Rev. Patrick Vincent
“Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness.” – 1 Cor.3:18-19
The older I get, the more I realize just how little I know.
“And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know.” – 1 Cor. 8:2
Humbling verses!
Insights from Proverbs 3 for the 3rd:
First off, this is one of the greatest Proverbs! I mean, Solomon starts with a whopper of a guarantee to the one who reads & applies God’s Word: “long life and peace.” Anyone else want some of that? Solomon can say this with absolute confidence because God’s ways are always the best way: Do you know them? Do you believe them?
Mercy & Truth should like a necklace you wouldn’t leave the house without; The ultimate accessory! Write them on your heart! Meaning: make everything that comes into or out of your heart pass through Mercy and Truth. Solomon guarantees that this will earn you points with man and it pleases/glorifies God. (That’s what I call a twofer.)
Then there’s the slam-dunk of verse 5-6:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”
This is like the Mona Lisa of verses. Its the Sistine Chapel. Memorize it.
7 and 8 are also primo: Solomon says don’t think you’re smarter than you actually are. Then he gives a jab-uppercut combo: Fear God and Flee evil. This will heal you & strengthen you. Think about it:
Your stuff can honor God (v. 9). Is it? Are your possessions being used to honor God? Ever thought of that before? Solomon also says to tithe your firstfruits then your pantry will be filled (security) and your wine will flow (celebration).
Next is a toughie (v. 11): don’t get mad at God when He corrects you. He does it because He loves you. If He didn’t care, He wouldn’t bother. God doesn’t just care about you, He “delights” in you. (That’s a nice little thought to remember.)
Want happiness? (v.13) Find wisdom, not just knowledge (facts). We’ve all known book-smart people who have done boneheaded things by not applying their facts. Solomon calls wisdom a treasure greater than silver, gold, & rubies. Bonus: If you have wisdom you also will have a longer life. For instance, you might say “Hey, swimming with sharks may not be the wisest thing to do.” Thereby, you may live longer than someone who says, “Cool, they’re gonna let me swim with sharks! What could go wrong?”
Wisdom also gets the image of a “tree of life.” (v. 18) I could camp out on that thought: tree = growth, fruit, roots, shade, support, etc.! In fact, God used considerable wisdom in making this rock we live on (v. 19).
Again & again Solomon attributes niceties to those who seek & apply wisdom: they will be life to your soul, grace to your neck, help you walk safely, & help you sleep sweetly. Wisdom will keep you unafraid that God won’t let anything grab your foot and trip you up (v. 26).
Then out of nowhere Solomon has a non sequitur about being a good neighbor (v. 27). It’s like a machine gun of neighborly advice: If you can help someone, do it. Don’t lie & say you don’t have something that you do have (to lend). Don’t devise evil against your neighbor. Mind your own business. Don’t go around picking fights (v. 30).
Solomon ends this Proverb with a warning against ignoring wisdom: The person who does not seek God and follow His Ways is an abomination & perverse. He will be cursed & scorned. However (silver lining), God blesses the just & gives grace to the humble. The wise get glory & the fools get shame.
Which are you?
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I have Col. 2:3 written on a Post-it and stuck on my computer. I read it every single day and marvel at its brilliant simplicity. Don’t be fooled by its shortness; it is a total powerhouse. Each word is worthy of meditation and drips with truth.
All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him. – Col. 2:3 (HOL)
Let me unpack it:
All – all is all. Is anything left out of all? Nope. If so, it would only be some. All means “each & every part; the whole, totality, thoroughly, and ‘all manner of.'”
the treasures = “a storehouse for precious things” from thesaurus, where we get the English term “thesaurus” which refers to a “storehouse (treasure) of synonyms.”
of wisdom & knowledge – knowledge is facts, wisdom is application of those facts. We all know people who had the facts, but did not apply them or who misapplied them and it resulted in folly or destruction (Also see Rom. 11:33
are hidden = kept secret; the concept is having something so valued that you store it away. Do we have anything like that today? Banks, maybe?
in Him – this, of course, refers to Xristós, “the Anointed One,” the Christ (Hebrew, “Messiah“): Jesus Christ!
All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him. – Col. 2:3 (HOL)
Here’s a visual for you, remember the “Cave of Wonders” in Aladdin? Imagine that, only extending forever in every direction. In Eph. 3:8, Paul calls these riches “unsearchable” (boundless, endless, unfathomable, incalculable, infinite). In a million years, the treasures of Christ could still not be fully explored.
The Greek word means “past finding out.” So, as far as you can go, its past that.
Some takeaways: No matter how long you’ve been a Christian, there is still more to learn. Even after a 100 years, you have only scratched the outer edge of the knowledge of the Holy Spirit (A.W. Tozer). The soul prospers when we have clear knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus (Matthew Henry).
WARNING: The opposite of Col. 2:3 also exists. “All debts of folly and lies are exposed outside of Him.”
Do you know Him?
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Ref: All definitions from Strong’s & Thayer.
All – http://biblehub.com/greek/3956.htm
Treasures – http://biblehub.com/greek/2344.htm
Hidden – http://biblehub.com/greek/614.htm
Christ – http://biblehub.com/greek/5547.htm
Unsearchable – http://biblehub.com/greek/421.htm
Following Jesus will change things. It will change everything actually. Your life will transform from night to day. Jesus will disrupt your thinking, your views and your attitude. If there is no change, if there is no illumination – you have not let Him in. You have not fully committed.
I described to Brittany how it’s like a light switch being turned on that cannot be turned off again. And really, why would you want to? Why would anyone go back to the shadows? No! What you do is, you get closer to the light. You try to make the light as big as possible. You want to tell everyone about the light! You want everyone that’s bumping around in the dark to flip that switch too!
I envision people with their eyes vehemently shut… almost spitefully so. There’s nothing covering their eyes. They are not blind. They are not even blindfolded. They cannot see because they are purposely shutting their own eyes!
“I got it, I got it. I can see just fine like this. Leave me alone!”
“Ah! OPEN YOUR EYES, MAN! You’re about to walk straight over a cliff! Let me help you!”
“Listen crazy-pants, I don’t need your help! Who are YOU to help ME? There is no such thing as light! There is no such thing as cliffs either!”
By the way, I’m aware of the double meaning of “switched on” as meaning “alert” and also “in love” because both apply. Following Jesus is being alert and it is being in love.
Commit to following Jesus today. Allow him to change your life. Walk in the light, man. Darkness is for chumps.
God Bless!
#switchedon #lamptomyfeet #lightformypath #understanding
A Verse A Day 