WISDOM is all about CHOICES!!

(More from my Proverbs archives...)

Wisdom is the knowledge and ability to make the RIGHT choices at the RIGHT time.

That's what I read in my Vines Bible Dictionary. (Not exactly in those words, but those were the thoughts.)

And as I see it, the whole book of Proverbs IS a description of what wisdom is. It shows us how to make those right choices. It's about how to direct this free will that God has given us. If we didn't have a free will, we wouldn't need wisdom, because God, being sovereign, would direct everything we do, and we wouldn't need to think about it.

Wouldn't life be easy if that happened. No staying awake at night wondering what we should do! We'd just sit back and cruise. And that's how some people live... very passive, what ever will be will be.

But Romans 12:2 says to be transformed by the RENEWAL of our mind, not the REMOVAL of it.

How interesting is it, that our sovereign God has chosen to give us a free will, and we have to make choices? If we choose the RIGHT way, that is Wisdom, but if we choose WRONG, that is foolishness.

I'd say, every area of our lives involves choices. Some choices are not really life changing ones.

Like you go to Subway or Quiznos or McDonalds and you have CHOICES!! You spot something on the menu board that sounds pretty good, but when you get it, it's really doesn't taste as nice as you thought. One "foolish" choice... but, next time you'll be wiser ... you'd be pretty dumb to order that same thing again. But those sort of choices are non-consequential. The only things that probably suffer from that sort of wrong choice are your taste buds and your gut. (...Except of course, if you suffered food poisoning, or you had a severe allergy to some ingredient.)

But BIG choices are really not much different. It's just that the wrong choice will mean worse, or even fatal consequences. That reminds me of the no-brainer in Deuteronomy...

"I have set before you LIFE and DEATH, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live." (30:19)

And Wisdom says:

"For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord. But those who miss me injure themselves. All who hate me love death." (Proverbs 8:35-36, NLT)

So it's really not that hard. All it needs is a decision from us. The choice is LIFE or DEATH. But yet we humans seem to find it difficult, and that's because we don't have the "want to".

However, when we do make that RIGHT choice, we are walking in wisdom. We can know spiritual things, because wisdom is really God's mind and thoughts. Just as I Corinthians 2 says, we have the mind of Christ if we have spiritual wisdom. And this is far beyond what the natural mind can comprehend, because it is only spiritually discerned. Only those who choose the way of life can have it.

But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. For, “Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?” But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:14-16, NLT)

Those in the world might think they have wisdom without God, but how can that really be wisdom?

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. (James 3:13-18, NKJ)

Let's dare to make the RIGHT CHOICE!!!....

... and LIVE!!!