Tag: Pursuing Wisdom

Teenager with crossed arms standing on gravel near a basketball court with graffiti-covered wall

Rejecting the Path of Violence

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“Don’t plan any harm against your neighbor, for he trusts you and lives near you. Don’t accuse anyone without cause, when he has done you no harm. Don’t envy a violent man or choose any of his ways; for the devious are detestable to the Lord, but he is a friend to the upright.”
‭‭(Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭29‬-‭32‬ ‭CSB‬‬ – Read the chapter)

We live in a culture that is increasingly comfortable with violence. We have a growing appetite for violent content in the series and movies we watch. And not just violence, but graphic, gratuitous, even glorified violence. After marinating in this kind of excess for years, it really shouldn’t surprise us that it is working itself out in real life more and more often. We need to learn the wisdom of what Solomon says right here. Let’s take a look.

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The Fruits of Wisdom

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“Maintain sound wisdom and discretion. My son, don’t lose sight of them. They will be life for you and adornment for your neck. Then you will go safely on your way; your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid; you will lie down, and your sleep will be pleasant. Don’t fear sudden danger or the ruin of the wicked when it comes, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from a snare.” (Proverbs 3:21-26 CSB – Read the chapter)

Security is a big deal in our world today. Our need for it keeps all sorts of companies in business. We want our homes to feel secure. We want our health to feel secure. We want our finances to feel secure. We want our spiritual lives to feel secure. We want to know that everything is going to be okay, and we’re willing to go to pretty great lengths to make sure that it is. But while a certain amount of feeling secure is related to a variety of physical things we do, a significant portion of it is also a state of mind. It is a state of mind that wisdom can help address. Let’s talk about it.

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When Straight Paths Turn Hard

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“Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the first produce of your entire harvest; then your barns will be completely filled, and your vats will overflow with new wine. Do not despise the Lord’s instruction, my son, and do not loathe his discipline; for the Lord disciplines the one he loves, just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.” (Proverbs 3:9-12 CSB – Read the chapter)

One of the uniquely American contributions to religion around the world is the Prosperity Gospel. This is an insidious, heretical movement that masquerades as a kind of Christianity. The truth, though, is that it has little to do with the Gospel, but instead uses Gospel concepts to inflame greed and envy. Mammon is the real god it worships. It is one of the more cunning deceits the devil ever created to keep people out of God’s kingdom. The challenge is that verses like these exist which seem to give credence to its central claims that God wants us to be happy, healthy, and wealthy. Let’s talk about what we should do with sayings like this in the Bible, and why taking things fully in context matters so much.

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A Shield Against Perverse Paths

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“For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will delight you. Discretion will watch over you, and understanding will guard you. It will rescue you from the way of evil—from anyone who says perverse things, from those who abandon the right paths to walk in ways of darkness, from those who enjoy doing evil and celebrate perversion, whose paths are crooked, and whose ways are devious.” (Proverbs 2:10-15 CSB – Read the chapter)

Kiefer Sutherland’s famous character, Jack Bauer, from the series 24, made a really interesting observation at the end of the first season. When it was revealed that a former good guy had become a bad guy, he noted that the villains weren’t simply bad people. They were once good people who made a bad choice that was then followed up with another bad choice. It’s frighteningly easy to fall down a rabbit hole of bad choices that finds us winding up somewhere entirely other than we meant to go. Wisdom helps us avoid that. Let’s talk about it.

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The Fruit of Pursuing Wisdom

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“For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up success for the upright; He is a shield for those who live with integrity so that he may guard the paths of justice and protect the way of his faithful followers. Then you will understand righteousness, justice, and integrity—every good path.” (Proverbs 2:6-9 CSB – Read the chapter)

As we talked about last time, Solomon said to his son that following his instructions would lead him to understand the fear of the Lord. They would lead him to come to understand who God is. That seems like a pretty good deal all by itself, but Solomon goes on to give us a lot more than that. Over the course of the rest of the chapter, as well as the next several that follow, Solomon goes on to explain what are the results of coming to know the Lord. The results are, in a word, wisdom. As for what that wisdom brings, let’s start talking through it here.

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