Finding Wisdom

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

FINDING WISDOM

Prov 19:20

20 Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.

NIV

Listen to whose advice? Accept whose instruction? Those are the questions which we need the answers to. Our first consideration is who is worthy enough to give us advice? That would have be the Lord. We know the world’s thinking is nothing but foolishness to God.

1 Cor 3:18-20

18 Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a "fool" so that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness"; 20 and again, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile."

NIV

Then we would have to conclude the advice from anyone who is not born again is foolish advice. This would coincide with what the Lord inspired David to pen in the 1^st Psalm.

Ps 1:1

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked

NIV 

There is absolutely no wiggle room here. We might learn knowledge from the unsaved, but we  are most definitely not to take any of their advice. This would make it clear the only one we can take counsel from is the Lord. Therefor we find all advice for our life within the scriptures. This would also be true with instruction. At first we would think this is a contradiction to learn knowledge from the world, or wicked. But the Hebrew word translated instruction means to be disciplined, chastened, corrected. This again leaves only God qualified to administer instruction. Of course parents have not only that privilege, but that responsibility, toward their children. Children would be wise to accept the advice and instruction from their parents so as to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. Although it may be true that some believing parents have children that have gone astray. These children would then not be wise. Those parents surely experience some pain associated with children who reject advice and instruction. This is the pain God feels when his people go astray and reject his advice and instruction. Could we be guilty of saying no to his advice and instruction? Could we be seeking after the advice of the world? Do we take their methods and practices for our own in various areas of life? This would not be wise if we did. Why would we want foolish advice? Why would we want to be corrected by foolish people? This then would apply to how we decide what we will do, where we work, where we live, what we do with our money, what church we attend, on and on the list of life choices goes. Because we are Spirit filled, let us walk therefor by the Spirit. This leads us directly to the Armor of God.

Eph 6:10-18

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

NIV

All advice, all counsel, all instruction, all our defense against the foolish advice and instruction from the world is in this armor. Specifically in the sword of the Spirit, the word of God. Here is where we need to pray in the word of God on all occasions. This is where we find the wisdom of God for our lives. We are reminded of a movie title, “Finding Forrester” and can only think of the title of our lives, “Finding wisdom”.