Seeing Wisdom - June 12, 2014

Scripture: Proverbs 11-12

25 25 The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. 

- Proverbs 11

1To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction.

4 A worthy wife is a crown for her husband, but a disgraceful woman is like cancer in his bones.

10 10 The godly care for their animals, but the wicked are always cruel.

11 1111 A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies has no sense.
24 Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave.

- Proverbs 12

Message:
Understanding and Enjoying the wisdom of GOD

Observation:
It is true that we ought to do good to people and to always be honest in everything. But so many times we are tempted to lie and be cruel especially to those whom we think that do not deserve our kindness. But GOD sees our hearts and HE judges every thought that comes to our mind even before we act on them. If we do good to others, good will also happen to us. This is the golden rule that everyone knows about. But did you know that if you want to be a learned person we should have a love for discipline? It's true that learning can happen in school but without the discipline to go to school everyday and listen to what the teacher is saying, then it is impossible to learn. Why is it that godly people care even for animals while the wicked never do so? Animals are like secondary being to humans. Godly people are sensitive to everyone's needs around them, even those that are secondary to people which are animals. If you want to be a leader, you have to work hard, hard workers always get promoted and earn leadership positions, while lazy people stay where they are never moving up to progress.

Application:

We ought to meditate on the wisdom of GOD and not just read through them. We become wise when we try to understand a certain proverb and meditate on them in our hearts. There's always a reason behind everything that happens, an effect to a certain cause. If we want to have wisdom, we have to sit down, take in the word of GOD, reflect and try to understand the passages of his proverbs, parables and stories written for us in HIS word. When we value the word of GOD, we begin to see wisdom, we begin to realize what we ought to do, and understand that we have to be effective in what we do and intentional to achieve what GOD wants us to do. We cannot just sit down and dream about things, we will not achieve anything, we become senseless. If we want great things to happen in our lives, we need to feed on GOD's word until we see wisdom. Are you seeing wisdom?

Ask Wisdom

7 Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return.
Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt.
8 So don’t bother correcting mockers; they will only hate you.
But correct the wise, and they will love you.
9 Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser.
Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more.
10 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.
Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.

- Proverbs 9

Wisdom has always been an integral value that GOD has emphasized in the book of Proverbs that all of us, His people should have. Why is it that wisdom is taken for granted by many? Because wisdom cannot be seen but can only be witnessed right after the person has gained fame and honor. Wisdom indeed brings honor. But to the simple minded and to those people that enjoy talking about other people - these are the ones that are called mockers, they despise wisdom. They talk about the mistakes and failures of others and even laugh at them. Why does wisdom tell us not to bother with correcting them? Because it won't do you any good to correct mockers but will cause you more harm. Do not bother with anything at all when you are in contact with mockers because they will mock at you from your back without your knowledge of it.

We should not waste our time correcting other people when GOD has not instructed us to do so. We should rather gain wisdom from GOD and how do we do this? We start by having a distinct kind of fear for GOD. This fear is not to be afraid of GOD, but it is a fear that holds someone in high regard with their deepest respect. This is what the Bible says about this kind of fear. For having high respect and regard for GOD will make you careful whatever you do in life and however you think. It is the beginning of fear because it will make you ask, is this pleasing to GOD? Should I do what I am supposed to do? And if it makes you seek GOD's approval then HE will guide you into wisdom because HE is wisdom, HE knows what is the best for you and has only what is most excellent for you. So ask wisdom, fear GOD, seek His ways and you will never regret anything in your life.  

Ways of Wisdom - Ways of God

18 18 Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her;
happy are those who hold her tightly

22 My child, don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment.
Hang on to them,for they will refresh your soul. They are like jewels on a necklace.
23 They keep you safe on your way, and your feet will not stumble.
24 You can go to bed without fear; you will lie down and sleep soundly.
25 You need not be afraid of sudden disaster

or the destruction that comes upon the wicked,
26 for the Lord is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap.

