Go for the Gold?

Get Wisdom: Go beyond the Gold!

Opening Illustration: The Paper Bag Princess

So GEMS, what are you looking for?

At the beginning of the story the princess thought outward appearance mattered more than anything else. Didn’t she? Many of us start out that way also, but by the end of the story, she’d learned different. She learned the prince was a bum. A boy who just liked pretty clothes, and clean skin. We sometimes say he was all about appearances. Looks, money, stuff and getting what he wants. Obviously he didn’t really care about her or her hard work to set him free.

So is the moral of that story: Don’t marry a bum? Or is there an even deeper message?

Sure, when the time comes, find a man who is worthy:

Someone who will love you for you, someone who will respect you and encourage you, someone who will put your needs first.

But since none of you are even close to finding such a man yet, let’s talk about what comes first.

How can a girl/woman be wise? Not just in finding a man – if that’s what you one day want, but how to be wise in all of life.

Your theme verses for the year comes from the book of Proverbs. It’s a book of wise sayings that were written for young people. The authors of the book wanted to teach girls and boys how to be wise in the world and where true wisdom comes from. So, most of the proverbs are easy to understand, but hard to do.

For instance, take this one:

How  much  better  to  get  wisdom  than  gold,  to  choose  understanding  rather  than  silver!  The  highway  of  the  upright  avoids  evil;  he  who  guards  his  way  guards  his  life. Proverbs 16:16-17

It teaches that wisdom is better than money or things and that gaining wisdom means walking away from bad choices.

Like I said, easy to understand hard to do, why? Because in our world, money is so important and most of the people we know have to earn it. And that makes sense, right? We need money for food, a house and clothes. School tuition and gas for the car. The problem many people get into is in trying to decide how much money is enough and what am I willing to do to get some?

So, sometimes bad choices are made by people who forget that there are more important things in life than money. For girls, other bad choices often have to do with trying to use looks to get what they want. People will tell you that you have to be thin or do certain things or wear certain kinds of make-up or dress in certain clothes in order to be popular. Not true.

The most beautiful girl in the world is one who loves herself. And that’s the best choice to make because it avoids evil and wasted time, not to mention wasted money.

And that’s why we’re talking about it now so that you have a good start in life. Those of us who are older often think, if only I had known some things sooner, I wouldn’t have done what I did when I was younger. That’s the goal of learning proverbs and seeking wisdom. To have courage to make good choices when we’re young so that life is better when we’re older.

So let’s talk about how to get wisdom. It starts with a knowledge of God. The reason is because while knowing lots is good, knowing how to use it is better. Take medicine for instance. We use atomic energy to help cure cancer, right? Radiation treatments. And that took years and lots of very smart people to figure out. That’s a wise use of knowledge. But people also used atomic energy to destroy two cities and hundreds of thousands of people. That wasn’t wise. How do we know? Well because God is a healer and wants us to love our neighbor as ourselves – not kill them!

So to make wise decisions, people need to know who God is and how God does things. That’s what I mean by a knowledge of God.  

Just like it says in this proverb:

 “The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  beginning  of  wisdom,  and  knowledge  of  the  Holy  One  is  understanding.” Proverbs 9.10

The “Fear of the Lord” Is the beginning. But what does that mean? To be afraid of God, scared of God?

In this case fear means worshipping, adoring and having awesome respect for God. Loving God and standing amazed that we have the undeserved, unearned privilege of calling God, Abba Father.

Fear also means fearing – fearing to be out of His presence – fear of being banished! Recognizing that God is a righteous and Holy God and that He cannot allow darkness or sin in His presence ever. So if there is unrepentant sin in our lives, we will not be able to be in His presence.

It’s like the air we breathe. I’m not afraid of it. There’s lots of oxygen to keep me alive, nitrogen and the other gasses we all need. But, I am afraid of not having air to breathe. Like being underwater too long. I fear that; I fear having my air run out so I make sure I don’t go down too deep. Which is like not going so far from the path or making so many bad choices that the only way to come back is for God to give me discipline.

“My child, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,

and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,

⁶     because the Lord disciplines those he loves,

and he punishes everyone he accepts as a child.”

Guess what? That’s another proverb – Proverbs 3.11-12

So, who likes discipline?

Instead, the proverbs teach us to develop our love and respect – reverence for God.

How? You do it daily. You grow your relationship with Him through prayer and Bible study. These are two very important ways to get to know God better. The other we can add is learning to see God in the everyday things like creation, music, art, school or work.

As we get to know Him better, we feel closer to Him and worship Him more fully. When we are connecting with Him daily we are more trusting and want to follow His ways more – to do what Proverbs teaches us to do – to act wisely.

And here is something very important. Some people think learning about God can wait. Or that they are protected by baptism as if it was magic. That somehow God has to keep us safe, just because. The truth is that until we rightly fear God and have a deep desire to follow Him, we won’t much care about seeking wisdom. We will just want to do our own thing which is exactly the advice the world gives to us. And for some that will be a sad life; for some that will mean marrying a bum.

So if you want wisdom and are willing to love God the way he deserves. If you are willing to read and pray and choose the right way, here are some ways to grow in wisdom:

1. Make wise choices with words.

Reckless  words  pierce  like  a  sword,  but  the  tongue  of  the  wise  brings  healing.  Proverbs 12:18

That means name calling and gossip hurts. Instead use words to help, encourage and protect others.

2. Make wise choices in relationships.

A  friend  is  always  loyal,  and  a  brother  is  born  to  help  in  time  of  need. Proverbs 17:17

Everyone needs a good friend – be a good friend by keeping the things people tell you in private, private. Stand up for your friends and help them make good choices. Also, remember that your brothers and sisters know you best of all. Be a sister – or brother – that your family can count on. Sisters and brothers are God’s gift.

3. Make wise choices about integrity.

The  man  (woman)  of  integrity  walks  securely,  but  he  (she)  who  takes  crooked  paths  will  be  found  out. Proverbs 10:9

That means be honest; do not steal, tell lies or try to fool people by acting one way while hiding parts of your life. Like having two groups of friends and being “good” with one group and being different with another.

4. Making wise choices about work.

She  sets  about  her  work  vigorously;  her  arms  are  strong  for  her  tasks.   Proverbs 31:17

Do your chores without complaining and work hard at them. It will teach you to do well at school and work later in life. And here is something I learned as a parent. We had a kid who would spend more time and energy complaining about a chore than the time it would take to do it. That doesn’t make sense. Just do it and be grateful for all you have that God through your parents provide.

5. Make wise choices with money.

Honor the LORD with your wealth.   Proverbs 3:9

That means learn to give money away. Some of your allowance or babysitting money or part time money. People seeking wisdom know that all money comes from God and giving some back helps people remember that.

One of the best prayers in the bible is this:

Give  me  neither  poverty  nor  riches,  but  give  me  only my  daily  bread.  Otherwise  I  may  have  too  much  and  disown  you  and  say,  “Who  is  the  Lord?”  Or,  I  may  become  poor  and  steal,  and  so  dishonor  the  name  of  my  God.     Proverbs 30:8S9

Conclusion

That’s enough examples for today. Reading the Bible and praying to understand what you read will show many more ways to become wise.  Along with that, GEMS and Cadets for that matter, keep coming to your groups and learning from your leaders. Adults, join a Bible study or start one. The Spirit teaches us best when we get together in groups like this and in our homes.

It will take discipline to apply wisdom to our lives on a daily basis. But if we discipline ourselves and       apply these truths to our lives, the satisfying lives we long to live will be ours. Our lives will work! To God’s glory, Amen.