WISDOM MATTERS



What if I were to tell you that there is one specific quality that determines, more than anything else, whether or not you succeed in life? It determines your level of long-term happiness. It determines your ability to deal with adversity. It determines your ability to earn money and keep it, your ability to create meaningful relationships, and your ability to experience deep and abiding joy. What if I were to tell that there is this one quality on which all the good things of life turn — and this one quality is yours for the asking?

The quality I'm talking about is wisdom. And it's yours for the asking. It's available to every Christ-follower. James said...If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. (James 1:5)

The bottom line is that without wisdom, life simply doesn't work. If you don't have wisdom to make good decisions, you'll end up making bad decisions upon bad decisions. But it doesn't have to be that way. God wants to give you all the wisdom you need, every step of the way through life. Biblical wisdom is down to earth and practical. “My words are plain to anyone with understanding, clear to those with knowledge.” (Pr. 8:9) Even with all of the stories and parables and history in the Bible, wisdom is street-level practical. It is full of advice that’s easy for you to understand.

Biblical wisdom can help you make better decisions in every area of your life. Reading the Bible daily will give you a solid foundation for making good decisions on how to plan, how to follow through, how to prepare for living life. Wisdom is worth the price you pay to get it. Wisdom guides you through every situation of life. Without it, you’re left to your own devices. But if you have it, if you master it, it will give you the edge you need. It will make your decisions better it will make your financial life more stable and you will experience the joy of God’s will.

Every moment of the day, there is a wisdom-based decision to make. What will you do with the next hour? What will you think about? What will you eat? What will you read or watch or listen to? What will you say to someone? What will you do in response to someone’s actions? Wisdom in many ways is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it becomes. To fully develop wisdom, you need to put it into practice at every opportunity.

Solomon says, “Wisdom is far more valuable than rubies. Nothing you desire can compare with it.” (Pr. 8:11) Of all the things that you could possibly want, of all the things you could possibly think you need—wisdom matters most. Without wisdom, any other gift you receive will inevitably slip through your fingers. If you have money, but don’t have the wisdom to manage it, it’ll soon be gone. If you have power without the wisdom to use it, you’ll ultimately abuse it. If you’re surrounded with great friends and a loving family, but don’t have wisdom in developing relationships, you’ll never fully appreciate the people God has placed in your life.

If you want to have a clear-cut advantage in all you do then you need to build your life on the wisdom of biblical principles.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The 80-20 Rule

In 1906, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto created a mathematical formula to describe the unequal distribution of wealth in his country, observing that twenty percent of the people owned eighty percent of the wealth. The Pareto Principle, or 80/20 rule, states that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.   Although this rule was first applied in Italy when Pareto was looking at the dispersal of wealth, it has since become a rule of thumb for many businesses.   It has been said that 20% of your workforce does 80% of the work, or 80% of your sales come from 20% of your clients.   I think this law comes into play in our lives as well.   Life is 20% what happens to you and 80% what you make of it. There are tons of stories about people who come out of difficult situations — gang life, in and out of jail, drug addiction, broken families, abuse – yet still seem to rise to the top.   And of course, there are many stories of those who have been given everything they would n
Read more

FREEDOM’S PRICE

In 1781, the Fourth of July was named a national holiday and today fireworks, parades and picnics still mark this celebration. Because on July 4, 1776 The Declaration of Independence proclaimed the thirteen colonies free from British rule. What proceeded and followed this declaration were the historic battles still taught in every elementary school. For six years the colonies shook with the Battles of Concord and Lexington, Bunker Hill and Saratoga. The war finally ended at Valley Forge where British General Cornwallis surrendered to what would be the United States’ first president, George Washington. Two years later the British and the Americans signed a peace treaty in France. Freedom does not come without a price. Through the Revolutionary War our nation’s freedom was paid for by the blood and sacrifice of the men and women who fought for their dream of what would become the United States. The battles were not easy, and the years took their toll on our young nation. In t
Read more

Mask Off

Have you ever noticed how many of the superheroes put on masks when it’s time to do their “superhero jobs”? Batman and Robin, Spiderman, the Green Lantern, Captain America and Wonder Dog all wear the mask to fight against evil. There they are, with their colored masks hiding their true identity. My personal favorite is Superman. When he’s fighting back evil, it is full disclosure time. He is being who he truly is, when he takes OFF his mask — those oversized black-framed glasses. When he’s doing what he was made to do, doing it fully revealed, he’s more himself than at any other time. In today’s world, there is a crying-out by the public at large for genuineness. We’ve been disappointed over and over by those who, after it’s too late, aren’t who they said they were. If we’re honest, maybe it’s true in our own relationships with other believers. If we’re even more honest, maybe we’ve been the cause of someone else’s disappointment. And perhaps that disappointment was
Read more