The Overwhelming Importance of Wisdom and Understanding in a Believer’s Life!

04 Feb 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Proverbs 4:7.       Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; and with all thy getting get understanding.

And then it was a nice, sunshiny but windy Tuesday, ideal to give us hope for a better day than Monday, which was cold, snowy, and dreary. However it turns out though, we just have to keep moving forward, becoming wiser, as we delve deeper into the study of God’s Word, and thus getting better in the performance of the tasks He desires of us. That certainly brings to mind the effusive and all-embracing prayer that Bruh Paul prayed for the Colossians. 

‘For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; 

Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet (qualified us) to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in (the) light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated (transferred) us into the kingdom of his dear Son (the Son of His LOVE): In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:’ (Col. 1:9-14) 

Oh friends, that’s a mighty big prayer to wish on anyone, so can you imagine how the Colossians must have felt when they received Bruh Paul’s missive, not knowing him, since they were evangelized by Epaphras, Bruh Paul’s fellow servant in Christ. But Epaphras had spoken highly of them, and Bruh Paul, as always, wanted to invigorate and motivate them to greater works and heights. Thus, it’s a prayer that we believers today also are expected to take seriously, because it also pertains to our spiritual state which leaves a lot to be desired in these evil and ungodly times. 

And though the prayer seems tough and long-winded, it’s fairly simple when you break it down. What’s Bruh Paul actually praying for eh? That the Colossians, and consequently us, will be filled with the knowledge of God’s will for their lives in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.  And the scholars explain wisdom as an ‘accurate perception into the true nature of things. And understanding is the skillful application of this wisdom in practical situations.’ 

Therefore, with those two things we’re set on the right path of the Lord, or as the psalmist says: ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’ (Ps. 119:105) And being on the right path, we ought to be able to walk worthy of the Lord, allowing the fruit of His Spirit to flourish in our lives, so that others can see it and desire to know Him. But then too, Bruh Paul expects that all believers ought to keep growing in the knowledge of God’s Word; in other words, moving along the path of spiritual maturity to a higher calling in Christ Jesus. 

Or, as the scholars explain; ‘Verse 10 expresses the reason that in verse 9, Paul wants the Colossians to obtain a knowledge of God’s will. That they walk (live) properly and fully please God. And in Greek the four explanatory participles of verses 10b-12 spell out and precisely define what a worthy walk entails: the believer is (1) fruitful in every good work, productive in Christian service; (2) constantly increasing in the knowledge of God, ever coming to know the Lord better; (3) always “strengthened with all might,” becoming spiritually stronger and stronger; and (4) in the habit of giving thanks, sincerely expressing gratitude to God in both the pleasant and unpleasant experiences in his life.’ 

Now that’s indeed a rough row to hoe, but hoe it we must if we intend to be true believers in Christ Jesus. And remember that the Lord does not call us to do anything in which He does not give us the wherewithal to perform it. That’s the beauty of our ever-LOVING God! And the scholars continue to explain some of the terms found in the above passages of scripture. They say ‘Patience is persevering through problems, trials, tribulations, and so forth. Longsuffering is forbearing the faults and offences of others.’ 

Meanwhile, verse 12 might also be translated “thanking the Father, for He made us fit to share in the salvation belonging to the saints who are in the light.” Light is the ethical condition in which God’s children live, namely, that of spiritual understanding with its accompanying morality and happiness. Then in verse 13, Darkness is the religious state in which unbelievers exist, namely, that of spiritual ignorance with its attending immorality and misery. And in verse 14 Blood reminds the Colossians, and us, of the enormous price and sacrifice paid to secure their redemption. Redemption, then is achieved by the atonement wrought by Jesus’ death.’ 

And that’s it in a nutshell friends. Let’s hope that what we’ve said and read today will help us raise our spirituality to new levels. But that will only happen if we take the bull by the horns and begin delving deeper in the Word and putting it into practical application in our lives. Remember Wisdom tells us the truth, and Understanding tells us best how to apply it. 

