Topic: Book of Proverbs
Wisdom is the most important thing; so get wisdom. If it costs everything you have, get understanding. Treasure wisdom, and it will make you great; hold on to it, it will bring you honor. (Proverbs 4:7-8)
Witchcraft. Magic. Henry Potter. Occults. Religions. These are some of the belief systems are happening to the world today. Many people or some Christians believe that these practices are the only way to get happiness. They put these practices for their entertainment. What they valued have nothing do with God, but upon themselves. Is their wisdom coming from these or more practices? What is the Bible has to say about the importance of wisdom?
Today, many children are learning about good and bad in their schools. What the schools are teaching have nothing do with wisdom of God. Even today, many youngsters have already learned to enjoy to have the sexual relationship with their friends or learning about witchcraft by reading the Henry Potter books. There are historical documents behind the Henry Potter books and have nothing do with fun reading and English class after you learned the background and the biblical viewpoint of witchcraft.
In Proverbs 4, Solomon gave his children advice about how they could have successful life with receiving wisdom of God. “My children, listen to your father’s teaching; pay attention so you will understand. What I am telling you is good, so do not forget what I teach.” (Proverbs 4:1-2.)
Solomon is about to announce the lesson from his own childhood. His lesson is important to give his children, so they could apply to their lives and pass it to their children and grandchildren. It is the legacy that could last to many generations. Unlike the period of Solomon, we miss opportunity to teach our family member the legacy that our Heavenly Father taught. The legacy that Jesus taught, we have forgotten to pass His words to our family members, love ones, friends, and neighbors. Now, we come with our new legacy, legacy that comes from our media, Satanism, occult, and even from our own denominational churches. It is sad thing that some of us do not apply Jesus’ legacy to our lives.
Solomon wrote “When I was a young boy in my father’s house and like an only child to my mother, my father taught me and said, ‘Hold on to my words with all your heart. Keep my commands and you will live. Get wisdom and understanding. Don’t forget or ignore my words. Hold on to wisdom, and it will take care of you. Love it, and it will keep you safe. Wisdom is the most important thing; so get wisdom. If it costs everything you have, get understanding. Treasure wisdom, and it will make you great; hold on to it, and it will bring honor. It will be like flowers in your hair and like a beautiful crown on your head.’” (Proverbs 4:3-9.)
What if that was coming from Jesus to you? Are you going to listen to Him? Jesus said, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and eat with you, and you will eat with me.” (Revelation 4:20.)
God wants let us to have happy and long life while we are still living in this physical planet. But we need to listen to Him and accept what He has to say to us. “My child, listen and accept what I say. Then you will have a long life.” (Proverbs 4:10.) Unlike those days, we would miss to listen and accept what our Sovereign Father has to say about us. Instead, we feel go to what our pastors said about God’s Word on Sunday morning.
Does God say that He is guiding us from the darkness of the world? Listen what Isaiah wrote about the people of Israel, “Before those people lived in darkness, but now they have seen a great light. They lived in a dark land, but a light has shined on them. God, you have caused the nation to grow and made the people happy. And they have shown their happiness to you, like the joy during harvest time, like the joy of people taking what they have won in war.” (Isaiah 9:2-3.)
God is a God who leads us into right direction of the life. The psalmist wrote, “Your word is like a lamp for my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm 119:105.) God is not a God of laziness, but He is a God who leads us to the truth of the gospel of the living God. The Bible is our manuscript to live a holy life with Him. It’s a foundation of the book that leads us to the successful life that God wants. “I am guiding you in the way of wisdom, and I am leading you on the right path. Nothing will hold you back; you will not be overwhelmed.” (Proverbs 4:11-12.)
Are you let God leads you to the abundant life that He wants you to have for eternality? Or are you following your own agenda and/or your own religious system (Buddhism, Muslim, Judaism, Catholicism, Baptist, or other religions or Christian denominations) that leads you to the happy life? Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10b NKJV.) Today, Jesus is knocking your door of your heart and wants to show you the road to the life.
Even today, many of us are trying to earn ourselves the glory. Our world system teaches us how to guard our lives to ourselves. We learned the world histories and cultures that could lead us the cultural life and not according to God’s plan. The children learned that practicing of the magic is having something to do with their entertainment; and their parents are allowing them to practice the magic tricks, watch the TV programs, and read the books that contain the witchcraft.
What Solomon is trying to accomplish with his children is having nothing do with witchcraft that God hates, but having to do with their successful lives. Solomon wrote, “Always remember what you have been taught, and don’t let you go of it. Keep all that you have learned; it is the most important thing in life.” (Proverbs 4:13.)
What have God taught you in your personal walk with Him during the last 10 or more years of your life? God has shown me what I can do to glorify Him through the gift of prophecy (teaching) and making some Disciples of Christ. He has taught me the purpose of my disabled life through the difficult circumstance. I believe what Apostle Paul says about God’s power: “With God’s power working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine.”(Ephesians 3:20.)
Even though I am disabled, God can do anything with my life. Even though I am disabled, He has provided me to continue to have the life on earth to reach the people to Him. Even though I can’t make true friendship before November 2000, He provided for me before I arrived to Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center.
If you are in the situation where you cannot find the purpose of your life, stop doing your own ways and begin your life with Jesus Christ. “Don’t follow the ways of the wicked; don’t do what evil people do. Avoid their ways, and don’t follow them. Stay away from them and keep on going, because they cannot sleep until they do evil. They cannot rest until they harm someone. They feast on wickedness and cruelty as if they were eating bread and drinking wine. The good person is like the light of dawn, growing brighter and brighter until full daylight. But the wicked walk around in the dark; they can’t even see what makes stumble.” (Proverbs 4:14-19.)
God may say to you, “Pay attention, my child, to what I say. Listen carefully. Don't lose sight of my words. Let them penetrate deep within your heart, for they bring life and radiant health to anyone who discovers their meaning. Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do. Avoid all perverse talk; stay far from corrupt speech. Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; then stick to the path and stay safe. Don't get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.” (Proverbs 4:20-27.)
What are you going to do with His Word? The choices are yours.
