Wisdom
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Wisdom =The quality of being WISE
Wisdom =The quality of being WISE
Wise - Having or showing experience, knowledge and good judgement
Wise - Having or showing experience, knowledge and good judgement
The concise Oxford English Dictionary
The bible links wisdom to having a relationship with God as
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Wisdom or wealth are the two important questions that face Solomon
Many people in today’s world would choose money. We can see this in two ways, the number of people who gamble excessively and secondly the high number of lottery winners who waste their winnings.
The key was as Solomon found in that choosing wisdom he was given the ability by God to be wise in all things
supports this view
Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still;
teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
For through wisdom your days will be many,
and years will be added to your life.
If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you;
if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.
Solomon sums up the reality of wisdom in verse twelve. being wise will bring reward, however if you are a mocker you alone will suffer
This suggests that the gift of wisdom is a personal and individual gift
We also need to be aware of the call that comes and links wisdom to the fear of the Lord
.
And he said to the human race,
“The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
and to shun evil is understanding.”
We need to note that the word fear which is used in the NIV and some other versions relates to the word awe. Having a level of extreme reverence for God
In the dictionary we find AWE described as
A feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder
A feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder
It is interesting to note that even Jesus had problems with the supposed learned religious leaders as per .
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”
or as Forest Gump said
Dumb is as Dumb does
Dumb is as Dumb does
So many times do we find people repeating the same mistakes
There is the story about the devil walking with a friend down a country lane, ahead of them they see an item lying on the road. Just then from behind the hedge a christian jumps out grabs the item , jumps back over the hedge and runs away across the field. What was that asks the friend and the devil replies a piece of truth. Does that not bother you he asks the devil. No comes the reply he will go and make a dogma out of it and it will lose its power.
This one reason why Paul in
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
For Paul wisdom was high on the list of personal prayer for it creates a foundation for all else. After his experience of Jesus on the road to Damascus he is vividly aware of his shortcomings and the need for all the help he can receive from God
He is also aware that wisdom as a reality in our lives not something to be counted lightly as when God imparts wisdom and empowers people as he did with Solomon it is not a human type of wisdom as he had to remind the Corinthians in .
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
and again in .
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.
There is no doubt that one key attribute for us as Christians to pray for is wisdom as we discover in
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
and again in .
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
Francis of Assisi in his prayer puts it rather well
Lord make me an instrument of your peace
Where there is hatred let me sow love
Where there is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith
Where there is despair, hope
Where there is darkness, light
And where there is sadness, joy
Lord make me an instrument of your peace
Where there is hatred let me sow love
Where there is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith
Where there is despair, hope
Where there is darkness, light
And where there is sadness, joy
O divine master grant that I may
not so much seek to be consoled as to console
to be understood as to understand
To be loved as to love
For it is in giving that we receive
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned
And it's in dying that we are born to eternal life
Amen
O divine master grant that I may
not so much seek to be consoled as to console
to be understood as to understand
To be loved as to love
For it is in giving that we receive
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned
And it's in dying that we are born to eternal life
Amen
Although St Francis does not specially talk about wisdom, it requires wisdom in the individual to offer pardon, faith, hope, and to be able to console, understand and love.
To be able to give and pardon
I am going to finish this morning with a song writtin just over a month ago
More than anything by Natalie Grant.