Where is the Wisdom...4

Yes, You need to read this one!

Why do we pass by scripture without letting it pass through us?

Read this scripture, then think about it, then read it out loud to yourself again.

"Don't talk out of both sides of your mouth;

avoid careless banter, white lies, 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."

Are you getting sidetracked and distracted from your priorities in life?

I know you say that God is in the #1 spot, but is He really?  Could someone see that from your schedule?  Could we tell from your finances or from your relationships with others?

This life is full of distractions, are you distracted?

Read, think, Pray about this scripture and how it could affect your life.  Do it!  Slow down, you know you should.

The contemplative life is calling you.  Slow Down, Read, think, Pray, and then live what God speaks to you today.

This is Lectio Divina, spiritual reading. 

Where is the Wisdom...3

"Wisdom will save you from the immoral woman, from the flattery of the adulterous woman.  She has abandoned her husband and ignores the covenant she made before God.  Entering her house leads to death; it is the road to hell.  The man who visits her is doomed.  He will never reach the paths of life." 2:16-19

"For only the upright will live in the land, and those who have integrity will remain it it."

John Wooden said, "Talent can get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there."

Character is developed through wisdom.

Many people reach their dream job, find their dream spouse, and live in the sweet spot of life but they don't stay there very long because they lack wisdom.

For Men especially, the "immoral woman" is one of the biggest temptations that pulls them away from wisdom.  What we don't realize is that she pulls us away from what we want most.  She pulls us away from our dream job, dream spouse, and dream life.  It feels like electricity for a moment but ends with a shock the reverberates through us for the rest of our lives.  Most people never recover from her paralyzing zap!

If I could very roughly paraphrase this thought it would look like this.

"Yeah men, her ta ta's look real good!  But they are full of deadly poison that will destroy your life, future, dreams, and soul in hell."

Hers is a Siren song.

Where is the Wisdom...2

Proverbs 1:4 "These proverbs will make the simpleminded clever.  They will give knowledge and purpose to young people."

We miss the importance of this book when we fly through it.  We lose the value in the principles that are found on it's pages when we just "read" them and move on to the next verse.  

Proverbs is better read thought by thought with much contemplation.   Don't be taunted by the chapters, you don't need to read a whole chapter a day.  Yes, it's real easy to speed through this book but thats like taking prime rib, putting ketchup on it and eating it as fast as you can.  Don't you want to savor the flavor?  Don't you want to really get the most out of that meal?

Look at this thought. 1:10-19

The new living translations say's it this way, "If sinner's entice you, turn your back on them!"  If you don't, "It will rob you of life."

How hard to understand is that?

Don't try to make it more difficult than it is.  

I know but, but , but! I know the excuses I've heard them a thousand times "But I've been friends with her since high school!"  "We've grown really close", "I don't want him to think I'm "Holier than thou"", "I love her" etc. etc.

Solomon had his excuses too.  He disregarded his own proverb and married hundreds of Pagan women to increase his empire and that was the very thing that ruined his reign and ultimately his legacy.

We all have our excuses for doing the easy thing instead of the right thing.  Question is, will you do the wise thing?

Turning your back on someone does not mean you stop praying for them, thinking about them, or speaking to them.  It means you refuse to put yourself in a position to be influenced by them.  They are no longer an influencer in your life.

Share the wisdom, pass this on to someone today.

Where is the Wisdom...

"Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?" British poet T.S. Elliot once said. 

How can we have so much knowledge and information at our fingertips and still make stupid decisions on a day to day basis?

I know so many people who have great depths of information and knowledge but seem impotent when it comes to applying that knowledge to their life.  They can trick out a car, build computers, run all kinds of advanced technological equipments, perform surgery, and ace advanced tests but then they spend more money than they make, have an affair, or drink and drive.

What the heck is missing?  How can a person be so smart, sharp, and successful but then struggle with day to day decisions?

Wisdom is the lost art of applying information and knowledge to make a good decision.

When making decisions, we ask, "is it wrong?, is it moral?, is it legal?, is it okay?, is it beneficial?"  

What we should be asking is, "is it wise?"  This is not just semantics, there is a fundamental difference in these questions.

So, I am going to take a wisdom walk.  No this isn't some new "Youth group" game similar to prayer walks or whatever.

This is going to be a walk through the wisdom of the book of Proverbs.  

Proverbs is a book full of wisdom, listen to this from Chapter 2.

10  For wisdom will enter your heart,

and knowledge will fill you with joy.

11  Wise choices will watch over you.

Understanding will keep you safe.

We need to learn how to make wise decisions.  

What is a good life but a string of good decisions put together.

Wisdom keeps us safe, watches over us, and inevitably fills us with joy.

There is more to making good decisions than being smart.  Have you noticed this in your life or the lives of the people close to you?