- Proverbs 3

Wisdom, discernment, understanding are important treasures that the Word - the Bible emphasizes to those who walk in God's ways. The Lord wants us to have wisdom, and He will not withhold it from us if we ask it from Him. If wisdom is free, then why not too many people ask of this? We are proud sometimes, we think we already have wisdom. We are stubborn, nobody should tell us what to do. But discernment and common sense will refresh your soul. In the middle of emotions and rage, we lose sight of discernment, and a lot of us would rather follow what we feel like doing but this is very wrong for our emotions can never be trusted.

But wisdom will keep you safe, you gain wisdom by asking for the advice of godly and mature people regarding your situation, and they will be able to tell you what is best to do because they are third party people not involved emotionally. It is wise to never make decisions out of anger or deep emotions. With following wisdom, you will feel safe even when you sleep, you will find security in keeping with wisdom and following common sense. Sometimes the right thing to do may not be easy, it will keep you from disaster one day, the disaster that comes upon the foolish and the wicked. GOD will secure you in following wisdom because you have chosen to follow the ways of wisdom which are the ways of God, He will make sure you will not fall into a trap.

Listen, Wisdom is Calling

5 let the wise listen and add to their learning,
and let the discerning get guidance—
6 for understanding proverbs and parables,
the sayings and riddles of the wise.
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety
and be at ease, without fear of harm.

- Proverbs 1

The wise will never be wise enough not to receive any more learning. The discerning can still be guided to a better way, for both the wise and the discerning can still be even more and have more when they understand the proverbs and parable of the Book the wisest King on Earth had written in Proverbs. King Solomon therefore writes the first proverb: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. It is not enough to read this and already understand the depth of this sentence. But when a man fears GOD because he respects and understands the reality of who He is, then a man will not do things that will anger GOD, to keep himself from harm. When a man learns to do this, this is where knowledge and wisdom begins. For fearing GOD will make man learn and understand more the ways of GOD. To fear GOD is to fear the punishments of GOD, but it is not to be afraid of GOD Himself. To fear GOD means to have the highest regard and respect of Him.

But fools despise wisdom and knowledge. Fools don't care about anything. Simple minded people do not seek understanding for all they want to think is that they are right in the little things that they know. They want it simple and easy, they just want to have everything done their way. Waywardness is being uncontrollable and unpredictable, they do what they feel like doing. Fools don't like to learn, they are too lazy for that and they are comfortable in their complacency. But the thing that they do not know is that the wayward ways of the simple and the complacency of fools will bring destroy to themselves. But those who listen to wisdom, who do a little more to seek the right thing will live in safety and be at ease without any fear. Wisdom is always calling forth, it is in the air everywhere wanting to be heard, desperate to be known, GOD's spirit is wisdom. Listen, Wisdom is calling.

Partnering with GOD

31“Can you direct the movement of the stars—
binding the cluster of the Pleiades
or loosening the cords of Orion?
32 Can you direct the sequence of the seasons
or guide the Bear with her cubs across the heavens?
33 Do you know the laws of the universe?
Can you use them to regulate the earth?
36 Who gives intuition to the heart
and instinct to the mind?

- Job 38

GOD's power is incomparable and indescribable to the finite human mind. Nothing compares to seeing the great hand of GOD do great works and it is fulfilling to the human heart to be a witness to GOD's works. GOD's power is so great and so complex that it takes a lifetime to understand and study what GOD has done and who GOD truly is. GOD's greatness is beyond comprehension, but it doesn't mean GOD is living us on the sides just to watch HIM do what HE does. GOD doesn't only want humans to be spectators to His wonderful acts. GOD's heart wants to partner with us through what HE wants to accomplish here on earth.

