{"id":11915,"date":"2016-10-02T01:59:29","date_gmt":"2016-10-02T05:59:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dougbittinger.com\/thoughts\/?p=11915"},"modified":"2025-04-21T01:56:38","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T05:56:38","slug":"acquiring-wisdom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/acquiring-wisdom\/","title":{"rendered":"Acquiring Wisdom"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"mysteries,<\/a>People of the world say, \u201cknowledge is power\u201d and set about gathering knowledge about people and situations that concern them. Knowledge is an assemblage of facts and datum. Those facts and datum are of little use, except for small talk at parties, if you lack the wisdom to interpret and use those facts. Wisdom is the proper interpretation and application of knowledge. Wisdom allows you to interpret information properly, however pressing information into the mold of our own opinions and ideology distorts it and renders it less useful.<\/span><\/p>\n

Proverbs 2: 1-7 says:
\n<\/span>1<\/i><\/span><\/sup> My son, if you receive my words,<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/i><\/span>And treasure my commands within you,<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/i><\/span>2\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/sup>So that you incline your ear to wisdom,<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/i><\/span>And<\/i><\/span> apply your heart to understanding;<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/i><\/span>3\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/sup>Yes, if you cry out for discernment,<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/i><\/span>And<\/i><\/span> lift up your voice for understanding,<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/i><\/span>4\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/sup>If you seek her as silver,<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/i><\/span>And search for her as <\/i><\/span>for<\/i><\/span> hidden treasures;<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/i><\/span>5\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/sup>Then you will understand the fear of the <\/i><\/span>Lord<\/i><\/span>,<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/i><\/span>And find the knowledge of God.<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/i><\/span>6\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/sup>For the <\/i><\/span>Lord<\/i><\/span> gives wisdom;<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/i><\/span>From His mouth <\/i><\/span>come<\/i><\/span> knowledge and understanding;<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/i><\/span>7\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/sup>He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/i><\/span>He is<\/i><\/span> a shield to those who walk uprightly;<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy son\u201d indicates a familial relationship: this message is for the children of God, true believers, not for the world at large, not for make-believers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cif you receive my words\u201d the <\/span>word <\/span>picture here is of someone holding out a gift to you and you reaching out to take hold of it and drawing it back to you. This is not someone forcing something on you. It is not a casual brushing up against something and part of it sticking to you. You reach out in anticipation, take hold and draw it back to you. You participate in the receiving.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd treasure my commands\u201d treasure means that the gift you received is not a holiday fruitcake, forcing you to smile politely but groan inwardly. This gift is one of your fondest desires, something you will keep with you and look at often.<\/span><\/p>\n

The word \u201ccommands\u201d does not sit well with some because their pride and self-reliance gets in the way telling them that they don\u2019t want to be ordered around like some vassal. This is a misinterpretation. Think of God\u2019s commands as the instruction of a loving parent to a beloved child. The lessons may be given in the form of teaching, encouragement, correction, or admonishment but all are given <\/span>through <\/span>love and the desire to see the child progress and grow properly.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cwithin you\u201d \u2013 These teachings are not to be superficially acknowledged but stored away inside where you will treasure them.<\/span><\/p>\n

