Tag: Devotion

Wisdom, Get Her and Keep Her

“7The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,

and whatever you get, get insight.

8Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;

she will honor you if you embrace her.”

— Proverbs 4:7-8 (ESV)

This morning I was reminded that wisdom is referred to as her, and for good reason. As men we are to love our wives as Christ loved the church. We are to get her and love her and devote to her fully and completely and solely. And when we do, we will grow together more and more devoted to one another. As the man or husband we are to leave our families to be with her as our family. Devotion to her in this manner is immense and as a husband of 28 years, I would have it no other way.

Before my devotion to her, I had to first get her. With wisdom, it is no different. I have to first get her and then I can devote to her. I have to seek her out and strive to know her and once I do, I will devote to her and grow. I will gain more of her each day with my devotion to her.

There is a saying, “Getting to number one is the easy part, staying there is where things get hard”. The same can be said for wisdom. I am concerned that we are currently in a world where information is so readily available, that we are mistaking it for knowledge and wisdom. I am not sure that we are seeking to really know things and are resting on the idea that we find the information we were looking for and then “forget” it as we move on to the next thing. This is the “getting to number one…” easy part and are only reaching the pinnacle and then falling back down.

I have to remember to place value in “staying” number one. I have to devote to wisdom and not just gain information. I have to dig in and care for what I learn. I have to commit to it. I have to cultivate it. I have to cherish it. Wisdom is her.

I see the parallel to Lori. I see that I have devoted to Lori. I dig in a care for Lori. I committed to Lori. I cultivated with Lori. I cherish Lori. These are the ways I keep Lori and not just get her. And the same goes for wisdom. All of these are the way to keep her and not just get her.

What are you doing to get wisdom? Are you only focused on getting her? What if you first get her and then devote to, care for, cultivate with, and cherish wisdom to keep her?

Will You Trust the LORD for However Long

This morning I am going to re-post from over 5 years ago. As I am studying the word “will” I am taking what the LORD has for me each day as I go to the next passage. This morning I am in Psalm 13 where the title of the passage is “How Long, O LORD?” David is looking for relief from the LORD (which is a key point) and experiences three steps in seeking that relief, questioning the LORD, asking Him for help, and declaring His devotion to Him. Shouldn’t that be the same approach we take daily with the LORD?

Here is my writing from April 17, 2020:

I sometimes feel, like right now, that the difficulty, adversity, and challenges should be resolved much faster than they are.

“1How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?” – Psalm 13:1-2 (ESV)

David felt the same way. I am comforted when reading this passage. As I continue the passage of Psalm 13, I am reminded of the approach to take. As in the next 2 verses as David prays for help.

“3Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, 4let my enemy say, ‘I have prevailed over him,’ lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.” – Psalm 13:3-4 (ESV)

So David first laments his questions as to the timing of God’s deliverance. Next, he again prays again for help from God. And finally, he states his confidence in eventual deliverance.

“5But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. 6I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.” – Psalm 13:5-6 (ESV)

It is okay to question God. He is sovereign and He provides for my needs. But that does not mean that I am to be silent. God is my Father and I should be asking questions for guidance. When things are not going the way I thought they should, I have to ask.

I know that as a corporate training professional, one of the things I stress in class is for the participants to take charge of their learning. A key part of that is to ask the questions they need answers to, and no question is off limits. I should be doing the same with God. He is the one that knows all and therefore doesn’t it make sense to ask Him? The answer I get may not be what I wanted, but I have to trust that He will provide when needed.

Have you asked God? Have you declared your trust in Him? Remembering that God’s timing is perfect, will you declare your confidence in His deliverance, no matter how long?