Intuition is a gift that comes only from GOD above. Intuition is the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning. HE gives instinct and the ability for us to survive. But even more than the natural gifts that GOD gives to human kind, GOD wants us to ask and seek for wisdom. Wisdom is the ability to have sound action or decision, having good judgement. This kind of gift can only attained when we truly ask it from GOD and seek His ways because we want to live a life worth while, a life worthy of GOD's praise. The very reason why GOD wants us to seek and ask for wisdom is so HE can partner with us in doing the works HE wants to accomplish on earth. We may be able to live and survive with our own human wit, but can we ever live a fulfilling life without the work of GOD in our lives and us working with HIM?

True Wisdom

23 This is what the Lord says:
“Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom,
or the powerful boast in their power,
or the rich boast in their riches.
24 But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone:
that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord
who demonstrates unfailing love
and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth,
and that I delight in these things.
I, the Lord, have spoken!

- Jeremiah 9

Where does the wisdom of the wise come from? or who even created wisdom in itself? 1 Corinthians 1:30 says God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. Yeshua is wisdom Himself! So if wisdom is GOD and all the power of the universe has come from GOD, why should anyone boast as if it came from them? If GOD has given you wisdom, power or riches, is that any reason for your heart to be puffed up and become proud? 

But if we should boast, we can only boast in one thing, that we know the LORD. To know GOD is a lifetime process, there is so much to understand who He is, and how He loves is never failing. He never gives up on us until we completely shut off our hearts from Him. He is the great GOD who executes justice without anyone's consent and bring righteousness to this world of wickedness. That is who He is, His very heart and character enjoys doing the things He does. He loves without failing, He justifies whatever has been wronged and He is holy and righteous in all His ways. His ways are far different from Human ways that is why it takes forever to know who GOD is. For those who make it a point each day to seek, know and understand the LORD GOD, they will be amazed as they see HIM for who He is. True wisdom comes from this: the more you know and seek the Lord, the more you gain wisdom.

Wise Thing

23 “God alone understands the way to wisdom;
he knows where it can be found,
24 for he looks throughout the whole earth
and sees everything under the heavens...
27 Then he saw wisdom and evaluated it.
He set it in place and examined it thoroughly.
28 And this is what he says to all humanity:
‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom;
to forsake evil is real understanding.’”

- Job 28

Wisdom is a precious treasure that GOD always upholds and talks so often about in His word. The way of wisdom is a mystery but not to those who earnestly seek it. Wisdom is in GOD Himself and can be found when we seek it, when we begin to understand how important it is to possess wisdom in our hearts and minds. It is wise to know the emotional state you are in, and to deal with your emotions before it dictates what you should do or your decisions. Many things cannot depended on emotions because emotions are the most unstable things we have within ourselves.

Everyday we need to look up to GOD and ask for His thoughts, for in Him is wisdom and to acknowledge and seek His ways before making our own is true understanding. Fearing GOD the Lord is wise, but to fear GOD is not to be afraid of GOD. To fear GOD means to have the highest respect for Him, to understand that He alone knows best for you and if you follow His ways even though it may seem foolish to your brains, is true wealth and riches beyond human understanding. No matter what the ways of GOD are perfect, seeking His ways is the wisest thing any human finite being can do. 

Time Spent Wisely

4 “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is.
5 You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
at best, each of us is but a breath.”
6 We are merely moving shadows,
and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it.
7 And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you.

- Psalm 39

It is wise to ask GOD for wisdom like King Solomon did. His request pleased GOD so much that the LORD not only gave him what he asked for - wisdom, but also gave to him, fame, riches and health. But King David in this verse asked for a very important thing too. To know how short his time is, so that he can make the most of his time on earth which the LORD has given him. Yes it may seem that we have all the time in this world, but we can actually waste our time with unnecessary things if we do not make use of it wisely. We can never know what we are supposed to do each day unless we inquire of GOD and acknowledge Him.