A young man is courting a girl. She gives him a letter in which she describes her love for him and what she adores about him. He will keep this in a pocket where he can pull it you to read often, not hidden in a drawer in his room. That is treasuring within.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cso that you incline your ear to wisdom\u201d Inclining your ear is to tilt your head so that your strongest ear will better pick up what someone is saying because it is important that you hear and understand. You are straining to catch the words God is giving you, not listening passively.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cand apply your heart to understanding\u201d Here again we are distinguishing between knowledge and wisdom. The heart is the seat of our emotion, the residence of love. The mind is the great hall of intellect. What we store in our heart, or apply our heart to, does not deal with mere dry facts but with truth and honor: \u201cunderstanding\u201d means full comprehension and assimilation into our being not just reception of information. Wisdom is understanding the motivation and ramifications, not just the superficial meaning.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, if you cry out for discernment\u201d Crying out is not a passive act. Think of the poor and crippled that sat alongside the city gates crying out to Jesus and his followers to be merciful to them. They did not sit and wait for someone to hold out a coin to them. We cry out to God asking, \u201cPlease dispel my ignorance by giving to me of your vast wisdom.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cdiscernment\u201d is the ability to see things and situations as they really are, not for what they may pretend to be. Discernment is a fruit of wisdom. It is discernment that guides you like a compass through the dark forest of worldly lies.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201clift up your voice for understanding\u201d Again take an active role, do not be passive. God will give understanding, wisdom and discernment to those who love Him and seek these things.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you seek her as silver\u201d \u2018her\u2019 being wisdom. To gain wisdom you need to invest the same effort that you would in gaining silver: an income. Am I saying you must labor 8 hours a day studying the Bible to become wise? Is it mandatory that you labor 8 hours a day in order to live, or could you work less if you were willing to accept a lower standard of living? You get back what you put in.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201csearch for her as for hidden treasure\u201d You may not have ever gone hunting treasure, but you have read or watched stories about those who have. Do these people go out looking for an hour or two once a week? Generally, these people are obsessed with their quest. We need to be obsessed with the search for wisdom if we are expecting results.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cunderstand the fear of the Lord\u201d Rarely does the biblical word translated as \u201cfear\u201d mean terror, afraid, or deep apprehension. Generally this is a deep reverence, respect or awe as is appropriate for the creator of the universe and an omnipotent being.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cand find the knowledge of God\u201d Do you understand God? CAN we understand, completely, God? No. Our human minds are too limited to fully comprehend what God is and how He works. But the more we study God\u2019s word with an open mind and compliant heart, not in an effort to mold the words of the Bible to our way of thinking, the better we will understand God and His workings in our life.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor the Lord gives wisdom\u201d God does not jealously hide His truths, He does not withhold understanding. He wants us to know Him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFrom His mouth come knowledge and understanding\u201d He will teach us if we will listen actively to His words. Where do we find His words? <\/span>I<\/span>n the Bible.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe stores up sound wisdom for the upright\u201d Sound wisdom is the real deal, not some half-baked theory but genuine wisdom; the ability to discern truth, and these are reserved for the upright. God does not share His wisdom with those who insist on walking their own path, on \u201cinterpreting\u201d His words so they conform to their own desires. Distorting truth means it is no longer truth. When we reject God\u2019s Word, we reject His wisdom and pursue our own. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe is a shield to those who walk uprightly\u201d When we are compliant to God\u2019s instruction and living as He has said we should, God s<\/span>trengthen<\/span>s us <\/span>as we resist<\/span> the enemy. Does this mean we will not have troubles? No. The closer we walk with God the more we can expect Satan to harass us in an attempt to turn ou<\/span>r<\/span> loyalty. But our God-given understanding and wisdom allow us to see things for what they are and deal with them without fear or discouragement. We will know what is of God and what is not, what is right and what is misdirection and temptation.<\/span><\/p>\n

The path we walk to eternal life with God is narrow and difficult: wide and easy to travel is the path to destruction. To know the difference, we must acquire Godly wisdom. We do that by seeking it diligently, by applying ourselves to the study of God\u2019s Word. Listening to sermons once a week will not get you there. These may be Godly and truthful and useful for instruction or motivation but to really learn we must be digging around in God\u2019s word, actively seeking to understand God. Only then can God speak directly to us, to address ou<\/span>r<\/span> needs and our concerns. Only then can He teach us as a father teaches his child.<\/span><\/p>\n

A good father does not rely on telling servants, \u201cGo tell my child that I said\u2026\u201d but will want to commune directly, intimately with his child, to share not just the information, but love. But if that <\/span>child<\/span> avoids coming into the fathers presence, the father cannot teach.<\/span><\/p>\n

To find the treasure of truth we must seek it diligently. To find genuine wisdom we must go to the source, not accept hearsay and interpretation. Are you avoiding the Father\u2019s presence and relying on the household servants as your sole source of instruction?<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

People of the world say, “knowledge is power” and set about gathering knowledge about people and situations that concern them. Knowledge is an assemblage of facts and datum. Those facts and datum are of little use, except for small talk at parties, if you lack the wisdom to interpret and use those facts. Wisdom is … Continue reading “Acquiring Wisdom”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[78],"class_list":["post-11915","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-matters-of-faith","tag-christian"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11915","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11915"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11915\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20415,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11915\/revisions\/20415"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}