Tag: Wisdom

Devotionals

Wisdom is Never Proven Wrong

Loring Schultz

“But wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it.” Luke 7:35 NLT

Photo by Alex Shute on Unsplash

Throughout my life I have had the privilege of knowing people with immense wisdom. Whether I knew them personally or professionally, or knew of them through acquaintances, their advice proved true helping me in any given situation. The Bible has many references to wisdom, in fact there is a complete section of the Old Testament known as the ‘Wisdom Books.” Probably the most well-known are Solomon’s sayings of wisdom in the book of Proverbs.

Solomon writes in the very first chapter of Proverbs, “Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” (Pr. 1:7 nlt) So how does one become wise? It begins by realizing that wisdom is not in ourselves. You need a strong foundation for anything to be built or succeed. Solomon says the foundation of wisdom is the ‘fear of the Lord.’ The reverential fear or awe of God is the true meaning of this fear. Not to be afraid, but to respect God the creator of all things, including us, is Solomon’s point.

Jesus Himself rebuked the religious rulers for their lack of wisdom in not recognizing the godly ministries of both Him and John the Baptist. “But wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it.” (Lk. 7:35 nlt) There were those who were spiritually wise that knew both John the Baptist and Jesus’ ministries were God’s plan. The religious rulers were proving themselves to be fools and not wise following wisdom in the fear of the Lord.

You may not be a man or woman who possesses a vast amount of knowledge, but you can possess a vast amount of wisdom in the reverential fear of the Lord. When you acknowledge the Lord God, your life will be an example that wisdom from the Lord is never proven wrong.

Devotionals

The choice is yours!

Loring Schultz

“If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.” Proverbs 9:12 NLT

Photo by Alex Shute on Unsplash

            It is estimated the average individual makes 35,000 decisions in a single day. That number may sound unrealistic but is backed up by numerous creditable sources such as, ‘Psychology Today’, ‘The National Library of Medicine’, and several business and educational institutions measuring the effects of so many choices. Most of these decisions are basic everyday decisions as what clothes to wear, what I am going to have for lunch, should I use blue or black ink, should I repost or comment on a certain post, should I surprise my wife with flowers on my way home, along with other choices in our daily activities. Even my choice to in writing this devotional, ‘the choice is yours’, is one of my 35,000 decisions I’ll make this day.

            Some choices we make each day do not always work out for the best. We have the best of intentions at the time based on our normal pattern of doing things, but it turns out to have been the wrong choice. A lesson to learn is we will not always make the right decision. Each of us are flawed individuals capable of making bad decisions. In trivial matters it’s no big deal as is wearing ‘white’ after Labor Day, but in wearing something offensive or provocative is another matter. There is a way for all of us to limit our bad choices significantly by following the advice of the wisest man that has ever lived outside of Christ, King Solomon.

            We should all be in agreement in desiring to make wise choices. Within those 35,000 decisions we make a day are many we do not give deep thought to as they become mere habit. There is nothing wrong with that, but what is the foundation in our decision making. What we need is wisdom. True wisdom, Godly wisdom. King Solomon gives us this advice, “Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” (Prov. 1:7 NLT) We must admit some of our decisions are downright foolish putting us in line with fools. Wrong decisions will be made, but they can be greatly reduced when every decision, even those of habit, has their foundation in the reverence of the Lord.

            James in the New Testament also writes, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” (Jas. 1:5 NLT) Again, wisdom is the key, the foundation, in making good decisions. In Proverbs 9:12 Solomon notes, “If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.” (NLT) Gaining Godly wisdom will ensure decisions that benefit you while rejecting God’s wisdom leads you to suffer the consequences. The choice is yours!