Proverbs    (05/01/07)

In our Quiet Time right now, we are in Proverbs.  Proverbs talks to us about wisdom and understanding and instruction and knowledge.  In fact, in the book of Proverbs in the New King James Version, the word “wisdom” is used 50 times!  “Understanding” is used 53 times; “wise” is used 67 times; “discretion” is used 7 times; “knowledge” is used 42 times; and “instruction” is used 23 times!  Apparently, these are some things that God wants us to know about and wants us to have!  You see, God isn’t a big kill joy telling us about these things that we can never attain.  In fact, quite the opposite is true!  He tells us about these things because He desires us to obtain them!  He wants us to be wise!  He wants us to have knowledge!  He wants us to use it for His honor and glory!
            The problem is this: most of us Christians are not wise, are not discerning, are not filled with knowledge and instruction.  Why not?  James 1:5 answers this way: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”  James 4:3 says, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”  So either we do not have wisdom because we do not ask, or we do not have wisdom because we are asking the wrong way.  That doesn’t mean you aren’t using the right words when you ask.  It means you are using the wrong motives when you ask.  We will talk more about that in a minute.
            I believe that most Christians are not wise and do not have discernment and knowledge and understanding because they are not asking for it!  We simply are failing to ask God what He has promised to give us if we asked!  Do you know how silly that is?  It is like Bill Gates telling you that he will give you all of his money if you simply ask, and you just decide that it is too much of a pain to ask, or you get too distracted to really ask him for it.  That is absurd!  If Bill Gates told you that, he would hardly have the words out of his mouth and you would begin to ask!  Yet God has promised us something much more valuable and much more important than Bill Gates’ money.  He has promised us wisdom – His wisdom – if we just simply ask for it.  But can young people, can teenagers, have this wisdom and knowledge and understanding?  To quote Mark Lowry, “Does Billy Graham have a quiet time?  You bet your sweet bippy!”  But how can we get it?  Ask God for it.  It is really that simple.  I have been in situations more times than I can count, and I realize I have no idea what to say or what to do.  And I ask God to give me wisdom beyond my years in speaking with this person, or whatever the case may be.  And you know what?  He always has.  In fact there are many times that later on I have no idea why I said or did what I did, except that God gave that wisdom to me.  It’s nothing I achieved, but something that God gave me!
            The second thing was that we are not asking in the wrong way.  Is it possible to ask God for something that He wants us to have, but ask because it’ll make us look good?  Absolutely!  And unfortunately, there are Christians who do that all the time.  They are asking for something because then people on earth will pat them on the back.  Jesus dealt with this type of person in His day.  They were called the Pharisees.  Jesus called them out; told the people who they really were.  He called them white washed tombs – you know, they look good on the outside, but inside they are nothing but dead bones.  Jesus told people to not be like them who did things for others approval, but instead to do things for God’s approval.
            So what now?  What do we do?  Well, as we read through Proverbs, take time to see what God is really wanting from you.  What does He want you to do.  You’ll notice things that tell you to pay attention to instruction.  Or as Proverbs 4:5 says, “Get wisdom, get understanding…”  Ask God to give to you wisdom, knowledge and understanding, so that you can use it for His honor and glory!