictures that were flashed nationwide. Imagine the most luxurious clothing and jewelry store in the world and you may get a glimpse.
Proverbs 3:13 states “Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding.”
Do you think she was lacking in wisdom when she exposed her possessions to dishonest people on national TV? Do you think she was lacking wisdom by leaving her “she cave” without setting the burglar alarm? Do you think she has gained understanding the hard way?
A pirate had a wooden leg, a hook on one arm, and a patch over one eye. Someone asked him how these things happened.
He said that a whale bit off his leg, a crocodile had chewed off his hand, and a bird dropping hit him in the eye.
The other guy replied that he understood about the wooden leg having had his original bit off by a whale,...and the hook was there to replace the hand the crocodile had chewed off,...but a patch over the eye just because of a bird dropping ... that he didn’t understand.
The pirate said...“Aye...when the bird dropping hit me in me eye, that was me first day with the hook.”
Wisdom and understanding leads to a life filled with joy. Too often, we must face hard times to gain wisdom and understanding. We stick our leg in a whale’s mouth when wisdom would tell us not too. We place our hand in the mouth of a crocodile even though we know crocodiles bite. And when life hits us in the eye, we do more damage to ourselves because we lack wisdom and understanding.
Let’s look at Proverbs 3:14-15.
“For wisdom is more profitable than silver,
and her wages are better than gold.
Wisdom is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.”
The average cost for a ruby is $300 per karat. The average cost for a pound of silver is $316. The average cost for a pound of gold is $20,608. At the time, that Proverbs was written these were the most expensive metals and gems around.
However, as expensive as silver is, wisdom is more good, pleasing, and desirable for profit. If you want prosperity in your life, then look to wisdom and not finances. Wisdom will lead you to the investments for long-term profit.
Proverbs 6: 6-8 tells us to “Take a lesson from the ants----Learn from their ways and become wise! Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter.”
Let me assure you winter months are coming. Work now, store up now, give to God what is his, but also give to yourself for your future.
Proverbs says that wisdom is better than your wages. What are wages? The dictionary defines it as money that is paid or received for work or services, as by the hour, day, or week. It is the fruit of our labors. It is our harvest. It is our crops. It is our produce.
This year my garden is a flop. A few tomatoes, a few cucumbers, and that is it. My squash plants bloomed but produced no fruit. Yet I have a counter full of squash and tomatoes. They are not from my garden but someone else’s. Wisdom told me not to refuse the produce offered me. It was totally free. And free beats gold every time.
There is an old story about a man in Europe who wanted to travel to the United States. In those days, the only way to get here was by ocean liner. He worked hard, saved up his money and finally bought a ticket and stuffed a years worth of wages in an envelope. He would need this to get settled. Then he bought a suitcase and filled it with cheese and crackers. That would be his food for the three-week journey.
The ship set sail. Mealtime came. All the other passengers went into the large dining hall to eat their meal. The man went to his suitcase and took out some cheese and crackers. While he could smell the delicious aromas coming from the meal being served, he went to a corner and ate his cheese and crackers. After the meal, he heard some of the passengers talk about how full they were. The poor man really wanted to join the others in the dining hall, but he refused to spend his wages. Sometimes he would lie awake at night, dreaming of food. But he needed his wages to get settled.
On the last day of the trip, another man came up to him and said, “Sir, I can’t help but notice that each time a meal is served, you go over to that corner and eat cheese and crackers. Why don’t you come into the banquet hall and eat with us?”
The traveler was embarrassed, but finally stammered out, “Well, to tell you the truth, I don’t want to spend my money on meals. You see, I have a year wages saved up and I need this to get settled”
The other passenger raised his eyebrows in surprise. He said, “Why, didn‘t you read the brochure when you came on board? Didn’t you realize the meals are included in the price of the ticket? Your meals have already been paid for.”
If he read the book, if he had sought the wisdom found in the book, he would not have been hungry. Wisdom is better than wages.
Proverbs says that wisdom is more precious than rubies. Do you know what made rubies so precious in the days of Proverbs? Even though they were splendid and beloved, they were rare. Having wisdom is better than having anything else because wisdom, at times, is harder to find.
I want to share some wisdom with the men in the church. I have gained this wisdom from sharing 33 wonderful years with a true blessing in my life. If you are married, in a relationship, or one day will be, this rare wisdom will be of great importance.
Guys, when she says:
“It’s your decision.” She really means, “The correct decision should be obvious by now.”
“Do what you want.” She really means, “You’ll pay for this later.”
“I’ll be ready in a minute.” She really means, “Kick off your shoes and find a good game on TV.”
“You have to learn to communicate.” She really means, “Just agree with me.”
“Nothing.” She really means, “Everything.”
And I have learned a new one today after seeing Debbie’s expression. “Under no circumstances use your wife as an object lesson.”
Like rubies, wisdom must be sought. We may have to dig deep within to find it. Too often, it is hidden behind our own agendas and selfish pleasures. But, according to Proverbs, there is nothing in your life that compares to having wisdom. If our desires are not in line with wisdom then we will lose our skill for living a success-filled life.
Look at Proverbs 3:16-17.
“She offers you long life in her right hand,
and riches and honor in her left.
She will guide you down delightful paths;
all her ways are satisfying.”
We need to understand what this verse is saying. Wisdom does not guarantee that we will live to be a hundred. Wisdom does not guarantee that we will become millionaires. Wisdom does not guarantee us a place of prestige.
What wisdom does offer us a length of daytime hours. Not physically but rather by the skillful way we live our lives. Wisdom will give brighter days of joy and less of those days that we feel as if we have been engulfed by darkness.
