Being a dad, one of my greatest desires for my sons is for them to seek after God and to desire to know Him more and more. I'm 51 years old, so I've been around the block a time or two. When a man gets to be my age he often looks back on his life and question how things might have been "if". Obviously, I can't go back and change my past, and I can't erase the many mistakes I've made. I can make some crucial decisions now that will affect the rest of my life. And, I can try to teach my boys some things which will hopefully allow them to avoid mistakes I've made.
One of the things I would love for them to understand now, early in their lives, is that there are really few things which this world offers that are worth pursuing. Riches are not really important - money is more of a distraction than anything. Physical pleasure, outside of what God intended for it to be, proves to be destructive. Soaring careers often leave a person wondering why they still aren't satisfied with life. What is worth the effort of pursuit? Wisdom, or an understanding of life from God's perspective!
Solomon shared this insight with his own son. From chapter 2 we read:
"My son, if you receive my words,
And treasure my commands within you,
2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom,
And apply your heart to understanding;
3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment,
And lift up your voice for understanding,
4 If you seek her as silver,
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
5 Then you will understand the fear of the Lord,
And find the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk uprightly;
8 He guards the paths of justice,
And preserves the way of His saints.
9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice,
Equity and every good path.
10 When wisdom enters your heart,
And knowledge is pleasant to your soul,
11 Discretion will preserve you;
Understanding will keep you,
12 To deliver you from the way of evil . . ."
These words from father to son indicate that God's wisdom doesn't "just appear" in front of you magically. No, it comes as we diligently seek it as the great treasure it truly is. The pursuit results in God's revealing Himself and His truth in measured proportions. If He dumped the whole load all at one time we would never be able to comprehend it. Instead, He gives it to us over a lifetime so that our understanding of Him and our own lives progresses as we are ready. Therefore, the person who begins this pursuit early in life is at a distinct advantage than if he or she waited until some point later in life. Thus, the urgency in the voice of the father as he shares these hard-earned lessons with the son.
How do we pursue wisdom? By continually going to the source of all knowledge and understanding, our Heavenly Father. He has given us the written Word, the Bible . . . and He gave us the Living Word, Jesus, to instruct us in all wisdom. And after Jesus ascended into heaven, the Holy Spirit of God indwelled the hearts of believers, then and now, to be our internal guide and interpreter of truth. Study of the Bible, guided by the Holy Spirit, is our primary means of gaining understanding, but God often speaks to the believer as he prays, and He will also use the words of others to reveal a truth to the prospector of wisdom. God, a loving and gracious Father, desires to give each of His children all they need to be able to live victorious, significant, and fulfilling lives. Are you wise enough to pursue what He offers?
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