“I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence;
I possess knowledge and discretion.”
Summary: Wisdom, prudence, knowledge, and discretion are four aspects of spiritual strength. How we implement this strength in our daily lives depends on how we see our relationship with God and his Word.
Wisdom has a roommate. Her roommate’s name is Prudence.
The interesting thing about roommates is that they can make or break you. A roommate who gets busted for doing drugs will not do your reputation any good. If a roommate invites their friends in and they never leave, you have a problem. Worse than that is a roommate who steals from you.
When we pick a roommate, we look for someone who shares our values. You can see why Wisdom would end up with someone like Prudence. Wisdom is very careful about what she says. So is Prudence.
Wisdom possesses knowledge. Worldly facts are fine, but the knowledge Wisdom possesses is primarily of a different kind. It begins with the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7). Those who fear the Lord seek his commands (Psalm 119: 10, Zephaniah 2:3).
Discretion is the art of knowing what not to say as much as knowing what to say. Discretion has control over the tongue (James 3: 1-12). This, in itself, is a great gift and an amazing feat.
Together, Wisdom and Prudence, along with knowledge of the Lord and discretion, form a powerful team. It is a team whose strength is from God instead of from the flesh.
Human strength, the strength we associate with being in the flesh, is displayed in power over things and people. This is an external strength. Spiritual strength, the kind we see in wisdom, prudence, knowledge, and discretion, is different. It is a power over ourselves, a restraint and control that shows inner strength and a godly character.
Every person you meet, including yourself, has a life story. The details of the story are unique to you. Each of our stories has a prologue. This is the story before your story begins. Who were your parents? What kind of people were they? What did they know and how did they live their lives? Who else will be part of your story? What other lives will come in contact with yours and what impact will they have on you?
Each of these factors is unique to each person. God knows them all. He knows you inside and out. He knows your history and your pre-history. God knows everything.
In Solomon’s case, God has arranged for his pre-history, his prologue, to be recorded for us to read. We see the web of external power that connects Solomon’s family to the world. We also read about the internal power God gave Solomon, his great wisdom (1 Kings 3: 4-15).
It is tempting to sit in judgment on Solomon because, in the end, his wisdom failed him. The women he married caused him to sin and the sins of Solomon brought catastrophe on the entire nation of Israel (1 Kings 11: 1-13). Who can say how they would have lived differently if God had blessed any of us with the vast power Solomon was given?
It is enough for each of us to look at the life God has given us. Whatever task he sets before us, whatever work he gives us to do, we should do our best to live godly lives. The fear of the Lord is in part the knowledge that our spirits survive the death of the flesh. What happens then? A second life with our Creator or a second death in the Lake of Fire?
When it comes to making this most important decision, wisdom is indeed our friend.
Application: Ask God for wisdom (James 1:5).
Food for Thought: How does wisdom impact the small decisions we make throughout the day?
Discretion is the art of knowing what not to say as much as knowing what to say. (James 3: 1-12). Always good to remember and the beginning of WISDOM is the fear of the ________!
Amen, Jim. 🙂
I find wisdom can only take you so far… It’s only applying that wisdom to our daily small decisions in your life with the support of the father, the son, and the word that we truly take the right path
Ahhh! A very wise comment, Phill! 🙂 I completely agree.
I look back on my life and see many instances where wisdom and my actions were not the same. But see and know when they are together how peaceful and reassuring it is. Many times wisdom is that still small voice, or a check in your spirit , as the Holy Spirit minsters to your spirit. Be still and listen!
Well said, Jerry!
Good devotion and comments.
We either have and apply wisdom or we do not.
The same wisdom we use in small decisions will lead us in big ones. If we make poor, unwise decisions in small things, chances are we will do the same in more important decisions.
We have all made unwise decisions, but it would be prudent to heed the wisdom of God’s word throughout the day.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Thus, applying His word is wise. Proverbs 9: 10.
The fear of the Lord is the key to the treasures of salvation, wisdom and knowledge. Isaiah 33: 6.
Rich,
Thank you! I’m smiling to myself as I remember trying to listen to God in the small things, but when the BIG THING comes along thinking, “Okay, I’ve got this,” only to discover I need God in the BIG THINGS, too. 🙂
03-25-2022, Proverbs 8:12, How does wisdom impact the small decisions we make throughout the day?
Yesterday the Lord laid it on my heart to set all my concerns aside and do whatever my wife wanted to do, don’t tell her, just do it. We had an awesome day as we visited nursery’s, buying a tree, berry bushes and then off to stores looking for seeds and growth lamps, germination supplies to make seeds sprout quickly. I was totally our of my element, but we stopped at a small nursery and she asked me to wait in the car while she checked on something real quick. I remember sitting there and thinking about how great I felt, what great peace I felt, and what a blessing it was to be used by God to serve others. It could become addictive, and actually today we are going to do more.
The advancements in engineering, science, medicine, and more have been amazing during my lifetime. They were not the achievements of 6 year old children, but of adults who applied their God given talents throughout their lives. These people began with basic math and over the years advanced into graduate courses such as functional analysis and differential geometry.
As new believers we have received Jesus Christ who is the wisdom of God. We became sanctified, redeemed, righteous beings. However we did not and do not necessarily always demonstrate these in our lives.
1 Corinthians 1:30, 3:18, Psalm 111:10
I believe we have been given unlimited spiritual wisdom of God but often think we should be enrolled in graduate courses when we belong in the first grade. So yes, begin with the small things, and the Lord will move us onto the next grade as we are ready
1 Corinthians 2:13. James 1:5, Ephesians 1:17, Romans 11:33
Ron,
The story you have shared today is a beautiful testimony to the art of humility. I think Wisdom would approve!
it was a small thing. didn’t draw big crowds, save tons of people, but my wife had a ball, and I had the pleasure of being a part of the memory. Praise God for the small things!
Yes… It is amazing how our life’s focus can bring us to a particular moment in time that approaches … eternity. A peek into the other side perhaps?
I appreciate your comment : A peek into the other side perhaps?”
It brings several people in our Bible to mind.
A much admired spiritualist christian, AW Tozer has written some very challenging books. He once wrote, ” With God being Omnipresent, all things exist within Him.” He went on to write ” With heaven and earth both existing within God, and while God is positionally high above us, it is possible heaven is all around us, we just cannot see it. The angels walk among us but are only visible to humans as God desires, in the form He determines.”
Blessings Brother!
Ron
🤗