We can also spend our days working hard to get money, when in fact, GOD has already provided these things for us because His love and faithfulness is unchanging. We may not understand that the time we spend on working might not be the best time on Saturdays because it is best to spend time with your young children on Saturdays while they are young. And you will never know these things until one day, you may have all the wealth and money in this world, but you don't have anyone to share it with. Not even your children are there because they've grown up so fast and now are living their lives. Don't wait until it's too late, ask the LORD what to do with your time, even with your gifts and hope in Him alone. But it is constant that time spent with GOD in His word, in His presence, is time spent wisely.

Chose wisely

Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.” 7 For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it. 13 That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. 14 God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.
- Ecclesiastes 12

Shlomo known as Solomon is the wisest King that ever lived on earth. He wrote many wise sayings of the Bible including Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon. He wrote many things that is wise and beneficial for anyone searching for wisdom. In the last chapter of the Ecclesiastes, it is just right that Solomon should conclude this one thing: That in all our doings, we should never forget our Creator but to honor GOD in all we do before our strength runs out from us and we are old and dying. For everyone will have to die, no one is exempted from death. We may be able to do anything in life, whatever we want we can do it, but not everything is good for us. Therefore in everything we do, we have to consider, where this road will take us in the future if we chose it now.

Modern writers always inspire us to be courageous and to not fear anything in life. But if we have to fear, it is wise to fear GOD and to obey whatever HE said we should do and whatever HE said we should not do. Life is sweet and long for many, but life as we know it ends, there is an end to our life and at the end of it, we wil stand before GOD to give an account to everything we ever did. We will be judged by GOD, if we do right or if we do wrong, there is a following reward and consequence for it. We won't even have to wait for the end of our lives to see GOD's judgement because even while we are still here on earth, GOD has already started punishment and reward with whatever we deserve from what we have done in the past. You many not feel GOD's judgement now, either good or bad but it doesn't mean that it's not there. So think about it carefully and chose to live wisely. Life, afterall is a choice. 

Meaningful

24 There’s nothing better for human beings than to eat, drink, and experience pleasure in their hard work. I also saw that this is from God’s hand— 25 Who can eat and find enjoyment otherwise?— 26 because God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please God. But to those who are offensive, God gives the task of hoarding and accumulating, but only so as to give it all to those who do please God. This too is pointless and a chasing after wind.

- Ecclesiastes 2: 24-26

What makes life worth while? The book of Ecclsiastes is filled with the wise words of King Solomon, the richest and wisest King that ever lived. Yet in this book, he found out that many things in life are meaningless. In fact, this book is filled with complaints of the King saying "what's the use for all the hard work if we just pass it on to someone who will lose everything we ever worked ahrd for?" He has accounted for the many things he has achieved and the wisdom and knowledge he has, all his great works, yet still all leads to meaninglessness. How do we live that makes life worthwhile? For our life are short and our days are numbered. How do we make the most of our time? 

King Solomon concluded in this verse that to make our time worth while, we have to enjoy the simple things we do on earth like eating, drinking and being satisfied and happy with what we do in life. There are very little people that find that their jobs satisfy them. Not everyone is loving what they do and this is a very sad thing. If you don't enjoy the work that you do, everyday is a dread. How do you get out of bed in the morning? When you know that you will do the same thing you don't want to do? It is therefore very important to love what you do in life, whether it be as simple as cleaning as a janitor, or as complicated as operating surgery as a doctor to his patient, work should be enjoyable. If not then, it is a sad thing to be alive when you don't enjoy the work that you do. And this is not all. Even after successful people achieve great things because they love what they do but if they have lived their lives selfishly for themselves and ignored the great GOD who gives wealth and breathe to all things, then all their work comes to nothing. For it says GOD gives the wealth of a sinner to the one that pleases GOD. So even if you love your work and achieve great success for it and do not love GOD, you can say bye bye to your hard work because GOD will surely give them to the ones that love and please HIM. So now do you see why everything on earth seems meaningless? It will not have to be so if you chose to listen to the words of the great wise king, who understands that without GOD we are nothing. Life is meaningful if you live for the One who gave existence, purpose and meaning to all living things.