Our daughter is moving into her first apartment this week (very exciting!), so we’ve done a bit of shopping. Okay, a lot of shopping. Yet, we both know what’s needed most in life: something too big to fit in a moving van and too valuable to put a price on.
God sums it up in one word.
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom.
Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Proverbs 4:7
The beginning of wisdom is this:…
We’re talking about the very start of things. Not an empty apartment, but an empty planet, formless and void. “In the beginning God created…” (Genesis 1:1). Same Hebrew word, same meaning.
Our all-wise God wants us to put “first things first” (VOICE) and take “the first step to becoming wise” (ERV).
At the top of our daughter’s must-have list was a bed. Very sensible. But for the Lord, “wisdom is the principal thing” (ASV), because “the best thing about Wisdom is Wisdom herself” (CEV).
…Get wisdom.
God repeats himself, wanting to make sure we don’t miss this important truth. “Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom!” (MSG)
Right. Got it. We’re talking “skillful and godly” (AMP) insight, not merely smart stuff dished out by intelligent people. You won’t find wisdom on the shelves at Target, Walmart, or T.J.Maxx. Nor can you buy it at a secondhand furniture store and slap a new coat of paint on it.
But you can acquire wisdom.
Wisdom comes from studying God’s Word: a priority, not an afterthought squeezed in between reading emails and pulling a bagel out of the toaster.
As I hurry past my Bible, whispering one of my so-sorry-I’m-too-busy excuses, the Lord tugs at my conscience, drawing me back. Not with guilt, but with love.
Sit with me, dear one. Read. Think. Apply. Store in your heart. Repeat.
Wisdom also comes from seeking God’s counsel through prayer: listening for his gentle guidance, rather than offering a quick thank-you before dinner or waving a wish list in his general direction.
Instead, we’re called to “go after Lady Wisdom!” (VOICE).
Pursue her. Capture her. And hold on tight.
Though it cost all you have,…
Uh-oh. All we have? “Yes, though it costs all your possessions” (WEB). So, we should return our daughter’s new mattress?
No. The girl’s gotta sleep. This is more about setting priorities and being willing to make sacrifices.
Time is what we value most. Every day has 1,440 minutes. Spending even 10 of them in God’s Word will give the other 1,430 more significance. This proverb challenges us to put wisdom “before anything else” (CEB), right there “at the top of your list” (MSG).
Money counts too. “Yea, with all thy getting” (ASV), we can also do some saving. As our daughter sorts through her old clothes, deciding what goes where, the pile for Goodwill is growing. So is her wisdom about future purchases. “Think before you buy” is always a good plan. “Whatever else you get” (GNT), wisdom will last the longest.
…get understanding.
“Discernment, comprehension, and interpretation” (AMP) are the necessary steps after we “gain” (LEB) wisdom. Knowing what’s godly and right is one thing; the ability to “follow through” (VOICE) is what turns wisdom into experience, and experience into more wisdom.
So, we don’t just study about helping others, we don’t just pray about helping others, we actually walk out the door and do something for others, whether they’re a new neighbor or an old friend.
As the moving van pulls into our drive Saturday morning, I’ll be praying our darling girl leaves home with something more than kitchen curtains and colorful bath towels. “For wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her” (Proverbs 8:11).
Now it’s your turn
- How high up on your list is getting wisdom?
Bless you for taking a moment to share your Comment below. And please forgive the late posting this week. You know why. That packing and moving thing.
Here’s your Printable of Proverbs 4:7. Just give it a few extra seconds to download. All of the Proverbs we’ve studied so far are waiting for you on Pinterest.
If we memorize only one verse this spring, may these eight words ring in our hearts. “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom.”
Your sister, Liz
@LizCurtisHiggs #50Proverbs
Thank you Liz for faithfully doing these Proverbs each week no matter what is happening in your life. You are a living example of our very first proverb Prov. 3:3. Liz .these studies have started me again reading a chapter of Proverbs a day. Talk about ‘getting wisdom’ that’s were I’m finding it. Just yesterday I found a proverb which was the answer to a question from my bible study buddy. God’s word really has the answers to life issues. Will be praying for your daughter as she moves in.
All the best to your daughter as she moves into her own home! Thank you for writing in the midst of your family life and for sharing a peep into your world. I really appreciate all the wisdom you share in this studies. I think it’s easy to make the acquisition of knowledge a priority, but easy to confuse knowledge and wisdom, so that wisdom ceases to be a real priority. I try to be intentional about learning wisdom from experiences and situations in my life and well as God’s Word, trying to go beyond knowledge, to wisdom.
