Wise

I have always thought for the most part, that when you get older, you get wiser. As I get older, I realize that is not necessarily true. Older people have more experiences. Older people probably should be wise with all the lessons learned, but sometimes they are not wise. I don’t think wisdom is accidental – it’s intentional. If I want to be wise, I must work at it. I can become wise by growing and learning.  I’ve learned a lot over the years from my mistakes. At times, it seems I haven’t learned anything from my own mistakes.

Paul gets very personal in his letter to the Rome church at the end. He commends them for seeking the Lord. He encourages them to keep seeking and following Jesus. He reminds them of people who will cause division and strife among them. He challenges them to live right before the Lord. Check this out…

¹⁹ But everyone knows that you are obedient to the Lord. This makes me very happy. I want you to be wise in doing right and to stay innocent of any wrong. ²⁰ The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. (Romans 16:19-20 NLT)

I think wisdom Paul is speaking about is very practical. I think wisdom comes from multiple sources.

1. Wisdom comes from God. His Word speaks into my soul. His Spirit directs my path.
2. Wisdom can come from good relationships. I want to allow people who are wise to speak into my life.
3. Wisdom comes from education and growth. I can learn and grow through reading, podcasts, seminars, and classrooms.

I also think it’s wise to manage what goes into my brain. For example, during my workdays, I listen to podcasts that teach and inform when I’m traveling in my vehicle. I must manage the amount of media I consume as well as the content I consume. I need to stop watching some shows that are harmful to my soul. I need to keep my heart from being assaulted with some of the movies or TV shows that I watch. (This is hard to do, but so worth it.)

I want to make room in my heart and soul for wisdom to grow and expand. I want to keep growing in my faith and my capacity to know the Lord more and more for as long as I live.

Pressing On!

Dwayne