Wisdom Means Factoring God into Your Life
By Ben Spalink
As we study Proverbs, we learn that wisdom is about effective discernment, learning to tell the difference between what is bad, good and best and to act accordingly. A foolish person makes critical errors of judgment in this regard. They prioritize the moment over the long term. They prioritize looking good over being good. They prioritize feeling and passion over common sense and justice. Wisdom comes as we take stock of reality, include God in the picture and act accordingly.
In college I made some poor decisions. I worried about my financial situation, and so I put too many hours in at the dining hall where I worked instead of focusing on my studies. In the short term, it provided extra cash. In the long term, that and my desire to live the college party life, impacted my grades. I did ok, but I skimmed much of my reading and got by instead of truly mastering the content. I traded the best for the good (and some bad). If I’m honest, I don’t know how much God even factored into these kinds of decisions as a college freshman. I attended church but mostly out of duty. Thankfully, a decision to enter ministry later helped me to focus on keeping God central in my mind and heart, but even then I often faltered.
Many Christians live with a kind of “practical atheism.” Charles Spurgeon once asked his congregation: “How many of you live Monday through Saturday as if there is no God?” Not only is practical atheism deeply unbiblical; it’s also incredibly unwise. Nothing could be more foolish than to exclude God from planning, reacting, waiting and acting. If wisdom is about taking stock of reality and acting accordingly, and if God is ultimate reality, then foolishness is going about daily life without taking stock of God. What do I mean?
When you woke up this morning, did you take time to thank God for another day? A posture of thankfulness for each day is not only appropriate but wise. Why bumble into another 24-hr period without recognizing the One who made and provided this day for you to work and rest and to glorify him? Wisdom recognizes this world is God’s stage and we are merely participants meant to bring the director honor and glory. Wisdom enables us to play a supporting or behind-the-scenes role, recognizing the show is not about us. God is the star. Practical atheism among Christians yields people who more concerned about their own status rather than servants who want to honor the master.
Likewise, much of the anxiety we experience in life is a failure to recognize ultimate reality - that this is God’s world and he is in charge. Proverbs 19:23 says, “The fear of the LORD leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.” Fearing God, that is, holding him in awesome wonder and high regard, dispels fear and anxiety. When we realize that he is in charge and ruling our world, we are able to sleep at night, knowing that our lives are in his hands.
Our culture tends to idolize the wealthy, believing them to be supremely blessed and successful. We envy their impressive homes and flashy sports cars and miserably slave away to accumulate more. Proverbs, however, teaches us to prioritize character and integrity over the size of our bank accounts. Better to be righteous and poor than rich and corrupt (Proverbs 28:6). Again, wisdom is about taking stock of reality, including ultimate reality — God. Wealth and riches are good, but they are not the end-all-be-all. They are a form of currency, one that can be stewarded towards good ends, but they are not the currency of Heaven. Wealth in the kingdom is measured differently, and the wise (and rich) do well to recognize the impermanence of earthly goods. They can fly away in a moment (Proverbs 23:5). Heavenly treasure, on the other hand, lasts into eternity and is necessary to sit at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven.
So how does one live wisely? How do we truly account for God in our approach to life Monday through Saturday? Do we leave the hard work to God, sit back and live by faith? Do we trust him to take care of us and do nothing? If God really is in charge of the production and it’s his show, then maybe I belong in the audience and should just enjoy the show. Obviously not. Last I checked, we live in a world over which God is truly sovereign and over which God has given us dominion. God is on mission, and he invites us to participate in his mission, too. The Bible teaches that the one who plants and the one who harvests each have an assigned task, but God himself causes the increase (I Corinthians 3:5-6). Laborers labor, but God builds the house (Psalm 127:1). We prepare the horses for war, but God wins the battle (Proverbs 21:31). Proverbs teaches that the fool is surprised to find nothing at harvest because he didn’t have the foresight to plow in season (Proverbs 20:4). To approach our lives wisely, we need to take stock of reality - God is sovereign AND we have an important role to play because God gave it to us when he made us in his image. Faith moves mountains, as my friend likes to say, so pick up your shovel and start digging.
The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 9:10). To live wisely is to know God’s place and our place. It’s to take responsibility and do our part while also recognizing that in the final analysis, knowing and loving God and being found in Christ are more important than anything else. God is the only one who can establish us or cause our works to bear fruit for eternity. We work, yes, but God provides.
May God increase our wisdom, take front and center stage in our lives, and help us to act accordingly, knowing its reward is greater than all earthly riches. You may be poor, but if you are wise in Christ, you are rich in Heaven.