Seek Wisdom

There was once a small, green turtle that lived by a small pond. Every day the little turtle watched as the birds would fly down and drink water and then fly away high into the sky. As the little, green turtle watched day after day, the only thing he could think about was what it would be like to be able to fly like the birds. He dreamed and dreamed until one day he finally asked a couple of the birds what it was like. The birds replied, “We would be glad to take you for a ride if you would like”. The turtle of course accepted and the two birds grabbed a stick on each end and told the turtle to clamp down with his mouth in the middle. In a few seconds, they were soaring through the sky. It was the greatest experience the turtle had ever had. Finally, one of the birds asked the turtle what he thought and with that he said it’s greaaaaaat.

The moral of the story would probably be that you should think before you speak and for that matter before you act. The process of “thinking” before you speak or act would be called wisdom. I heard it said once that, “Experience comes from what we have done, but wisdom comes from what we have done wrong”. In essence, spiritual wisdom would be the ability to make the best decision using the knowledge and experience we have, based on the Word of God. As a leader, this might be one of the most important characteristics that we must have, because we are constantly having to make decisions that affect not only us, but many others. So, here are a few ideas that might help you be a wise leader for the Lord:

Why It’s Important:
The first question we should answer is, why it is wisdom important? When we look at leadership, in every area of life, we can see clearly that there is a great lack of wisdom in the decisions that people make. This can even be seen in the ministry where we have the greatest responsibility, and we also have the greatest access to the Words of wisdom that can guide our lives. So there should be no doubt in our minds that wisdom is important. The Bible says in Proverbs 16:16 “How much betteris itto get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!” Also in Proverbs 8:11 “For wisdomisbetter than rubies; And all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.” When we see people that go through life with problem to problem, often it is not just a case of bad luck but a case of lack of wisdom. Bad decision after bad decisión always leads is down the wrong path.

How To Get It:
If we understand that wisdom is important, then how can we get it? Well, there is good news. As a Christian we have access to it at any moment and its free!

The Bible says in James 1:5 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all me liberally”.  Simply put, all we have to do is ask and God will give it to us. It is not something mystical that He just zaps us with, but we have access to it through the book that He has given us.

God’s word is wisdom. It is our instruction manual for life. It is full of warnings and instruction that help us make right decisions that take us to where God wants us to be in our lives. As we ask God to help us, we must then turn to His word and follow it as we navigate through life’s turbulent seas.

Lastly, we must understand that wisdom is not something that we just get all of a sudden and then we are wise. Wisdom is actually something that we can grow in, as the Lord helps us to learn from our bad decisions so that we can make better ones the next time.  As we learn His word and begin to apply it in our lives more and more each day, we will be more equipped to make wise decisions  for us and those that we lead.

How Do we Keep It:
The last thing that we must understand is that wisdom is not something that we get and then we never have to think about it again. Wisdom is something that we have to decide to use every day in every decision. We can start out seeking the Lord and allowing Him to guide us as we use His word in our lives, but then the moment we ignore God’s instruction and follow our own “wisdom”, we will be back on the wrong track. I have heard many people say, “Just follow your heart” but it is interesting to compare that with what the Bible says in Proverbs 28:26 “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: But whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.” The more we fill our hearts and minds with the Word of God, and develop the habit of applying it in our everyday lives, the more wisdom we will show and the more benefits we will reap. So, when you do deviate from God’s wisdom, recognize it and turn immediately back to what He shows you in His word. When you apply His wisdom day after day, you will have a life of blessings and peace that can’t be compared to.