Subscription Lists

'Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed.' (Proverbs 3:13-18)

Blessed

At the beginning of this passage we see this little Christian word that's used all over the place: blessed. I think it's useful to define what 'bless' actually means, rather than assuming that religious jargon simply has to exist. To bless someone means to make them happy. So blessing the Lord is to say, do or think something that would please Him. If we describe someone as blessed therefore, it basically means someone who is happy. Simple, isn't it? Now, I'm not going to go on for ages about this but it's important for us to acknowledge something here that we don't generally like to: God actually wants us to be happy. In my experience Christians seem to have this idea that life should be treated seriously, particularly when you're in a church meeting. Shhh! Stop smiling, we're praying! But God here is saying that wisdom will make us blessed. Can we please stop kidding ourselves that the Christian life is a sombre life? No wonder this is good news!

Riches

What makes this even better is the fact that this happiness is not a silly happiness, it's a deep-felt, belly-laugh style joy! If I gave you a treasure chest full of silver, gold and precious stones as a present, I have no doubt whatsoever that you'd get a bit of a smile on your face. You watch a reality TV show (well, I'm sure you don't, because we're Christians) like Hell's Kitchen or The Apprentice, and the moment the prize is talked about you can see the contestants' faces light up as they realise, 'that could all be mine!' But Solomon here tells us that wisdom is better than silver, better than gold, better than jewels, better than anything you can desire! Do you realise that this should excite us?! This should give us that kick to get up in the morning, to study God's Word, and to spend time with Him - His gift of wisdom to us through the completed work of the Son and the filling of the Spirit is better than anything we can imagine! He 'is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us!' (Ephesians 3:20)

Goodness

And this promise isn't just about getting more wealthy than we can understand, some of the benefits are demonstrated right here: pleasantness, peace, life and happiness. The more we press into God's wisdom, the more we will benefit from these fruit, which are reflected in the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23: 'love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control'. Let's strive together to beg God for more wisdom, benefitting right now and in eternity from His magnificent, everlasting blessings!

"Word from Scotland" from Sandy Shaw

See Something of What the Psalmist Saw