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Articles
Seeking Wisdom
Our world is littered with self-help and self-improvement books. Nearly every bookstore will devote an entire section to this genre of literature. Each book promises its reader a new and better way to be happy, to be productive, to be active, and finally how to enjoy life. Many of these books may offer good suggestions, but at the same time we need to be careful in our reliance on the wisdom of man. In the end, the wisdom of man is finite and fallible. The attempt to reinvent the wheel, so to speak, is simply not achievable. There is a limit to what we can offer without seeking a greater source of wisdom. A self-help book may help us make it through one day, but only the Bible can assist us in our preparation for eternity.
The Bible did not originate in the minds of men who consulted and compiled a story, but rather it is the inspired Word of God – “All Scripture is inspired of God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). The words of the Bible are not limited by the scope of one man’s life, but rather are words of eternal life (cf. John 6:68). These words are the wisdom of God reveled to man through His apostles and holy prophets (1 Corinthians 2:6-13). The Bible offers to every reader a choice to obtain a better life based on higher principles.
The prophet James wrote to an audience who were enduring various trials (1:2). These trials could have hindered their progress in the faith, but James encouraged them to find joy and perseverance. He also instructed them to seek wisdom – “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (1:5). This wisdom would assist these brethren in the course of their daily battles. When their trials grew strong and their resistance weak, God’s Word would be there to help them stand and in the darkness shine a lighted pathway. The wisdom extended by God strengthens the mind and gives resolve to the wavering heart.
We are all in need of the wisdom contained in the books of the Bible. These accounts were not written merely to serve as a historical collection but rather for our instruction (1 Corinthians 10:11). We learn from their mistakes and seek to replicate their successes. In times of sorrow, we need the comfort of God (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). In times of struggle, we need the strength of God (Hebrews 13:5-6). In times of gladness, we rejoice in the love of God (Romans 5:6-8). When we lack wisdom and how to deal with the problems of life, we need God (James 1:5). May God bless us with His wisdom and a desire to always seek His will in our lives!
