The Importance of Wisdom in Our Lives

Proverbs 14: 1 A wise woman builds her home, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands.

Are you a wise woman or a foolish woman?

Many Christians have knowledge and understanding but they lack wisdom. 

Example: There are Christians who have knowledge and understanding about marriage but they have terrible relationships and some have even been divorced 2 to 3 times.  The knowledge and understanding they have, lacks the power to apply what they know to their life.  

The fear, or reverence for God, is what gives us the power to apply the knowledge and understanding we receive. The Bible says that the fear (respect) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. 

Proverbs 9:10 – “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding”.

Therefore, the Biblical definition of wisdom is rooted in our relationship with God, it is not just the practical application of knowledge. 

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”

God’s precepts are His laws and instructions intended to regulate our behavior and our thoughts. When we reverence God, we desire to obey His instructions and His laws, and that changes how we live our life.  If you reverence God, that reverence will direct the decisions you make and your relationships with others. 

Reverence for God comes from having the right type of relationship with Him.  

Many Christians claim to have a relationship with God but it is a shallow relationship.  The results of having a shallow relationship with God is that we are not reverencing God and therefore we are unable to receive His wisdom.

Acts 6:3 “Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them.”

As Christians God wants us to have both Faith and Wisdom.   Faith is not enough.  God desires for us to walk in wisdom and He has given us His Word, our conscience, the Holy Spirit and common sense in order for us to be wise. 

The book of Proverbs speaks about:

Knowledge – acquiring facts (you can get knowledge at church or from watching others or from books or from education) 

Understanding – interpretation of facts and what to do with them, proper interpretation of those facts

Wisdom – practically applying those facts that you understand into your life (you ACT on what you know due to the fear and reverence for God’s laws that you have).

Lets compare some traits of a Wise Person to a Foolish person:

WISE PEOPLE:

  1. Wise people welcome instruction and correction. Wise people actually welcome both instruction and correction in order to change. They don’t feel threatened or rejected with correction. Correction actually facilitates improvement in their life. They receive it, they grow. Wise people are more interested in their growth than they are interested in their pride. They actually listen and follow instruction and correction and it shows in their behavior. 
  2. Wisdom Flees temptation —-In the Bible, wisdom is seen as a moral quality more than an intellectual one. Therefore, wisdom is connected with morals and principles of right and wrong behavior and proper conduct. 

FOOLISH PEOPLE:

Reject feedback correction and instructions, instead they blame others for their mistakes. 

They do not adjust their lives or behavior with instructions. 

Foolish people resist change

Foolish people do not learn unless they suffer consequences. 

Giving counsel to a foolish person is worthless.  

To teach a fool, you must talk to them about consequences. 

Letting them fail is the only way a foolish person will learn lessons. 

QUESTION:  According to what you have read, are you a wise woman or a foolish woman?

Remember:  A wise woman builds her home, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands. (Proverbs 14: 1)