Gaining Wisdom
Into today’s world, and even in today’s church we see the importance of believers possessing wisdom. There are so many situations facing our church today that we need wise leaders, wise elders, and wise Christians, in order to make sure that we are following Gods will. In our lives we are faced with many decisions, some small, some large, in which our lives, or even our salvation could be effected. Decisions over our ministries, our jobs, our houses and our marriage partners. We face problems of what advice to give to a distressed and needy friend and how to witness to those around us. For all these things we need wisdom and the wisdom that comes from God.
Today many people claim to be wise, and yet we see the effect of their wisdom on society. It is something that many people strive for, to be declared wise and clever in the face of their peers. Ever since the creation of the world men have sought this wisdom.
Genesis 3:6
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate
it.
The tree of life, gives eternal life, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, wisdom. The latter was forbidden for human consumption because the wisdom acquired through eating it leads to independence from God, whereas true wisdom, we will learn, begins with ’the fear of the LORD’ (Pr. 1:7). Here we see the very first example of us seeking wisdom in our own way instead of seeking Gods wisdom, and we can clearly see the outcome of this. How many times have we tried to work out situations in our own understanding and ultimately come a cropper. The wisdom that we need to seek is that which comes from the Lord. I want to talk about what that wisdom is, and how we can obtain it. One of the ways to do this is by looking at the person who the Bible claims to be the wisest person who ever lived, and to see what he has to say. 1 Kings Chapter 4 states that Solomon had God given wisdom.
1. Jesus is Wisdom.
When looking for the wisdom of God there is no better place to start than Solomon’s proverbs. If I was to ask you who am I, and read the following list of qualities, I just want you to think of who I would be...
I am the truth.
I walk in the way of righteousness.
I was in existence before the beginning of the world.
I helped to create the world.
I followed every command of the Lord.
He who finds me finds life.
I know if I was to look at that list I would automatically think that it was Jesus who was being talked about. In fact, these are the exact qualities that wisdom is described as having.
WISDOM...
Proverbs 8:7
My mouth speaks what is true.
JESUS...
John 14:6
Jesus answered. "I am the way and the truth and the life. Nobody comes to the Father except through me."
WISDOM...
Proverbs 8:20
I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of
justice.
JESUS...
1 Corinthians 1:30
It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God - that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
WISDOM...
Proverbs 8:22
"The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works. before his deeds of old.
JESUS...
John 1:2
He was with God in the beginning.
WISDOM...
Proverbs 8:30 Then I was the craftsman at his side I was filled with delight day after day. rejoicing always in his presence.
JESUS...
John 1:3
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
WISDOM...
Proverbs 8:20
I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice.
JESUS...
Matthew 26:39
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed. "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."
WISDOM...
Proverbs 8:35
For whoever finds me finds life and receives favour from the LORD.
JESUS...
John 14:6
Jesus answered. "I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me.
In Matthew 11:19 Jesus calls himself wisdom and in Matthew 12:42 he states that he is greater than Solomon. Here we see that the first step to gaining wisdom is to make sure that our relationship with Jesus is in order. To have wisdom we need to be in daily contact with the person who is all wisdom. If you are struggling with any decision or finding that you are continually making the wrong ones, it is time to stop and reflect on how close your relationship with Christ is, and whether you are daily seeking the face of God like you once used to.
2. It is given by the Spirit.
The second thing that we need to realise is that we can ask God for wisdom as a gift of His Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:8
To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit.
These gifts of the Holy Spirit are specific gifts given to somebody to edify and lift up another. It is an insight into the supreme knowledge of God. They are poured upon people for a purpose. Solomon was given this gift, and so was Stephen in the Synagogue when he was facing opposition. At times of trouble we can ask God for a special measure of His wisdom. The wisdom God gave Stephen meant that his opponents were unable to answer him. However, this does not mean that we all can’t be endowed with a measure of Gods wisdom all the time.
James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God. who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
Probably one of the best examples of why we should ask for Gods wisdom from His Spirit in our Christian walk is found in the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew chapter 25. In this parable we see the importance of having our lamps full of oil. Oil in the Bible being representative of the Holy Spirit. All of the bridesmaids had some oil and they all fell asleep, the difference was that the wise bridesmaids had the excess of oil. Jesus uses this parable to explain about the end of the age and of the coming judgement. We see the horror of not being wise. We are in the last days and how close we are to the coming of God is anybody’s guess. On thing is for sure, we need to ask God for a gift of His wisdom. Not in a measure that will over come our present problems, but instead in a measure that will prevent us from missing out on Gods grace. It is wisdom that will illuminate our path and make sure that we are ready for the coming of Christ.
3. Education in Humility.
Proverbs 9:10
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the
Holy One is understanding.
Proverbs 15:33
The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before
honour.
Proverbs 3:7
Do not be wise in your own estimation; fear the Lord and turn from evil.
We learn from these three scriptures that to be wise in godly wisdom we need to fear the Lord. It means putting aside all that we know ourselves or have learnt over the years and simply being obedient to the will and commands of God. It actually states that fearing the Lord teaches wisdom. We need to be humble and accept that all that we know is only a tiny fraction of what the supreme Lord knows.
Often we can think that we are making a wise decision. However if we have to sin in order to complete our plan then we are using human wisdom and not that of Gods. If you think that somebody is the right person for you, but they are divorced, then you are using human wisdom and not Gods. If you want to witness to somebody, but in order to do so are getting drunk with them, you are using Human wisdom and not Gods. If you have a quarrel with your brother, and your anger is anything other than righteous, then your wisdom can not come from God. We need to recognise that to get to grips with Gods wisdom, we need to be in complete obedience to Him. We need to accept His word completely.
A lot of people compromise Gods word by allowing the wisdom of this world to infiltrate our minds. We need to accept when God states in Genesis that He made the world in six days, that they were a literal six days. If you start to use human wisdom to influence your view on interpretation of the Bible, then you are being disobedient, you are lacking in the fear of the Lord, and you are not acting in Gods wisdom. Scientific results and interpretations depend on their original theory. The reason most scientists would say that there results support evolution is because their experiments were designed around that theory, because they believed it in the first place. When scientists except that the word of God is truth, their results confirm that.
We must be humble and obedient in accepting Gods Word and His commands.
Conclusion.
You see when we look at the wisdom that Solomon possessed we see that he turned away from it. Solomon was the wisest king and yet he, like Eve sought after human wisdom. David’s reign before Him had often lacked in the wisdom of God, and yet David always sought it. David sought a close relationship with God, he relied on the Spirit of God, and apart from his hiccup with Bathsheba and the census, his was obedient to Him, living in fear of God. Solomon on the other hand turned to idols, left the working of the spirit, and disobeyed Gods commands by marrying foreign women. David’s reign, because he sought Gods wisdom, was successful. Solomon’s, because he turned away from wisdom, led to the break up of the united kingdom of Israel. Solomon’s turn from wisdom was so dramatic that it was like a Christian turning away from his faith.
1.If we are in a situation where we need wisdom, we need to trust that Jesus is wisdom, that he knows what is best for us and what the best route is. We need to check our relationship with Him.
2.We need to seek a filling of the Holy spirit and ask God to guide us through our situation listening and accepting His advice.
3.We need to be humble and obedient fearing the Lord. We need to put away what we think is best and to make sure that we are being fully obedient to God. We need to fear God more then men or what they might think. After all the bible states that to the world, even the cross is foolishness.
Remember, in the story of the ten virgins, it is only the wise that will enter the kingdom of heaven. Look for Gods Wisdom today.
