Wisdom Through Reproof

It is good to be corrected when we are doing or have done wrong. It is in the correction that we learn.

“¹⁵The rod and reproof give wisdom,

but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.”

— Proverbs 29:15 (ESV)

It would be great if we were to be able to learn all that we need to know without any instruction or correction. The real world does not work that way. We will make mistakes and should embrace them so that we might learn. Notice the verse above, a child that is left on their own without teachings and learning from their parents is a child that is not going to be on the right path. It is important that we are out there learning through doing and making mistakes.

Now I know, not all of us have those parents that teach us the ways to move forward, and in some of those cases, there may be parents that are tearing us down for not knowing. In those cases, I am sure that there was or is someone in our lives that will take on the role of the parent to teach once things do not go as planned.

I am pretty sure that those who have made mistakes, were corrected and moved forward are those who have done pretty well in the world (and I am not speaking of monetarily). I just had a conversation with my mother about my youngest son and his decisions in life. He chose to join the Navy after trying two years of university. He learned to give things a try and learn from them. He failed, although he did not give up. He continued to look forward and learn. It was fully his decision and as we speak to him we can hear that he feels as though he has made the right choice. He learned from his failure and carried it forward to the now and into his future. My mother is proud of the learning that he gained and of the learning that I gained to lead him to continue trying and learning.

God has given each of us those in our lives who point us in the direction we should go and correct us when we get off track. The LORD gives us the ultimate direction, yet it is those parental figures in our lives who hold us to account to move that direction. It is the reproof or correction from those parental figures that gives us the defined direction.

What direction are you going? Are you just plowing ahead and continuing to move with reckless abandon? What if you took a moment to listen to the parental figures around you and learned from the mistakes you make to press forward in the direction that God has for you?

Rich in Wisdom

Wealth is something that is fully and completely misconstrued in our society today. There is the general thought that wealth is related to what you have in the bank or what monetary items you can display. There is very little thought to the wealth of biblical design.

“³He who loves wisdom makes his father glad,

but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.”

— Proverbs 29:3 (ESV)

This morning I am reading another verse that iterates that which makes a father glad, wisdom. And as I look at this verse, I find myself looking to the last word, wealth. I am thinking of just what is wealth to look like for me as a follower of Christ. Is it what I have the capacity to purchase or how much I have in the bank or what others can see as I display the monetary value of things I have? And then I look at the first part of the verse and see the riches that I should be counting on, wisdom. Solomon, who was extremely monetarily rich, knew that all of that would not last, and as so, asked God to make him wealthy in wisdom.

I have to look at the same approach as Solomon and know that all the money in the world will not last. It can and will be squandered on foolish things. When we look to our monetary wealth as the measure of our success, we are brought to the place of superficial value in the world. Think about what one can do with all the money they have. They have the ability to buy things for people and provide things for people and prop themselves up with all they can give to others. But, what about when the money is gone, what is their station in life then. When that which provided your value, money, dries up, then the prevailing consequence is that one is now forgotten as there is nothing more for them to give to others.

I have read and heard of too many instances where those who acquired great monetary wealth were found to be destitute sometime later as they squandered all of the wealth and do not know how they will provide going forward without that wealth.

Then we have those who have built their wealth on the intrinsic, like knowledge and wisdom. For these never want for anything and are always contributing something. These are those who may not have all the monetary wealth in the world, yet somehow they are always found giving to others. And in those contributions, there is no fanfare or spotlight on them as they give, yet those who receive are better off than they would have been with an extra $20.

This is where the true wealth is found. God provides and blesses. It is from those blessings that we are able to impact. We look to often at what we want instead of what we need and confuse the two. The needs are the provision and the wants are the blessings. When I am seeking for provision of wisdom I am rich with all I need and then when God blesses me with more, I am able to provide as opposed to squandering it all on me.

What is your idea of riches? Are you looking to have all that you want and that will somehow make you better off? What if you were to see your wisdom as the provision that makes you rich and God’s blessings as that which you can share with others?

