Ephesians 1:17
“that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him”.
I'm presently going through proverbs. It's toward the beginning where there is much talk about what wisdom is. It says wisdom is to fear the Lord. An easy definition is that we respect what He says and follow it. We know that if we don't bad consequences will come. This is in contrast to the fool who does not do what God says.
Paul says in today's passage that he prays for God to give the Ephesians a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. A spirit of wisdom is more than insight, but to have an insightful spirit. Amazing. God wants to do that with all of us. He gives it, but we also gain it by being in His Word. That's how He set it up. He wants us to read the Bible. It's how He speaks to us and connects with us. There are thousands of verses that speak about that. Here's one, "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path", (Psalm 119:105).
To have a spirit of wisdom makes us wise people. This doesn't speak of being knowledgable, but living right. Some are very intelligent and highly educated, but the Bible says they are fools if they don't fear God. I heard a statistic that placed many with advanced degrees and how those with much less education were far wiser. Why is that? There is much arrogance amongst the educated. The road of arrogance is contrary to God's. He hates pride, even though He has the greatest reason to be so.
There seems to be a group mentality amongst the arrogant. I see it in the ap students at school. They feel better about themselves as they are part of an elite group. A relative of mine listens to NPR. That station wreaks of arrogance. It draws people in by making them feel part of the smart club. I am generalizing, there is some good content on NPR and not all who listen to it are arrogant. There is an allure to this. We have to be careful about the world and how it can draw us in.
The Word of God is to be in us and before us. The more we are in it, the more we sense the counterfeit wisdom. We will always have them. As we walk with the Lord, He reveals them. "The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until the midday", (Proverbs 4:18). I love this. Our walk with Christ grows brighter and brighter. He'll reveal more and take away those impurities. Then He does it again and again. We'll never be perfect until Heaven. But it gets better and better.
This spirit of wisdom protects us. Psalm 119:9 says, "How can a young man keep his way pure, by guarding it according to Your Word." Thank You, Lord for the wisdom You've given us. The protection You've given. You've rescued us many times. There may have been hundreds of times You've saved us and we never knew it. You diverted the threat before we encountered it. You knew what we could handle and what we couldn't.
The spirit of wisdom brings us in the way of wisdom. It's not the popular road. "But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life and only few find it", (Matthew 7:14). Thank You Lord for leading us in Your way. The way of blessing and fullness. We are not worthy, yet You bless us. Thank You.
The way is wisdom is marked by peace. James 3:17 says, "But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere." Another gift from our God. His peace and guidance along the way of peace.
Thank You Lord for the spirit of wisdom. The endless gifts You give, the safety You provide and the honor You heap on us. None of it deserved, but You love us. Thank You!