2/3/12 IF YOU SEEK WISDOM LIKE A TREASURE
2/3/12 IF YOU SEEK WISDOM LIKE A TREASURE
Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF Friday, February 3, 2012
Proverbs 2:1-22 Key Verse: 2:6
“For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding”
Dear Lord, thank you for your forgiveness of my sin and helping me to be your servant. May your kingdom grow in my heart and in others heart. I pray that you may protect the work of God in our midst, in DeKalb, at NIU and at work. I pray that you may work through us to reveal the love of God to others. May your word grow and bear much fruit in my heart, life and family. I thank you and I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!
1. “If” You Look For Wisdom Like Silver (1-4).
Verse 1-4, “My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, 2 turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding— 3 indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, 4 and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure,”
In these verses note what we are to do with our hearts, our ears, and our mouths. There are many things mentioned here. But we need to seek God and his kingdom with our whole hearts and seek it as we are seeking for treasure. This means a whole hearted and passionate effort. I repent that I do not seek the wisdom of God like this. I am lazy in my approach to the things of Christ. This week they announced that they found a sunken WWll boat with 3 billion dollars worth of platinum on board. I am sure that the discoverer of the treasure is completely occupied with how to secure that 3 billion dollars. Why I not as passionate about the Kingdom of God? Jesus once said that the Kingdom of God is like a man who found a treasure in a field. He sold all he had to buy the field in order to secure the treasure. Lord, help me to have the same heart towards your kingdom.
The question arises, “What is my treasure?” My treasure is my own life. It is my family, securing my life and security for my family. It is trying to do something meaningful and fruitful with my life. I confess it is not always Jesus and the kingdom of God. Lord, help me to make my treasure Jesus and the Kingdom of God and then all things will fall into place.
2. “Then” Blessings (5-22).
Verses 5-22 read, “5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. 7 He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, 8 for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. 9 Then you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path. 10 For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. 11 Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you. 12 Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, 13 who have left the straight paths to walk in dark ways, 14 who delight in doing wrong
and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, 15 whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways. 16 Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman, from the wayward woman with her seductive words, 17 who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God.[a] 18 Surely her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead. 19 None who go to her return or attain the paths of life. 20 Thus you will walk in the ways of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous. 21 For the upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in it; 22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be torn from it.”
If we seek wisdom and God, we will gain many blessings: understanding, the fear of the Lord, the knowledge of God, wisdom, protection, and discretion. Wisdom will also save or deliver us from wicked (12) and adulterous (16) influences.
There are so many benefits from God’s wisdom. He helps us. He helps me a lot in my relationships with others. In the midst of conflicts God tells me how to react and respond with grace and humility, which is not my wisdom. I would never respond in God’s ways. I would respond naturally which his not always the best way. God’s wisdom is better than money. He has saved me a fortune by showing me the way that I should go. He has saved me from so much stress and heartache because of his wisdom. His wisdom has helped me to avoid so much folly and foolishness and wastefulness. Because of God’s wisdom I can “remain in the land” and bear much fruit. His wisdom will lead me all the way to the kingdom of heaven. For this I thank God. I pray for the young people of America to seek and hold onto the wisdom of God found in the Bible.
Prayer: O Lord, my ears and my heart are turned to you. I cry out to you for insight and understanding. I look for you and for your wisdom as my treasure.
One Word: Cry out for wisdom and understanding
Interact with us using Facebook