That’s why Cousin Sol was so emphatic in Proverbs when he admonishes: ‘Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from (turn away) the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: LOVE her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; and with all thy getting get understanding.’ (Prov. 4:5-7) 

Now, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all the world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel! As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’ 

And having made that declaration (awright!!!) we are now duty bound to go out and share the awesome LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…the Christian life is ever about…spiritually growing stronger…in Christ…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit   8 April 2022 Proverbs 3:19.

08 Apr 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Proverbs 3:19.      The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth: by understanding hath he established the heavens. 

And the shouts of joy and relief rise up over the land: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ Heralding the end of the work week and the beginning of the weekend, our short break from the drudgery of work that so many of us detest, but which is oh so necessary for our survival. As Bruh Paul said to the Thessalonians: ‘if any would not work, neither should he eat.’ (2 Thess. 3:10) (smile) And though the day has opened somewhat cloudy, the sun is fighting through that darkness, just like we believers in Christ must fight through the darkness and evil of this ungodly world, by meditating on God’s Holy Word and following the guidance of His Holy Spirit that dwells within us. 

But I like how Cousin Sol puts it in Proverbs 2. ‘When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward (perverse) things; Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness: Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the forwardness (perversity) of the wicked. Whose ways are crooked and they froward (are devious) in their paths.’ (Prov. 2:10-15) 

Yes friends, the purveyors of evil are fighting a serious battle against the light of Jesus, and we, purveyors of that light, desperately need to return their fire through the amazing goodness and mercy, the salt and light, the wisdom and knowledge that are supposed to emanate from us, faithful believers in Christ Jesus, keeper of His mighty name and everlasting flame in all the earth! 

Oh my people, the wicked and perverse are very devious and scheming and it’s only through the wisdom and knowledge acquired by close association with Jesus that can give us the victory over them. That’s why Cousin Sol was so insistent on the matter of acquiring wisdom and understanding. 

In a later chapter he admonishes: ‘Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline (turn away) from the words of thy mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: LOVE her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. She shall give to (place on) thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver thee.’ (Prov. 4:5-9) 

Ah my fellow saints, words of indisputable truth! For it’s only wisdom in, and understanding of Christ’s dictates that will allow us to rise to great heights and defeat the enemy, the purveyor of evil and darkness. And I guess that many of us are wondering what are these marvellous and miraculous things called wisdom and understanding? (smile) Well, wisdom, as used in Proverbs basically means ‘the skill to live life successfully.’ While understanding denotes ‘the ability to distinguish between true and false, good and bad, what matters most and what does not matter at all.’ 

And if you’re still wondering why those things are so important, then listen to these enlightening verses from Proverbs 3: ‘The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth: by understanding hath he established the heavens. By his knowledge the depths (deeps) are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.’ (Prov. 3:19-20) 

Yes mih bredrin, the Lord used wisdom and understanding to create the universe and all therein! And if, with all His omnipotence, omniscience, and omni-presence, God still needed wisdom and understanding to create the world, then why shouldn’t we frail and fragile minions that we are, not need them also to live a successful life? No reason whatsoever! 

And with our world in such a sad and sorry state, it’s high time that we believers in Christ Jesus get up and seriously and sincerely seek wisdom and understanding so that we can enlighten the world and make it a better place for our children and our children’s children. And that ought not to sound strange and out of place because that’s one of the reasons we were placed on the earth at this particular time. Serving and worshipping the Father and bettering the world are our two basic duties! 

And they all begin with prayer, the marvellous and exciting communication method between heaven and earth. Therefore, as we so badly need to do, let’s communicate with heaven nuh, through our Friday Chant. As one strong but humble and prayerful voice. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help. 

Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks. 

And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

Now, let’s set about keeping those promises and showing the Lord that our motives are right when He checks our hearts. For that’s ever so necessary to get positive answers from heaven! Much LOVE!

…to be wise in this unwise world…is the greatest talent of all… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8