Daily Reflections on Prov. 4:1-13 (I Need to Get More Wisdom)

I just dropped my youngest daughter at college last Friday. It's her second year. Each year is a challenge of figuring out how to pay for school. I'm proud of both daughters who are paying their own way through school. They couldn't do it without student loans. My older daughter is in year five of a five year/dual degree program. When she graduates this spring her student loan debt will be about $30,000. Probably not as bad as some and not as good as others.

College is expensive. Even with grants the financial burden of getting an education is severe. Pursuing a dream is always costly. Getting the tools necessary to accomplish dream exacts a cost. There is always an investment required.

Solomon talks about the cost of gaining wisdom in Proverbs 4. People spend a lot on education these days. But education alone isn't enough. You need wisdom to apply your learning. Solomon exclaims, "Get wisdom, get understanding." Later in chapter four he says that wisdom is supreme, get wisdom even if it cost you all you have, get understanding.

When Solomon talks about understanding, he's not just talking about getting information. Although information helps in discernment, he is talking about gaining the insight of wisdom here. It's the insight to know what to do with the information you have acquired. Lots of people know computer programming and understand computer technology, but Bill Gates had the insight or wisdom that very few have. There are a lot of financial investors, but few with the wisdom of Warren Buffet.

The advice that I would give all college students and truly all students of life would be to heed Solomon's words here in Proverbs 4 about getting wisdom. Wisdom adds so much more to your life. The quality of your life will improve. The hardships will decrease. The path of wisdom may seem different from that of the world's, but it's the safest, most profitable path to take.

God, in this confusing world, I need wisdom. I don't need the wisdom of man. I need your wisdom. Give me wisdom today. Give me the wisdom I need to handle today's challenges. Give me the wisdom to understand the steps I need to take today to get to where you want me to be tomorrow and on down the road.

Daily Reflections on Prov. 8:22-36 (Give Me Wisdom)

Some say that wisdom comes with age. Others claim that wisdom is the result of experience. Several years ago the makers of Tootsie Pops picked up on the idea that wisdom comes from wise old owls. How many licks does it take to get to the chocolate chewy center of a Tootsie Pop? According to the owl as he unwraps the pop and begins licking, three. He then bites into the hard candy to get to the chocolate morsel in the middle.

But if you read through Proverbs 8, you realize that wisdom was birthed by God and comes from Him. Earthly wisdom and Godly wisdom are not necessarily the same. What seems wise to man, God often thinks of as foolishness. In fact, God's wisdom many times confounds the so called wise of this world.

And let's not confuse wisdom with intelligence or education. They are not synonymous. Common sense maybe closer to wisdom than intelligence. I'm not insinuating that education can't contribute to wisdom, but wisdom is something totally different.

If Godly wisdom is the most desirable, how to I get it? Solomon's advice is to pursue it, listen for it, watch for it daily. Don't slough it off or take it lightly. Wait for it. Long for it. It comes down to reading and meditating on God's Word, opening yourself to the leading of God's Spirit that He places within all believers in Jesus. To gain God's wisdom you have to be attuned daily to Him.

God, I admit that sometimes I think I'm pretty bright or clever or wise in my own rights. Usually that's when I crash and burn. I realize you're perfectly willing to let me pursue my own path and watch me falter on the way. Your wisdom is so beyond me. I need your wisdom. I want to have the life Solomon refers to and also Your favor. Show me your wisdom for today. I know I'll need more for tomorrow.