“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments.” / “For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.” (Psalm 111:10a / Proverbs 2:6)
Have you ever made a choice that you thought was a good choice at the time, but you learned later that it was a very poor choice? This happens a lot to many of us. Why? Because we are human. Unlike God, Who is all-knowing, we human beings do not know everything. Unlike God, Who is perfectly holy, we human beings choose to break laws and to sin against God and other people. Unlike God, Who is all-wise, we human beings are not able to see the future or guess what might happen in the end, so we make foolish or silly mistakes sometimes.
It is part of our nature to want to feel accepted. You may feel you will be better liked if you follow the “wisdom” of a crowd. You may think that if everyone else is doing it, it must be a good thing. But a crowd of human beings is not any better than one human being when it comes to making good choices. A group of people needs God’s wisdom just as much as one individual person needs God’s wisdom.
God wants all of His children to make wise choices that honor Him. He knows we are human and that we have limitations, but He freely offers His own wisdom to us instead! If we will follow the counsel and advice of the Lord, and if we will walk in the “light” that His Word gives us, then we will learn to be wiser ourselves, and we will make wise choices.
From the moment you wake up until the time you go to bed you make many choices. These choices could affect your life for many years to come. There are many people who think about their past choices and wish they could “do it over again” – but they can’t. Older Christians who have been seeking God’s wisdom for a long time have some experience that could help you when you are not sure what God is teaching you. These wise people are one way God can give you wisdom. Proverbs 11:14 says, “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” It always helps to ask a wise person for help, and there are many people who genuinely care about you and want to see you make the choices God would want you to make.
Most of all, God gives His wisdom through His Word. Read Proverbs 4 to learn more about God’s wisdom. Remember, even when other human beings fail us, God is our best Resource for wisdom when we need it. The book of James says that God invites us to ask Him for wisdom, and He gives grace to humble people. Are you humble enough to admit that you need God’s direction and advice, or are you trying to make right choices all on your own?
God gives His wisdom to those who are willing to ask for it and follow it.
My Response:
» Am I too proud to admit that I need God’s help with choices I have to make?
» When I am not sure about something, is it my habit to ask God first for help?
» What makes God the best Counselor I could ever have?