Wisdom offers wealth in the since that it reveals to us how to be wealthy. In my working life, I made about $800,000. Today I have less than $300 in my bank account. If I had listened to wisdom starting when I was 15 years old and set aside 10% for retirement I would have over $80,000 today. Wisdom can give you riches if you listen.
Wisdom offer us honor. Wisdom displays before the world our integrity. We magnify God with wisdom before a world filled with foolishness. Let’s continue.
Proverbs 3:18 “Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly.”
The tree of life is only found in two locations in the Bible; in the Garden of Eden at the beginning and the New Jerusalem at the end. But we have the promise of enjoying the tree of life by embracing wisdom now. We have the promise of living a spirit filled, joy filled, blessed life now by holding tightly to wisdom and relying on it to see us through all of our decisions.
We often think as fire and the wheel as man’s greatest inventions but they were actually discoveries. These are considered man’s top inventions. The compass, which made navigation easier and opened the door for exploration. The latine sail, which took full advantage of the wind allowing for quicker travel time. The printing press, which made for easier dissemination of knowledge including the Bible. The steam engine, which spurred technological improvements. The light bulb, which allowed commerce to operate 24 hours a day. The computer, which it seems everything depends on now. All these were invented by knowledge but not by wisdom.
Let’s read Proverbs 3:19-20.
“By wisdom the Lord founded the earth;
by understanding he created the heavens.
By his knowledge the deep fountains of the earth burst forth,
and the dew settles beneath the night sky.”
Man could never invent what God created. It was with skillful hands He created a perfect world. It was his insight into the balance of physical laws that He placed the sun, moon, and all the stars and planets. It was his understanding of man’s needs that He gave dry land and water. We create physical things from knowledge. We need to learn how to create a better life from wisdom. And just as those six things mentioned improved man’s life, with wisdom, we can improve the lives of those around us.
First, we must improve our lives through wisdom. Just as I mentioned the six greatest inventions of man, I now want to give you the six greatest advantages of wisdom.
1) Discretion
Proverbs 3:21 “My child, don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment. Hang on to them,”
Wisdom gives us common sense and discernment to know right from wrong.
After cleaning out his office files one Monday afternoon, a federal employee was faced with mountains of old documents and reports. He stacked them on top of his wastebasket with a sign reading: “Rubbish.” The next day, the papers were still there, so he added the words: “Please remove.” On Wednesday, nothing had changed, and therefore a more explicit notice was used. “This is rubbish,” it said. “I do not want it. Please remove.” Thursday revealed the need for still stronger words: “This is RUBBISH, REFUSE, GARBAGE. Get it out of here!” This sign had been heatedly scrawled with a red felt-tipped marker. On Friday, the papers were still not removed. However, a small note in pencil had been written beneath Thursday’s sign.
It read: “Cannot remove unless marked ‘Trash.’” Lack of common sense.
2) Decoration
Proverbs 3:22 “for they will refresh your soul.
They are like jewels on a necklace.”
Common sense and discernment will be like a jewel-studded necklace. We guys cannot understand the woman’s joy of wearing beautiful jewelry. However, we should know, if we have common sense that presenting her with a diamond-studded necklace will bring happiness to her that pays us dividends later. It seems to fill her with a new confidence and bounce in her step.
That is what common sense and discernment will do for us. We will be filled with a confidence to live life to its fullest. We will have a bounce to our step that will speak of a life lived with skill.
3) Defense
Proverbs 3:23 “They keep you safe on your way,
and your feet will not stumble.”
Are you ready for some football? I know I am. I am a Panthers fan, tried and true. Our team has some new faces this year especially in the receiving corps. Some analysts have said that we are going to have to rely on the running game more. And in order for that to happen, we have to have a good offensive line. We have to have blockers opening up lanes for our running backs, protecting them so they do not stumble.
Common sense and discernment are our blockers. They open up lanes of safety so we can run the race set before us. They protect us from stumbling and fumbling. They are our teammates.
4) Downtime
Proverbs 3:24 “You can go to bed without fear; you will lie down and sleep soundly.”
Years ago Debbie use to be frightened of storms. When a storm came, she would literally tremble uncontrollably. We had a collie that would do the same thing. One night she was trembling so bad that she was keeping me awake. In my compassion, I suggested she go sleep with the dog. There is another nugget of wisdom guys. “Don’t tell your wife to sleep with the dog.”
However, as she grew in wisdom and understanding of God’s sovereignty and his hand on her life, the fear went away. Now she sleeps through the worst of storms.
Wisdom gives you a confidence that God is in control. He is a God that never sleeps nor slumbers. We can sleep at night knowing his hand is on us.
5) Dauntlessness
Proverbs 3:25 “You need not be afraid of sudden disaster
or the destruction that comes upon the wicked,”
After a good nights sleep we can face the day with confidence. We have not been given a spirit of fear. That comes from our enemy. We have been given a sound mind. That is a logical mind. Wisdom tells us that God will not pour out upon his children the disaster and destruction that He will one day pour out upon the wicked.
6) Determination
Proverbs 3:26 “for the Lord is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap”
We have the best security system in the universe. The enemy cannot rob us, harm us, or destroy us. Any trap set for us will be for naught. Like a bodyguard, He promises to be beside every step everyday everywhere we go. We can live lives determined to please him and to serve him. We can live skillful lives crafted by the Holy Spirit to God’s glory.
Wisdom is to be desired above everything because it is worth more than anything else. It is the way to live a successful life. Let the word of God be your self-help manual. Read it and apply it. Walk with the greatest advantages offered you to live skillful lives filled with wisdom.
