Submitted by Jim Garner
A few weeks ago, my dad flew in from Albuquerque for a
weekend visit with our family. On Saturday, I had the privilege to drive him up
to his high school reunion in Seymour to visit with his classmates that he had
not seen in a number of years. It was priceless to have that time with him
riding in the car asking him questions about past times growing up in a small
community in the 40’s and 50’s, reminiscing old family stories and what it was
like being in the Korean War. Once we got to the reunion it was a joy to watch
these “old” friends reunite over hugs and handshakes quickly taking them back
to the good ole days. I was blessed to hear them share stories of shenanigans
and catching up on what had been happening in their lives over the past sixty
plus years since leaving high school. Many it not all told of children,
grandkids and even great-grandkids that keep them hopping at all their
activities. It was such a special time I will never forget.
But another thing I noticed was the wisdom that came with
the graying hairs. Listening to stories of the past and their concerns for our
nation’s future made me grateful to have had this generation leading our nation
but also wondering what will happen if the wisdom they share is not applied to
tomorrow.
DEVOTIONAL IDEA: The
Lord has blessed us with so many truths in the book of Proverbs. If you don’t
read on it daily you are missing out for so many personal and professional life
lessons and blessings. Read a proverb a day by reading the chapter that matches
whatever the date is for that month. If today were November 3rd then
you would read Proverbs 3. It’s a great resource!)
Proverbs 4:5-9
5 Get
wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of
my mouth. 6 Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love
her, and she will guard you. 7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. 8 Prize
her highly, and she will exalt you; she
will honor you if you embrace her. 9 She
will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”
I like how the writer of this proverb describes an urgency
or passion for wisdom. He challenges us to “get”. We are called to action to go
get it. We just can’t sit back and hope we find it somewhere. We need to be
intentional in our lives. We can’t make excuses that it didn’t find us. We have
to seek it. Wisdom is there for us in so many ways – Scripture, life
experiences of mature brothers and sisters in the faith, etc.
But not only do we need to get it but we must “not forget”
it and turn away from it’s truth in our lives. Yes, as we get older our minds
to seem to slip a bit but if we have put the word of God in our hearts through
consistent study, meditation, and memory then we will be able to hold on to
these truths that affect not only our lives but our families and friends as
well.
The writer continues his wonderful use of imagery as he
describes the example of wisdom as one we should “love” like our wives or a
girlfriend. The reward is outstanding as Scripture promises “she” (wisdom) will
keep and guard us. There are so many great promises the Lord has for us when we
trust Him and His word. She is also described as a “prize”. We all like prizes,
awards, trophies, or recognition of some kind. But this kind of prize means to
acknowledge and appreciate in the highest way possible. Once again, we are
promised wisdom’s ability to help and honor us if we hold on to her.
We can learn a lot from those who have come before us. I
hope you have and will consistently seek this earthly wisdom. But I challenge
you to place an even greater importance on the spiritual wisdom that comes from
the word of God in the Bible that we have been blessed to receive if we are
intentional about it. Let’s go get and never forget what we’ve been given.
