Growing in wisdom

Proverbs 4:10-27 ESV

Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many.  I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness.  When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble.   Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life.   Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil.  Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on.  For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.  For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.  But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.   The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.   My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.   Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart.  For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.  Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.  Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you.   Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.   Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure.   Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Wisdom is about handling things well on a day to day basis. This doesn't seem like a big deal for the small day to day decisions. But life has a cumulative effect, a slow gradual change. So how do we go about this? We ask God. Pray. But wisdom isn't something you see growing in your life. So what then? Is the bible wrong? No, wisdom is not a door, it's a path, a journey, a way. It is a rigorous pursuit that requires active pursuit.

Proverbs 1:32 ESV

For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them;

Five requirements to gain wisdom

1 Actively embed God's word in your mind

Proverbs 4:10, 13 ESV

Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many...  Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life.

The word of God does not cover the everyday intricacies of life. But it does give broad strokes, it gives us a framework to start. This general set of guides help us to build a more wise way of living.

2 Listen to the word

Proverbs 4:20 ESV

My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.

We need to recognize that we are not all knowing. We should listen to the word for guidance. One of the ways that we can see our need for wisdom is a Johari window. It shows us that we don't know everything about ourselves... We all have blindspots.

But we must be careful. We must follow those who are chasing wisdom.

3 Look at your life with three types of sight: insight, foresight, and hindsight

We need to focus and concentrate on our lives. Look for deeper understanding in the situations around us.

Consider what is off in the future. Consider the consequences before doing something. What we do today will impact the future.

Look at our past and learn from our mistakes. We all make mistakes, but the wise learn from them.

Proverbs 26:11 ESV

Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.

4 Feet that follow even when following looks foolish

The path of wisdom can sometimes take us to places that look foolish. Painful and hard times will still come our way. This pain is not punishment; it is for us to learn and grow. It can reveal our hidden sin and issues. God does these things for our good.

5 A heart that is centered

What we desire most will determine what we will chase. It will determine what we use our insight, foresight, and feet for. If this is missing, none of the other four will matter. The wisdom that we learn is not solely for our benefit. It is for the glory of God. That is the driving desire for the Christian to seek out wisdom in our lives.