If you could get something from God in 2017…what would it be?

Probing Proverbs: 3:13-16 Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one 

who gains understanding. For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold. Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. She offers you long life in her right hand, and riches and honor in her left.

I remember many years ago when I was in high school a story was shared in the news about a man that missed a great opportunity. He was mining and thought he had dug out of the ground what appeared to be one of the world’s largest diamonds. He showed several men the suspected gem, and one of them said the way to really tell is to let him hit it with a hammer. If it were a diamond, it would not hurt it. 

The man gave his permission. When the hammer hit the gem, it smashed into smithereens! The man that found this gem took several thin slivers with him and sent them to be examined by experts. It was a diamond, most likely one of the largest ever found, and he could have retired on what he found…if he only knew what he had and how to use it. Diamonds are one of the hardest gems on the planet…only a diamond can cut another diamond. However, toughness does not equal brittleness. Man made tools can shatter a diamond very easily. The man possessed a very valuable item, but because he did not understand what it was or how to properly handle it, he ended up with dust instead of some very valuable diamonds.

This is the point of this Proverb! It is fair that we challenge the premise so we can see if it makes sense or not.

How does having wisdom & understanding bring long life, riches & honor? After years of counseling many people, I have found a common denominator. I have met with the rich and the poor, from the genius to one that is not the sharpest knife in the drawer. What I have found is the real issue is never what they possess, but do they understand what they have and how to best manage it.

History is filled with examples of individuals that began with very little, yet, because they understood the potential they possessed and took time to consider best how to use it, they see great success. If it is a certain giftedness, they learn what that giftedness is and take ownership of it’s potential…in the end they are recognized by many for being “one of the best” in the arena they are in. This is true in the arts, science, sports, etc. If it were power, they seek to understand the good and dangerous part of power, seeking to use it for good…they are remembered in history as great leaders. If it is wealth, they learn stewardship and how wealth can be used, which allows them to build a financial empire…some that go on for centuries!

Sadly, without wisdom people squander wealth, life, and reputation. How many stories of individuals that have great wealth given to them and waste it quickly, or ones that have great wealth and think the goal is to have more, living a miserly life, never enjoying or using their wealth, just possessing to possess. There have been Presidents that have permanent blemishes on their biography because their misuse of power led them to do foolish things.  How many young people die young because they believed they were indestructible, which allowed them to live carelessly. Wisdom is not acquired simply through winning an Oscar, Election, or a Super Bowl. Wisdom is given by God and attained and matured by our stewardship of it. The mind needs exercise as much as the body. The more we take time to meditate and contemplate our life, asking God for wisdom, the greater our intellectual skill will become.

When you know how to handle and invest what you have, even if it is little, you reap the maximum potential! I have seen men come out of prison, respected by all because of the change Christ made!

One last thought, in the end, even if you did not get the recognition of this world, if you sought wisdom from the One that gives it, and applied that to your life, He will recognize you when you meet Him! Many accomplish more in their physical life in 25 years than others have in 100; life is not about quantity, but quality! Wisdom and understanding are what brings quality to our quantity.

The so what? As you approach this New Year, have you set some honest goals for growth? Have you evaluated your priority list? How much of is physical possessions, financial gain, the “ladder of success”, versus spiritual growth? God promises wisdom for those that ask, are you asking?