We’re all wired to want to be in the “know”. We want wisdom and smarts. It’s been that way since the beginning of recorded time. The story of Adam and Eve is evidence. God says “Don’t go near the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.” Eventually, Adam and Eve could not resist so they ate the fruit because they wanted to be in the “know”.
James tells us in James 1:5, “If you want wisdom, ask God and He will give it to you.” Jesus says in Matthew 6:33, “Seek God’s Kingdom, live righteously, and God will give you everything else you need”….(including wisdom). But there is secondary way to gain wisdom. We must first acknowledge it doesn’t happen overnight but is a life-long endeavor.
We realize we can’t build a life of wisdom by ourselves. And we have learned during COVID-19, we are better together than apart! We do seek wisdom from God first but God also embraces the value of people in your life. I’ve often said, “You show me your friends and I’ll show you your future.” So let me encourage you three different ways today.
Develop healthy friendships. Proverbs 18:1 talks about being in isolation. But we discover that isolation is the enemy of wisdom. Indeed, it invites pride and arrogance and is a sign of immaturity. God said in Genesis, “Let US make humans in our image.” It’s an indication God has always lived in community. Since we are created in his image, we also are called to live in community and not isolated.
You need to find godly friends you can be connected to through Bible study and a small group setting. a Kenyan proverb says, “if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, take others.” We learned over these last six months, we need each other!
Also invite Godly counsel. Allow others into your world to act as guardrails. Give permission for a close group of friends to be honest about your life and tell you when things are great or when things need to be better. We need straight-shooters in our lives. People who will be honest and revealing about our life and whether or not we look like Jesus. Find people you trust and give them permission to speak into your life.
Finally, invest in relationships that pull you up rather than pull you down. Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” I refuse to be connected to negative people. Folks who only see the bad and that the glass is half empty. Those kind of people will demoralize and depress you…help take your eyes off of all that God is really doing in your life and the world. If you have them in your life, find a way to move away from them. You don’t need them.
So, how do I accomplish these ideas? Well, every church family should have three circles and I’m advocating you need to be in every one of them to gain great godly wisdom for life.
The large circle is the Sunday morning experience. Recommit to being at a large group gathering once a week to celebrate Jesus in a big group. Sunday morning service has been the traditional moment for this. You all sing together, dig into the Word of God together and take communion together. It’s a huge encouragement as you all celebrate Jesus as one big family.
The medium circle is the small group or Bible study time. Usually, this group is 10-15 people digging deep into God’s Word really discovering practically how to live out what God calls us to do. You pray personally for each other…sometimes there is a meal involved. You journey in life together and take care of each other’s needs.
Finally, there’s service. Each of us has a spiritual gift. Discover what you are passionate about and use that to serve others. Maybe you enjoy teaching young kids about Jesus so find your Children’s pastor and work with the kids. Maybe you enjoy teens so you are willing to be a chaperone or host a group in your home. Maybe you love AV and tech so on Sunday’s, you’re in the sound booth bringing together media, lights, sound. Find your passion and start serving others with others.
Ask God for wisdom and he’ll give it generously. But being with others will also impart wisdom so discover how you’ll be involved in the “circles”. Don’t wait! Start today finding ways to get “smart”. Blessings on the journey.