How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver. (Proverbs 16:16 ESV) Last week I wrote about listening to advice in order to gain wisdom. An obvious question in response is, … Continue reading
Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. (Proverbs 19:20 ESV) To seek wisdom is necessarily to look to the future. Any young (or relatively young) person claiming to be wise is more likely … Continue reading
I want to thank God for an amazing little book I am currently reading. The book is Wrestling with an Angel: A Story of Love, Disablity and the Lessons of Grace by Greg Lucas, about insights gained as he raised a … Continue reading
Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and … Continue reading
Even the wisest man in the Bible (aside from Jesus) could not understand his own heart well enough to avoid it deceiving him. King Solomon had 700 wives to whom he clung in love, and in his old age they turned his heart away to other gods (1 Kings 11:1-4).
In fact, he did not even need to be wise to know the folly of clinging to those whom God had put off-limits, in Exodus 34:12-16 there is warning enough for even a simple man to understand. In his wisdom perhaps Solomon created a fine sounding argument for himself justifying why it was okay for him to sin and not heed the warning from God. He did not seem to realize that his own heart was divided, yet this is so obvious. We so easily deceive ourselves once we stop paying attention to God’s word (Jeremiah 17:9).
The final state of Solomon’s heart is a frightening reminder of the dangerous game idolatry is, and that it can start from just liking something a lot and being reluctant to let God take away our beloved toy.
To those who are young, let nobody belittle you for being so (1 Timothy 4:12). Some of the people who inspire and encourage me are half my age. When youthful passion, exuberance and energy are devoted to God and directed to serving Him, marvelous things can happen – much of which may not be visible to human eyes.
Do also keep in mind that inexperience and passionate zeal can sometimes combine into a big mess! Accept the wisdom of older advisers (see 1 Kings 12:6-8 and 1 Kings 12:15) but do not embrace all of their pessimism or cynicism. It is true that many young people start things full of enthusiasm but do not follow through to the finish. This is not due to youthfulness, however, it is due to failing to endure and is actually common to old and young alike. So don’t waste your youthfulness!
