REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, written by a former AMI church staff, was first posted on December 13, 2014.

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Where Wisdom Is Attained”

Proverbs 22:17-19

Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge, 18 for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips. 19 That your trust may be in the Lord, I have made them known to you today, even to you.

One of the best definitions for godly wisdom is “navigating life through the application of biblical principles.” While we are called to pursue wisdom through self-study and contemplation, this Proverb reinforces the notion that growth in wisdom happens through the community as well (perhaps more so).  This is to say, those who are wise are called to dispense wisdom, and the unwise are called to seek after wisdom.

There is an anonymous quote that goes, “Wisdom is not learned behind a desk. Wisdom is learned in the school of life as the Holy Spirit matures us, taking the Scriptures we know, the situations we experience, the trials we undergo and the wise company we associate with to teach us the deepest and richest application of God’s Word to life.”

The wisest words ever spoken to me, the words I still immensely treasure, came on the tail end of a difficult period of my life. After leading a small group for the first time, I felt discouraged and lost. People were complaining, members seemed spiritually stagnant, and I felt in over my head. With all these thoughts and emotions swirling within me, I poured myself out to my pastor who shared these four simple words: “Welcome to the ministry.”

As difficult as it was to understand, this has proven to be wisdom, time after time. Scripture paints the picture that ministry is inherently difficult (since it deals with all kinds of people), and at times even confusing.  In time, accepting this normality has given me strength to press forward in faith. In a sense, it has helped me to grow in trusting the Lord in the midst of the difficulties of life.

Now, as I’ve grown in grasping this wisdom, I find myself sharing this with younger leaders. That is, the strength and the trust in the Lord I have grown in through this wisdom are being transferred to those who hear the same words and applying them.  As I am getting older, inclining my ears to hear the words of the wise and sharing them has not stopped; for it is God’s desire that His people live in wisdom and pursue it for ourselves and one another.

Prayer: Dear God, I am in desperate need of Your wisdom. Lord, give me wisdom and lots of it.  Amen.  

Bible Reading for Today: Nehemiah 12