A meme I love says “If you are too busy to pray and read your scriptures, you are busier than God ever intended you to be.”
I love this one, I have to ask for wisdom and understanding every single day before I read my Bible. But I know I can ask and then I have to listen, that is the hardest for me. But I have experienced the still small voice and that is priceless. Thank you and may God Bless you as you let your daughter go.
The phrase, “too soon old and too late smart” applies to me. I am sixty-six and only in the last few years have I sought God’s gift of wisdom. After numerous affairs and three failed marriages, I am finally seeking God’s Perfect Will for my life. I had to learn the hard way. Now I’m living with the consequences of my lack of wisdom. I don’t blame God. I chose to go my own stubborn way. I am only grateful for His grace that brought me back to Himself and is available, along with the wisdom i so foolishly ignored all those years. Blessings to your daughter as she moves into her own apartment.
Thank you, Christina, for sharing!! It’s never too late to learn God’s wisdom! May your later years be a thousand times better than the early as you follow Him.
So glad nothing is wrong! Congratulations to your daughter. I’ve always thought wisdom comes with age but I was so ,GASP, wrong. Wisdom comes from Him and His Word. Street smarts and the like come from experience, but usually experiences most of us would rather not have had. And had we had wisdom, those experiences could and should have been avoided. I admit that I don’t curl up with the Bible as much as I should and that needs to change. My four year old asked me for a Bible a few weeks ago so I took him to the mall and left him pick his own. He picked an adventure Bible and he helped put tabs on it. As we put the tabs on, he asked questions about each one. He looked at one in particular that was printed “Song of Sol”. My little guy asked me if it was songs of the soul. I think he’s got more wisdom than a lot of grownups. My husband and I read to him and try to answer his oh so many questions. My husband jokingly tells people “I asked for patience and wisdom. God gavem a son.” I think he’s more accurate than he realizes. We are to have faith like a child and I’ve found that in answering questions for my son, I’m digging deeper than ever before. All part of God’s plan.
Good morning, Liz! God’s blessings to your family as Lily moves into her own place. The older I get, the more aware I have become of my own weaknesses. Wisdom is so key to living as Christ. I have learned (by past mistakes, GASP) that going my own way instead of seeking my Lord for wisdom ALWAYS turns out badly. Only HE knows what is before and behind me (thank God).
Praying for traveling mercies for you . Like others my time in the Word has
varied with the good and not so good happenings in my life. Now at my age I find it a great comfort and have been able to understand that it is all about God our Creator and not about us. He is there for us whenever, however, and forever! I have also enjoyed using “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young” as a short devotional this year, after using your “Rise And Shine” for several years. All add to my wisdom and knowledge of God’s Word.
I may be the wisest this year (but that’s not saying much) because I’m making it a priority to be in God’s Word first thing each morning. Woohoo! His wisdom poured into me before any decisions are made will definitely lead to better days. Thanks for this awesome and wise encouragement, Liz! 🙂
Wisdom has been a top priority on my ‘list’ for a few years now. When I asked the Lord for wisdom (as His Word says to do), I am surprised that He actually gives it to me as I need it! Quite often I am asked questions by family and friends, not only about His Word, but questions about health or raising children. And out comes the ‘wisdom’! I know it is not from me, because it’s just there, and I don’t even have to think about it. God is always faithful to His Word! I pray I will use the wisdom most when I am reading His Word and studying, to gain more understanding of what God is saying to us, and to know Him more. We have such an awesome God!
Thanks for all of your wisdom too Liz, as you teach us what each of these Proverbs mean!
Much love,
Susan
Bless your heart-love how you are able to take whatever is going on in your life and apply it to your post. Truly shows that you have learned to listen and to share the wisdom the Lord has imparted to you. Thank you!
Thank you….you are saving my heart. Jayne
Wisdom. God doesn’t mince words–just get it!
Thirty years ago, flat on my face in the dark night I begged for wisdom. And I was so surprised when I got it. Have to smile now. Slowly, steadily, lovingly wisdom came to me as I needed it and I wouldn’t trade what He has sent to me for anything.
I appreciate that you share yours with us ,Liz.
Thank you.
Ouch, Liz….I pass my Bible and hear that same nagging voice. I am going to make a better effort to listen to it an spend more time in the word.
This getting of wisdom has been a higher priority at other times in my life and I admit that I have let other “things” have priority. I want to change that, but also to make the distinction, as Elisabeth Allen said above, in getting wisdom and not just knowledge. There seems to be a sticking point for me when I can take in God’s word but have difficulty applying it to my own life situation as a wife and mother. That’s where I guess more prayer comes in, praying through His word and my situations and asking the Holy Spirit to show me how it applies to me. I just am feeling now more like the foolish woman of Prov. 14:1 than the Prov. 31 woman who is deserving of praise.
