The Benefits of Wisdom

 Proverbs 2:1”My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, 2turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding—3indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, 4and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure,…

Fitness definitely has a cause and effect relationship in other words what you sow into your physical wellbeing will result in either positive or negative results. Whenever you put in hard work in the gym you reap the benefits. Your physique is tighter, you’re more confident, your clothes fit better, and you feel amazing just to name a few. To be fit requires commitment, consistency, discipline, and sometimes painful hard work. When you are healthy the benefits spill over into your emotional, relational, and professional spheres as well. Although God is clear that we are to take care of our physical bodies, what is more important is training in the spiritual realm.

 

The book of Proverbs was written by Solomon who the bible refers to as the wisest man who ever lived. Although Proverbs aren’t promises they are principles or timeless truths that we can glean from and gain wisdom from. Solomon teaches us in Chapter 2 about the benefits of gleaning wisdom. Just like we have to put in work in the physical, Solomon challenges us to be responsible for our spiritual growth as well.

 First notice the personal call.  “My Son” in other words no one else can do this work for us. Just like we can go to the gym, hire a trainer, read up on fitness, and collect info if we never actually do what we know we will never reap the rewards.  As humans we play the role, we go to church, we listen to pastors, or even “spiritual” friends but a lot of times the buck stops there and we never grow. We feel good for the moment but it never creates any lasting change. Christians are supposed to be changing!

Next, look at all of the “ifs” he uses. When a writer uses “if” he is introducing a conditional clause, in other words if you do x then y will happen. For example, if we eat clean consistently, then we will eventually become leaner. Same with wisdom if we do these things, then we will glean benefits.

Notice our responsibility look at all of the verbs in green that he uses:

Accept my words

Store Up my commands

Turning your ear to wisdom

Applying your heart to understanding

Call out for insight

Cry aloud for understanding

Look and Search for it as hidden treasure

Now think about this list and really reflect how many of us really do these things on a regular basis? Think of things we do instead.

 

Do we accept what the news, media, twitter, Facebook says as truth? Or do we accept God’s word as the highest standard?

Do we store up things that have been passed down to us, ways we’ve been taught, or even our own faulty self-centered patterns of thinking that have been formed over a long period of time with in us? Or do we store up and allow God’s word to penetrate our minds and change the way we think? (Romans 12:1-2)

Do we turn our ears to music, friend’s advice, YouTube videos which aren’t bad in and of themselves but how many times in the past month have we turned our ears and sat under sound biblical teaching or listened to a sermon?

Do we apply our hearts to someone, something, or some substance to give us momentary relief instead of applying it to understanding?

Do we call out or cry aloud to others instead of crying out to the creator of the Universe; God Almighty who knows the beginning from the end?

Do we look and search for other solutions to fix what is broken in our lives instead of looking and searching for wisdom?

If we are really honest Solomon’s challenge will take hard work in the spiritual but look how it will play out in the physical if we take heed to his instructions. Now let’s get to the benefits!

“ 5then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. 6For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”

Benefits #1-#2- You will understand and know personally the God of the Universe and you will glean wisdom from Him.

7"He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, 8for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones."

Benefits #3-4- You will experience success and protection from God.

9"Then you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path.10For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.11Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you."

Benefits #5-#10- You will understand the right, just, and fair thing to do and know every good path. Your heart will be full of wisdom instead of foolishness. You soul will be at peace with knowledge. Notice the progression of wisdom that you will gain discretion and understanding and they will protect you.

12"Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, 13who have left the straight paths to walk in dark ways, 14who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, 15whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways."

Benefit #11- Wisdom will save you from bad, wicked men.

16"Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman, from the wayward woman with her seductive words; 17who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God. And 18Surely her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead. 19None who go to her return or attain the paths of life."

Benefit #12- Wisdom will save you from wayward wicked women.

20"Thus you will walk in the ways of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous. 21For the upright will live in the land and the blameless will remain in it; 22but the wicked will be cut off from the land and the unfaithful will be torn from it."

Benefit #13- You will walk in good ways and live in the land.

Solomon ends with the contrast of what will happen if we don’t put in our work in the spiritual, we will be isolated from others and stripped of everything that brings peace, protection, and discernment between good and evil.

I challenge us to pick 2 or 3 of those verbs and practice searching for wisdom. It will look different for every single one of us but if we want to reap the benefits then we must get our weight up in the spiritual gym. I close with this one happy memory. Once I was with a friend of mine during the holiday season. This individual loved the popular Christmas song “Baby its Cold Outside” but they loved it by a particular singer. We searched and searched to find that distinct voice. We must have gone through hundreds of remixes on YouTube and ITunes. We exhausted both batteries on our phones. I can’t even remember if we ever found it but what stood out to me was the tenacity to search and seek for that perfect duet that was so pleasant to my friend’s ears. Think of how much effort we put into looking for things that matter to us.  2,000 plus years ago, three wise men traveled to search for King Jesus just so they could worship Him as the Messiah.Will 2015 be a year where God will matter the most to us? Will we seek after Him? Will we be wiser next year on Christmas and really celebrate Him because we took the time to glean from His word and get to know a loving, merciful Savior?

 Time with God is never wasted, time with God in His word is time invested for this life and the one to come! Until next time…stay in the fellowship of God and live Fit4eternity and Merry Christmas!