Wisdom's Call - Proverbs 8

Proverbs 8 extols the value of acquiring wisdom. It does so by personifying, even deifying, wisdom.

In an earlier post, I said that acquiring wisdom is important because wisdom is the creative energy of God. Proverbs 8 enlarges on that supposition: "The Lord made me at the beginning of His creation, before His works of long ago. I was formed before ancient times, from the beginning, before the earth began... when He laid out the foundations of the earth. I was a skilled craftsman beside Him. I was His delight every day,always rejoicing before Him. I was rejoicing in His inhabited world, delighting in the human race" (vs. 22-23,29-31). With wisdom God established the universe and through wisdom God declared the knowledge of Himself to people.

So does having wisdom mean you are smart or highly educated?

Not exactly.

While smart or educated people may have acquired much knowledge, wisdom comes through acquiring a knowledge of God. Through wisdom, God declares the knowledge of Himself to people.

Two Keys To Success - Proverbs 3:9-10,13-14,16

"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...Happy is a man who finds wisdom and who acquires understanding, for she is more profitable than silver, and her revenue is better than gold...Long life is in her right hand; in her left, riches and honor."

Contained in the wise and godly advice of Proverbs 3 are two keys for success.

The first key for success concerns how you handle your finances. Before you spend any of your income, first give to God. If you don't know how much to give, then a tithe or 10% is a good starting place.

You may think you will have less to spend if you first give to God, but God has a way of extending what you have left to meet your needs. If you first give to God, the proverb says, then your barns will be completely filled.

The Prayer of the Grief-Stricken - Mark 14:32-36

"Then they came to a place named Gethsemane, and He told His disciples, 'Sit here while I pray.' He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be deeply distressed and horrified. Then He said to them, 'My soul is swallowed up in sorrow—to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake.' Then He went a little farther, fell to the ground, and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said, 'Abba, Father! All things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me. Nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.'"

If the Transfiguration revealed Jesus' divine nature, then Gethsemane revealed His humanity.

A lot of theological interpretations and explanations have been offered for the anguish expressed by Jesus at Gethsemane. Certainly He was about to bear the sins of all humanity--past, present, and future--and it was a horrific proposition!

But I think His grief was simply that--the sorrow you feel when the reality that you live in this world becomes displaced through irreparable loss.

Show Some Respect - Psalm 147:11

"The Lord values those who fear Him, those who put their hope in His faithful love." I spend a lot of time around my house trying to teach my two toddlers to mind me. We still have a ways to go and I suspect that we will probably work on it through all their childhood and maybe through their teenage years as well!

Why do parents spend so much time, spend years, training their children to obey?

Is it because the parents want their children to be their little slaves?

Is it because parents want to feel powerful?

No! In fact, it's just the opposite. Parents want to empower their children to grow into well-adjusted people that understand the difference between right and wrong, between truth and lies, between good and evil, so that they can make right choices.