This devotional series examines a verse or two from each chapter of Proverbs each day of January 2017.
“To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the children of man. O simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, learn sense.” ~Proverbs 8:4-5
Proverbs 8 pictures wisdom as a woman, calling out to any who will hear what she has to say. Whereas sin, though seeming desirable, leads to death (yesterday’s post), wisdom leads to true prosperity.
After all, “Wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her” (8:11). The wealth of wisdom is holistic. It brings benefit to every area of our lives, not just our pocket books. Indeed, it is better to have little with wisdom than much without wisdom. A fool, after all, will squander what he has. A wise person will make the best use of their possessions, few or many.
And wisdom is available for all.
There are only two qualifications to gaining wisdom: We must listen and we must ask. Listening, we hear wisdom’s call. Ultimately, this is the call of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 1, Paul wrote that the idea of a crucified Savior-God is a foolish concept in the eyes of the world. “But to those who are called…Christ [is] the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24).
Listening to and heeding the call to come to Jesus grants us a new perspective on the world. We listen to what his word says to us and we learn about God, creation, ourselves, and others; and we learn to love others deeply as we love God supremely.
Asking, we seek God for greater wisdom. James speaks to our response in the face of trials. In this context, the brother of Jesus wrote, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach and it will be given him” (James 1:5).
No matter if we are rich or poor, young or old, happy or sad, educated or uneducated, wisdom is available to all. We only must hear its call, turn to Jesus, and then ask God for greater wisdom.
First Baptist Church 