Buy Wisdom
Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instructions, and understanding (Proverbs 23:23).
Wisdom is the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action. The Psalmist says to buy wisdom. That means to do more than desire to be wise, but to pursue and acquire it; not just to learn and know a lot, but to rightly judge how to apply those things we learn and know. It’s the step beyond just gathering facts.
My former Pastor sometimes used this example. We have a bicycle kit and an instruction booklet. The instruction booklet represents knowledge. It has all the information needed for assembly. Yet not all of us (even with the instruction booklet), has the mechanical wisdom to pull off this project. Being able to assemble those parts into a functioning bicycle, takes a certain level of mechanical know-how. Similarly, spiritually (he would say), not everyone who reads the bible, understands what they are
reading and how to apply it. That is the difference between knowledge (knowing) and wisdom (application).
“For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it” (Proverbs 8:11 KJV). Even though the psalmist says buy wisdom, we can’t purchase it- not with money. We can’t order it before us or wish it before us. It must be purchased with effort, diligence, and mindfulness. It comes by experience; often lessons learned from failures or losses. But’s let’s pursue it, nonetheless. Its value is priceless. Let’s willingly give up our comfort and complacency to gain this great reward. Let us learn from our mistakes by turning them into lessons. Let’s learn from others, too— what to do and what not to do. By the grace of God, we can do it. We can become wise women and men of God.
Money Wisdom: A healthy financial situation is more than math. Most of us know how to add and subtract, but that has never stopped us from getting in debt. Wisdom is rightly identifying our spending addiction and learning to say, no, to impulse buys.
Definition (Wisdom) from Dictionary.com (6/6/2021)
