June 3

Jun 3 - Today from Proverbs 3 we look at verse 13
"Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding."

There was a woman of meager means. Her husband deserted her. She had no developed skills, but she managed to find a part-time job waiting tables in a diner. She had two children at home. The older child would watch her sibling on the days mom had to work. There was no food in the house, payday was still four days away, and the woman only had five dollars in her purse. "Please God, if you're for real, help me." A desperate cry from the heart of a desperate woman.
She put on her thread-bare coat, clutched the five dollar bill in her hand, and set off for the neighborhood market. She hoped to find a super-special that might stretch her five dollars to help feed her children for the next few days. The cold wind sucked away what little warmth the old coat offered as she walked across the parking lot of the market. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw what appeared to be a piece of paper blowing across the pavement. She went over to investigate, and she couldn't believe her eyes. It was a fifty-dollar bill! Maybe there was a God after all.

"Blessed is the woman who finds a fifty-dollar bill in the parking lot." But finding wisdom is different than finding a fifty-dollar bill in the parking lot. Both come from God; one through His providential grace, the other through diligent seeking. Just one chapter earlier than our verse for today, we read in Proverbs 2:4, "Search for (wisdom) as for a hidden treasure." The woman wasn't searching for a fifty-dollar bill. She was not expecting any additional resources to assist her in her dilemma. Her best hope was to find day-old bread at three loaves for a dollar and a special on peanut butter. Is this the best a believer can hope for when he needs wisdom for a situation? No. God promises in James 1: 5, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." But we cannot isolate this verse and make a doctrine out of it. We can't say, "God I need wisdom for this situation and I thank you that James 1:5 says if I ask that you promise to give. I believe I receive wisdom for this right now in the name of Jesus." Now, let's turn on the TV and watch the latest episode of Survivor.
You didn't bind God to anything, and the only thing you're going to get from that doctrine is disappointment.
That verse needs to be taken in the context of the fullness of God's Word. It needs to be understood in the context of Jesus' teaching in Luke 11:9 where He says, "Ask, and it shall be given. Seek, and you shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened unto you." There is follow-up which needs to be done. When we ask God for wisdom, we already know that it is as a hidden treasure, and we have to seek it out. This means that whatever issue we are dealing with that is beyond our understanding as to how it needs to be dealt with - we need to prayerfully seek out the scriptures to see how God would have us deal with it. It means we are to seek the wise counsel of others who are reputed, and have a good record of having wisdom in the area of the particular issue. It means that we have to roll up our sleeves, focus on the issue at hand, and work at finding God's solution. We're not going to get it by isolating and claiming a promise, and then sitting on the couch waiting for the next breeze to blow a fifty-dollar bill through the room.
God is very gracious, and He performs incredible transcendent acts of grace each day. We know them as miracles, and miracles are His business. We cannot pull formulas out of God's Word and do miracles from them. There are gifts of the Spirit; extraordinary works of grace as revealed in 1 Corinthians 12:7-10. But verse 11 clearly states that the Spirit gives them as He determines. So, if a 'message of wisdom' (verse 8) happens to blow across the parking lot, it is strictly as the Spirit determines and it will be for the purpose of the common good (verse 7) of the body of Christ. You should not plan on the manifestation of the extraordinary Spiritual gift of wisdom as a means of fulfilling the promise of James 1:5. The Spiritual gifts are not a lazy man's shortcut to spiritual maturity. They are extraordinary gifts manifested by the Holy Spirit as He determines for the benefit of the common good of the body of believers.
Growing in wisdom is our responsibility. We are to diligently work at it and grow in it. We are to practice it and refine it. It is achievable - that is the promise of James 1:5. Our efforts to grow in wisdom will never be in vain if we continually seek God, and study His Word in the process. There are wonderful treasures of wisdom and understanding hidden in God's Word. Wisdom seeks them out and applies them to life. It is the way of a disciple.