God has swung wide the door of his great house of wisdom1 and welcomed us home! Christ IS the house of pure wisdom,2 and he shares his light for wise living with all who are in him.
Solomon thought of his amassed riches – his vast collection of gold, silver and precious gems – then gave this commentary: enormous wealth doesn’t come close to the value of true wisdom,3 and God chooses to give this lasting treasure to his people.
Wanting more
Christ is the fullness of wisdom, but being in him doesn’t make wise living automatic. As his disciples, we’re constantly learning to shape the way we think and live from his view of best.
The scene inside wisdom’s house is of Christ’s followers watching daily at his doors,4 eager to hear more from him about wise living.
Life’s circumstances and challenges are the Spirit’s workroom to enlarge our experience of wisdom in knowing, understanding, discerning, planning, choosing, and dealing with life’s issues.
We’re only just past the entrance hall of his enormous house of wisdom. There are many more rooms, and all are relevant to our living. In the final Day, we’ll be wrapped in the full, brilliant light of God’s wisdom. But until then, he’ll keep adding light to our journey in a dark world…as long as we keep wanting it.5
Paul draws us into his song of wonder: O the depths of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! (Rom 11:33). That sense of awe carries us quite easily into the next part with the apostle: we yield to being shaped by God’s wisdom rather than by the world we live in (Rom 12:1,2).
What about prayer?
Asking the Father for more wisdom is at the heart of wise living.6 It’s common to hear people ask God for wisdom, but the prayer is usually linked to a problem that needs resolving, or a decision that must be made. These situation-framed requests for wisdom are good, but there’s a deeper appeal that we hear less often: a prayer of hunger for the Spirit of wisdom to fashion the way we think and live… more and more (Col 1:9,10).
Is it important?
Is wise living really so important? If we want the life our Designer calls best, then yes. But the issue is much bigger.
God wants his magnificent wisdom to be seen; its glory displayed in every generation, among all nations. And he wants to expose angels to levels of his wisdom not seen before. So, he points to us, his church (Eph 3:10). Our way of handling life from his house of wisdom is radically different from the world’s and displays his glory to men and angels. That’s how important it is!
- Ps 90:12, Teach us to number our days. Sometimes, we might want to wish away an unpleasant day, or skip ahead to a special one. However, every day of life (whatever the circumstance) has eternal significance. Have a conversation with the Lord about the value of your days from his perspective, days too valuable to handle outside his house of wisdom (Eph 5:15-17).
- In view of the value God places on our days, pray from the second part of Ps 90:12, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Speak of your desire to live your days wisely; for his Word and Spirit of wisdom to shape every aspect of life to agree with him (Take time, be specific: thoughts, values, relationships, choices, etc.). Be alert for a gain in wisdom that the Lord wants to bring into an area of living.
1Prov 9:1-4 21 Cor 1:24 3Prov 3:13-14, 8:10,11,19 4Prov 8:34 5Prov 4:18, Is 60:1-3 6Jas 1:5