Truth, Wisdom, Instruction, and Understanding

This morning as I continue my study of the word “father” I am led to Proverbs 23. As usual, God had plans for me and my learning this morning. Too often I go into something expecting one thing and receiving something entirely different.

“²³Buy truth, and do not sell it;

buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.”

— Proverbs 23:23 (ESV)

Where yes, if you look at the verses before and after the above, there are the references to “father”, I also see that which is in the one verse above, and that is truth, wisdom, instruction, and understanding.

It is not a coincidence that Solomon asked for wisdom from God and not riches. It is too often that we go looking for the quick “fix” to what seems to be working against us. I know that I just want things to be over as opposed to understanding them. Yet, God, our Father, is glad in us when we are wise.

“²⁴The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice;

he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.”

— Proverbs 23:24 (ESV)

And it is more than just wisdom that we should be seeking. It is truth and instruction and understanding as well.

I pay attention to politics for the purpose of understanding what is there and what is coming. In doing so, I have to spend a lot of time sifting through the deception, half-truths, and outright lies that are presented. It does not matter the side of the aisle you are on, there is plenty of it to go through. And yet, there are those who are allowing themselves to be duped as they accept what they are told and do not seek with wisdom for the truth and understanding. They are averse to the instruction as it is easier and faster just to take everything at the word of those speaking.

Our Father wants us to seek the truth with wisdom through instruction to gain understanding. When we do, we are blessed with discernment and can then act according to God’s plan.

What are you accepting from others? Are you allowing others to dictate what you know? What if you were to seek truth using wisdom through instruction to gain understanding of God’s plan and how you might execute His plan?

Be Wise for Your Father

It is so easy to say, “be wise”. But what is wisdom?

Wisdom: a: ability to discern inner qualities and relationships: INSIGHT, b: good sense: JUDGMENT – Merriam-Webster Online

It is one then to have knowledge of a topic or subject or instance. It is quite another to know what to do or how to use that knowledge in application. I know that there are a lot of things that I have stored up over my years that really do not have much application in the world on a day to day basis. I like to call all of that useless knowledge.

Now where useless knowledge is just that, useless, most of the time, there are times when it becomes invaluable when applied in the right circumstance. As an example, spouting off the atomic weight of iron, 55.845 u, at a dinner party is of little value. But that same bit of information in an interview for the job of a scientist is invaluable. That is the knowledge of the subject or “INSIGHT” as opposed to just having the information.

“¹The proverbs of Solomon.

A wise son makes a glad father,

but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.”

— Proverbs 10:1 (ESV)

I am a father to two sons and both of them are very intelligent. They have demonstrated their knowledge in their schoolwork as well as in the world with what they have accomplished, and I am very proud of them. But, I will say, there are times that they do not really use their intelligence and it is a bit perplexing. When they are demonstrating that knowledge and wisdom in their choices to apply that knowledge I am just beaming. Yet, when they seem to have left their brain at the house when they left I can but shake my head in wonder.

All of this applies to our relationship with God, our heavenly Father as well. It is up to me to do the work and demonstrate my knowledge through application and bring my brain with me everywhere I go. I am here to please only one, and that is God. I do so as noted in the above verse by being wise. And Just what is wisdom but “INSIGHT” and “JUDGMENT”. It is my job to be conscious of my work to ensure that I am demonstrating wisdom throughout.

Of course, there will always be those times where I will not be the most wise. I will make mistakes as will we all. There will be time where I am caught up on the moment and God, as well as others will simply shake their head. But, those should be the exception to the norm and rule. I am to be focused on doing the work of Christ and when I am, I will be able to work to the application of knowledge and avoid the foolishness.

What is your approach to using that which you know? Are you out there using it foolishly? What if you were to be out there using it to demonstrate your “INSIGHT” and “JUDGMENT” and WISDOM?