Liz, I shall never forget when our oldest son, David, moved into his first apartment in another town. His mama wanted so badly to help with homey stuff. Our trip to the grocery for his first foodie experience resulted in a shake of my head and a tear in my eye. I suggested orange juice; he said, “No, Mom. that’s not on my list nor my budget.” I suggested a number of other things to which I got the same reply. I shrunk under the knowledge that we had taught this boy independence and frugality. He did fine and his dad and I are so proud of him now, 20 years later. He married a girl he met at church and has three wonderful sons. God bless your daughter and God comfort your mother’s heart.
I had to use your magnificent graphic to spread the amazing message of Gd’s wisdom, with credit of course:) Thank you for this message. I saw you in Minot, ND of all places a few years ago, it was super fun!
Growing up, one of the things I most admired in my dad was his wisdom. No matter how complicated or conflicted the thing was that I was struggling with, he had this way of pausing for a moment and then finding the simple, wise truth in the center of the storm. It never ceased to amaze me, and at the same time gave me a great model to look up to and aspire toward.
The critical piece of that puzzle is the pause. My dad showed me not only the incredible priority that we should place on getting wisdom, but also the essential step of stopping to think (and pray) and put that wisdom into action. As Thomas Edison said, “The value of an idea lies in the using of it.”
I’m grateful that, like so many other things in scripture, wisdom is a gift. It says in James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”
Like Liz pointed out, it does cost though. It costs time. (The pause. It’s critical). And if I’m honest, it costs a bit of pride too. (Seeing the whole picture or a different perspective means zooming out of and off of me. Sometimes that feels like it costs very dearly indeed.)
But the result. Priceless.
And worth it every time.
Growing up, one of the things I most admired in my dad was his wisdom. No matter how complicated or conflicted the thing was that I was struggling with, he had this way of pausing for a moment and then finding the simple, wise truth in the center of the storm. It never ceased to amaze me, and at the same time gave me a great model to look up to and aspire toward.
The critical piece of that puzzle is the pause. My dad showed me not only the incredible priority that we should place on getting wisdom, but also the essential step of stopping to think (and pray) and put that wisdom into action. As Thomas Edison said, “The value of an idea lies in the using of it.”
I’m grateful that, like so many other things in scripture, wisdom is a gift. It says in James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”
Like Liz pointed out, it does cost though. It costs time. (The pause. It’s critical). And if I’m honest, it costs a bit of pride too. (Seeing the whole picture or a different perspective means zooming out of and off of me. Sometimes that feels like it costs very dearly indeed.)
But the result. Priceless.
And worth it every time.
Growing up, one of the things I most admired in my dad was his wisdom. No matter how complicated or conflicted the thing was that I was struggling with, he had this way of pausing for a moment and then finding the simple, wise truth in the center of the storm. It never ceased to amaze me, and at the same time gave me a great model to look up to and aspire toward.
The critical piece of that puzzle is the pause. My dad showed me not only the incredible priority that we should place on getting wisdom, but also the essential step of stopping to think (and pray) and put that wisdom into action. As Thomas Edison said, “The value of an idea lies in the using of it.”
I’m grateful that, like so many other things in scripture, wisdom is a gift. It says in James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (Side note: without finding fault. How awesome is that?)
Like Liz pointed out, it does cost though. It costs time. (The pause. It’s critical). And if I’m honest, it costs a bit of pride too. (Seeing the whole picture or a different perspective means zooming out of and off of me. Sometimes that feels like it costs very dearly indeed.)
But the result. Priceless.
And worth it every time.
Growing up, one of the things I most admired in my dad was his wisdom. No matter how complicated or conflicted the thing was that I was struggling with, he had this way of pausing for a moment and then finding the simple, wise truth in the center of the storm. It never ceased to amaze me, and at the same time gave me a great model to look up to and aspire toward.
The critical piece of that puzzle is the pause. My dad showed me not only the incredible priority that we should place on getting wisdom, but also the essential step of stopping to think (and pray) and put that wisdom into action. As Thomas Edison said, “The value of an idea lies in the using of it.”
I’m grateful that, like so many other things in scripture, wisdom is a gift. It says in James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (Side note: without finding fault. How awesome is that?)
Like Liz pointed out, it does cost though. It costs time. (The pause. It’s critical). And if I’m honest, it costs a bit of pride too. (Seeing the whole picture or a different perspective means zooming out of and off of me. Sometimes that feels like it costs very dearly indeed.)
But the result. Priceless.
And worth it every time.