Proverbs 13:15-16
15 A person with good sense is respected;
a treacherous person is headed for destruction.
16 Wise people think before they act;
fools don’t—and even brag about their foolishness.
When you think of someone who you respect, who you admire, who you aspire to be like or learn from, what qualities do they posses?
I’ll guess that person walks in wisdom and is full of integrity. Sure, we might look at celebrities or people who we think are “cool” and want to model ourselves after them, but “cool” now isn’t “cool” tomorrow. It doesn’t last. If we really search our heart and what we know will actually be fulfilling, it’s living the life like the people we most admire: walking in wisdom and being full of integrity.
It might seem fun for a little while to live in sin, act foolishly and even brag about that foolishness. It’s fun to do what everyone else is doing, to experience what the world says you need to experience. “YOLO” right? But it will catch up to you. Bad decisions now have long term consequences. And it’s a slippery slope.
It might be easier to act impulsively and make decisions based off emotion or feeling, but like Solomon says, that ultimately leads to destruction. God has more for us. Wisdom is more satisfying than the greatest riches because it means we’re walking close to God. There is nothing more fulfilling than that. All true wisdom has its foundation in God.
There’s a reason why the one thing Solomon asked God for, above riches, power or fame, was wisdom. And because of that, God blessed Solomon. God has favor on the wise.
It’s easy to tell the difference between someone who walks in wisdom and someone who doesn’t. Wisdom may not be normal, but as Christ followers, we aren’t called to be normal. We’re called to be the exception.
How do we become wise?
- We walk closely with the Lord.
- We think before we act.
- We are slow to speak and slow to become angry.
- We have a consistent prayer life and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us.