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Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,
and the one who gets understanding,
for the gain from her is better than gain from silver
and her profit better than gold.
She is more precious than jewels,
and nothing you desire can compare with her  (Prov 3:13-15).

We’ve just read through all of Proverbs with our church this past two weeks and our pastor preached a stellar sermon (as usual) on the book.  As I was reading through it, though I have read this book several times before, it got me thinking…I have already written about fearing the LORD and about wisdom – that pretty much covers most of Proverbs.  😉

I had planned to skip over the ones that repeat similar wording or identical theme; but I love the turn of a phrase and sometimes the way a sentence is put together is too beautiful to pass up.  The book is full of analogies and neat comparisons too….but I worry: will I run out of new things to write about?

Maybe I will.  But what I thought about today is that God gives people the same instruction again and again in His Word.  He repeats His commands.  He gives the same marvelous grace.  It shows me how hard headed we are, that we have to hear His instruction and correction so many times, that we need forgiveness again and again.  And it tells me how steadfast His love is – how relentlessly He pursues us and shapes us.

I was telling the kids yesterday that God is predictable – not that we are able to know what He will do, or when, or why.  But that we know Who He is, and that He is the same again and again.

• The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness (Lam 3:22-23).
• Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow (James 1:17, NLT).
• But the Lord’s plans stand firm forever; his intentions can never be shaken (Psalm 33:11).
• Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Heb 13:8).

All of God’s Word is inviting us to come to know Wisdom – it is His character – He created wisdom; it proceeded from His mouth at Creation, in the form of His Word (John 1:1-5). And we see the Gospel, the Good News, throughout His Word: that the LORD would not give up on us, that He would spare no expense to rescue us from our foolishness.

Often it seems that the world we live in shouts louder than the cry of wisdom.  The excesses in our well-fed society compete against the riches of God, for our loyalty.  So people wander through life, sifting through experiences, looking for meaning, seeking wisdom.  In Proverbs, we find Wisdom is searching for us, saying, “Whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster” (Proverbs 1:33).

Our Pastor said this after church,”Wisdom is the road of faith, lived out rightly.  It is applying God’s Word in God’s world.”  Awesome.  I see again and again that we are to put God’s Word into practice, to Hear it and Do it, in order to walk in His way and grow into His likeness.  This walk is like any other: it is just one step at a time.

Jesus makes walking with God possible.  Because of His sacrifice, a Holy God can live among a sinful people.  He places His Spirit within us so we can know Him and understand His Word and apply His wisdom to life.  The LORD says, “The word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.” (Deut 30:14).  What a gift – it really is better than silver, better than gold, more precious than jewels.

Hugs,

Britta ~ I am justAgirl…just like you!