My Working Definition of Wisdom
"Working" is the key word here.
Here's what I've got so far...
Wisdom is the ability to step back from a situation and truly see what's going on, and make the right decision.
I don't know what it is but wisdom has been that topic of thought and journaling for me a lot over the past year. Proverbs 1-4 talk about it a bunch. Here's Proverbs 4:5-27. It rocks...
"5-14Never walk away from Wisdom—she guards your life;
love her—she keeps her eye on you.
Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom!
Write this at the top of your list: Get Understanding!
Throw your arms around her—believe me, you won't regret it;
never let her go—she'll make your life glorious.
She'll garland your life with grace,
she'll festoon your days with beauty."
10-15 Dear friend, take my advice;
it will add years to your life.
I'm writing out clear directions to Wisdom Way,
I'm drawing a map to Righteous Road.
I don't want you ending up in blind alleys,
or wasting time making wrong turns.
Hold tight to good advice; don't relax your grip.
Guard it well—your life is at stake!
Don't take Wicked Bypass;
don't so much as set foot on that road.
Stay clear of it; give it a wide berth.
Make a detour and be on your way.
16-17 Evil people are restless
unless they're making trouble;
They can't get a good night's sleep
unless they've made life miserable for somebody.
Perversity is their food and drink,
violence their drug of choice.
18-19 The ways of right-living people glow with light;
the longer they live, the brighter they shine.
But the road of wrongdoing gets darker and darker—
travelers can't see a thing; they fall flat on their faces.
Learn It by Heart
20-22 Dear friend, listen well to my words;
tune your ears to my voice.
Keep my message in plain view at all times.
Concentrate! Learn it by heart!
Those who discover these words live, really live;
body and soul, they're bursting with health.
23-27 Keep vigilant watch over your heart;
that's where life starts.
Don't talk out of both sides of your mouth;
avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip.
Keep your eyes straight ahead;
ignore all sideshow distractions.
Watch your step,
and the road will stretch out smooth before you.
Look neither right nor left;
leave evil in the dust. "
I've got lots of thoughts and questions about wisdom. Not a whole lot of answers though.
Here's what I've got so far...
Wisdom is the ability to step back from a situation and truly see what's going on, and make the right decision.
I don't know what it is but wisdom has been that topic of thought and journaling for me a lot over the past year. Proverbs 1-4 talk about it a bunch. Here's Proverbs 4:5-27. It rocks...
"5-14Never walk away from Wisdom—she guards your life;
love her—she keeps her eye on you.
Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom!
Write this at the top of your list: Get Understanding!
Throw your arms around her—believe me, you won't regret it;
never let her go—she'll make your life glorious.
She'll garland your life with grace,
she'll festoon your days with beauty."
10-15 Dear friend, take my advice;
it will add years to your life.
I'm writing out clear directions to Wisdom Way,
I'm drawing a map to Righteous Road.
I don't want you ending up in blind alleys,
or wasting time making wrong turns.
Hold tight to good advice; don't relax your grip.
Guard it well—your life is at stake!
Don't take Wicked Bypass;
don't so much as set foot on that road.
Stay clear of it; give it a wide berth.
Make a detour and be on your way.
16-17 Evil people are restless
unless they're making trouble;
They can't get a good night's sleep
unless they've made life miserable for somebody.
Perversity is their food and drink,
violence their drug of choice.
18-19 The ways of right-living people glow with light;
the longer they live, the brighter they shine.
But the road of wrongdoing gets darker and darker—
travelers can't see a thing; they fall flat on their faces.
Learn It by Heart
20-22 Dear friend, listen well to my words;
tune your ears to my voice.
Keep my message in plain view at all times.
Concentrate! Learn it by heart!
Those who discover these words live, really live;
body and soul, they're bursting with health.
23-27 Keep vigilant watch over your heart;
that's where life starts.
Don't talk out of both sides of your mouth;
avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip.
Keep your eyes straight ahead;
ignore all sideshow distractions.
Watch your step,
and the road will stretch out smooth before you.
Look neither right nor left;
leave evil in the dust. "
I've got lots of thoughts and questions about wisdom. Not a whole lot of answers though.
OK, there's a few more things to consider:
In light of "being sure" or making "the right decision"...
#1 - Sometimes God calls us to do things before we're "sure." Many times God's great servants [Abraham, Moses, David and Jonathan] had to act before they knew the outcome. Even Gideon, when he put the fleece out "to be sure", had already amassed all the troops for battle. Go back and read the stories, they're fascinating [especially 1 & 2 Samuel]!
#2 - The 2 Cor 8:12 passage deals with making a commitment and sticking to it, read the verses prior [ESV] "11 So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. 12 For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have." This passage in particular does NOT deal with clarity of direction, but faithfulness to what has been committed to.
#3 - You'll notice Wisdom is a person. Relating to a person and following a direction are very different. Relating to a person can't be boiled down to a science, it's a relationship. We relate to Wisdom and follow Wisdom, but Wisdom makes no promises to tell us where she's going all the time.
With that said, there are many choices where we are choosing between something God-ordained and something God-hated. For instance, choosing between sleeping with your girlfriend and abstaining is a no-brainer. God has already spoken on it in the Bible. No need to quibble.
The tough choices come when it seems like God has not already spoken on the specific matter. For instance, choosing a job in another state or choosing to stay local. This is what we're dealing with.
Two things to chew on with this:
#1 - The definition of Wisdom, according to the Scripture you pulled out, is a person to follow, not a concept to be defined.
#2 - Your definition of wisdom led immediately to decision-making and I believe that is a core differentiation between Wisdom's role and other's roles [Trust, Love, Peace].
Really, I believe Wisdom is Jesus acting specifically to walk us through decisions, but if we see it only as a decision to be made, we've miss the point entirely. It's a the dance during the decision-making process. It's the closeness we gain to Christ along the way.
I know, I know, it's a "working definition", just some thoughts for the journey there.
Posted by
Drew Caperton |
11:04 AM