Day 10--Is it one of your top 5 priorities?

Often considered a wise president:
do you agree?

                     The idea of being "smarter" or wiser touches every member of your family, even preschoolers.  The world says wisdom comes from knowledge.  With enough education, you will be wise and will make right decisions.  Another key to the world's wisdom is to be open-minded.

            I do not know about you, but I have known some very "smart" people—remembering vast amounts of facts and quickly assembling those facts to "solve" problems—that are not very wise.  They make personal choices that lead to disaster.  I mean, look at Lex Luthor!  Of course, I know he is a fictional character, but he symbolizes something very true:  the possession of knowledge does not guarantee a righteous, unselfish, or god-honoring life.

            Any more the idea of being open-minded is almost a laughable joke.  Often people who brag about being open-minded basically mean that they are unwilling to thoughtfully evaluate a wide variety of topics, and they limit their criticism to a few topics and/or people. This may sound a little confusing, but I ask you to open your mind to what I am saying and be willing to understand.  J  Another question I have is, if you are willing to "accept all possibilities," how can you ever come to a conclusion, know right from wrong, or make truly rewarding choices?

            What does the Bible say?

            Psalm 111:10—"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding.  To him belongs eternal praise."

            Proverbs 1:7—"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline."

            Proverbs 9:10, 12—"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding … If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer."

           

            Deuteronomy 4:6—"Observe them (the decrees and laws handed down through Moses) carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.'"

            Proverbs 16:16—"How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver."

            Ecclesiastes 7:5—"It is better to heed a wise man's rebuke than to listen to the songs of fools."

            I Corinthians 2:13—"This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words."

            James 3:17—"But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere."

            Do you see a pattern hear?  True wisdom—everlasting, life-giving wisdom—comes from God.  When you seek and gain wisdom from God, those around you will notice.  They and you both will benefit.  Yet, gaining that wisdom is also tied to obedience to God's Word.  You could consider wisdom a reward for obeying, yet perhaps a better viewpoint is that obedience to God's Word itself teaches you wisdom and makes it a part of who you are.

            Your turn—Now, how do you take this to your kids?  Make it a part of conversations.  Remind your children that as they study their homework that knowing math (or writing skills, etc.) are important, but knowing and obeying God's Word are even more important for true wisdom. 

            Then be an example.  Do you spend time reading your Bible and praying by yourself and with others?  Do your children see/know this?  Are you excited about going to church to see what God will reveal to you that day?  Do you look for an additional Bible study to join or find time to talk to a fellow Christian to help you sort out what the Bible says?  If your children were asked to name your top five priorities, would getting to know God better be one of them?

            If you would like more ideas on helping your children (and yourself) develop a Biblical worldview or to find out how to win a Wal-Mart gift card, go to the 31 Days Giveaway (Intro. Part II) post for more Touching Families blog links.  If you want to check out other 31 Days' topics, see The Nester.

*All verses quoted are from the New International Version:  THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.