Monday, March 23, 2009
Wisdom’s Badge of Honor
(Proverbs 11:22-31)
Wisdom appears in various garb. Sometimes wisdom wears the robes of academia—complete with colored hood, mortar board, and tassel. Sometimes wisdom sports wrinkles, spectacles, and gray, thinning hair. Wisdom speaks in patient, measured tones, carefully weighing its words and gauging responses. Truly, wisdom carries a stereotypical image!
There’s more to wisdom, however, than mere image. The Bible paints wisdom as commensurate with certain actions. For example, the Bible says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 9:10). The action, therefore, of fearing the Lord is both the source and the indication of genuine wisdom.
Proverbs 11:30 describes another action commensurate with wisdom. Here we read, “…he that winneth souls is wise.” The connotation of this Old Testament verse involves influencing others for good. Since influencing folks for Christ is the highest good, those who faithfully proclaim Christ—win souls—are wise.
Why is soulwinning wise? Simple: because its focus is eternity. Perspective creates right prioritization. Those with an eternal perspective wisely prioritize their lives to reflect eternal values—and nothing is more eternal than winning a soul to Christ.
What does wisdom look like? Strangely enough, wisdom looks an awful lot like that guy or gal who is always telling others about Christ!
