Pursue Wisdom

Proverbs chapter four begins with Solomon challenging us to pursue wisdom in

everything we do. In verse one he says “Hear, my children, the instruction of a father and give

attention to know understanding.” What a wonderful passage. However, we don’t always heed

this warning. As adults we can admit we did not always listen to our parents. If we had, we might

not have gone through some of the obstacles that we did. As kids and teenagers, we can admit

that we don’t always listen to our parents. We think that we know what is best for ourselves and

the same is true when we are talking about listening to God’s wisdom. But why is it so important

to pursue wisdom at all costs? Because true wisdom, that is Godly wisdom, leads to eternal life,

while earthly wisdom leads to condemnation. The next question is how do we get Godly

wisdom? There are three ways.

First, we ask for it. Jesus said Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and

you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Solomon was asked by God what he desired

and told that God would give it to him. He didn’t ask for riches or power but instead he asked for

wisdom. God gave him that and everything else.

Second, we have to pursue it. Seeking wisdom is a daily process where we study God’s

word to gain understanding and knowledge. The Bible is full of Godly wisdom and the only way

we can obtain it is to learn it. Daily Bible study is essential to growing as a Christian. In Acts 17,

Luke gives us a picture of how we can gain wisdom through studying the scriptures. “Now these

Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness,

examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” We need to have an eagerness to

learn from God’s word.

Finally, we need to surround ourselves with people from whom we can gain wisdom.

The most successful people in the world usually surround themselves with people who are

“smarter” than they are. If you wanted to learn how to be a world-renowned chef, you would go

learn from a garbage man. You would learn from the best chefs in the world. There are so many

people in God’s church who have so much wisdom to offer if we will just take the time to listen.

This can be people who are young or old. Having wisdom does not come from being a certain

age but from experiences and going through trials. Solomon gives a fitting example in Proverbs

13 “A wise son hears his father's instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.”

I pray that we as a congregation both young and old will pursue wisdom everyday so that

we may grow together for God’s kingdom. Always remember that you are loved!

Eric

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