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Today's Little Lift
by Jim Bullington
Wisdom doesn't always finish the same way. By that, I mean is comes in human flesh packaged in a huge variety of ways. It comes as the aged as well as the young; it comes in males and females; it comes in the highly educated as well as those who have accomplished little in the arena of formal academia; it comes in the professional as well as the laborer. Wisdom comes in a variety of packages.
Having lived in the South most of my life, I have encountered wisdom from time to time, but I have encountered foolishness far more frequently. However, something tells me this is not a geographic phenomena. I think that the scarcity of wisdom is a blight upon humanity as a whole and not just on the particular region in which I reside. Something tells me that others who are discerning of truth see the same thing, this scarcity of wisdom, exhibited wherever they live.
I met wisdom once in a man who was poorly educated as the world sees it. His speech was not polished and his grammar was not always according to text books. Yet, he was a man that seemed to possess wisdom in abundance. Mr. Terry was a farmer and he also loved to fish. However, none of those externals had much to do with the fact that he was a man of wisdom. Had he been a skilled surgeon, he would have still been wise. Had he been born in New York City, he still would have possessed this marvelous attribute. Regardless of the external circumstances that shaped Mr. Terry's life, it was the internal condition of heart that prepared him for wisdom. Regardless of the question, it seemed that Mr. Terry always considered every decision in light of what the Bible says.
His house was a humble abode. In it I learned things that I would never have learned had he not been a man who exemplified the “fear of the Lord.” I am pretty sure that Mr. Terry did not set out to be wise; I think it was just the consequence of possessing in a huge helping the fear of the Lord. This attribute is rare, but it is also a necessity to wisdom. It is a trait that has no substitute. If one fails to possess the fear of the Lord, wisdom will never abide in his heart! The Proverbs writer put it this way, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs .10). In this verse, the word beginning has the concept of first inherent within it. In other words, the fear of the LORD is a fundamental to wisdom. Without the fear of the Lord, wisdom will never come; with the fear of the Lord, wisdom is guaranteed!
If challenged I can't recall the specifics of any biblical discussion that I heard Mr. Terry have with others. But, I know I heard him have multitudes of such discussions. What I do remember about hearing those discussions that occurred during my childhood, was the extraordinary reverence and respect that Mr. Terry had for the Bible. When he spoke of it, his voice changed; he realized that he was on Holy Ground. There was an intangible attitude that defies description but which speaks volumes about the man who possessed it. I also know that “argue” was a word that would never have been befitting of any discussion that Mr. Terry had about the Bible. I remember how frequently he would “break into prayer” when something was too heavy for him to bear or even discuss with another. It seemed that the more he prayed, the wiser he became. I miss that! I wish I had more of that!
Here's a challenge for you today! Look about you in search of true wisdom, but be sure and put on the glasses of the proverbs writer before looking. Look for the fear of the Lord and chances are good that wisdom will not be far behind. It comes in surprising packages so don't let the wrapper fool you!
Questions:
1. How rare is true wisdom?
2. Can one ever become wise without the fear of the LORD? Why or why not?
3. What substitute is there for the fear of the LORD in the search for wisdom?
4. Have you ever known someone who was wise but who had not specifically sought wisdom? Have you ever known someone who made it a point to seek wisdom, but who seemed to fail miserably in finding it? Is there a lesson here? If so, what is it?
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