Well…That’s a Deep Subject

Wisdom. That’s the subject I’ve been looking at for the past 7-10 days. I have resumed reading aloud to Dean, J.I. Packer’s book, KNOWING GOD. I had checked the book out of our church library on a friend’s recommendation, and we have discovered that the book’s information is very detailed and extremely worthwhile. However, it is not an easy read as Mr. (probably Dr.) Packer is a Brit so his word flow is somewhat different than Nevadans J.  

We had just started reading the chapter on God’s Wisdom when my Quiet Time meditation just happened to be Psalm 111, the last verse reminding me that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Ergo, my "book report."

Packer begins his chapter on Wisdom saying it is “ the practical side of moral goodness…found fully, only, in God. Human wisdom can be frustrated by circumstances but God, Who knows all, plus being all powerful is totally worthy of our trust.

Packer discuss the OT characters, Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph and their various trials used by God to mold them into men he could use. Consequently, we shouldn’t be surprised at what we consider unpleasant, discouraging things which come our way. God can use these life events "to make something of us to which we have not yet attained." In American lingo that would read, “God is not finished with us yet.”

In our quest for wisdom Packer says we must 1) learn to reverence God, which includes embracing a humble, teachable spirit; 2) learn to receive God’s Word. Do we “soak” ourselves in Scripture? How many times have we read the Bible all the way through? Do we spend as much time reading the Bible as we do the newspaper (or watching TV or reading a novel)? Ouch—those are convicting questions!

Next Packer goes to the book of Ecclesiastes. The Preacher paints a pretty grim picture, but intersperses  it with hope and in chapter 12 gives an outline of gaining wisdom--“Fear God and keep His commandments.” The New Testament tells us the result of gaining wisdom is Christlikeness—peace, humility and love.

So the wisdom God gives to those who ask will be expressed “in a spirit of faith and a life of faithfulness.” Obviously, this is the quest of a lifetime but so worth the journey.

I have read that blog posts shouldn’t exceed 500 words, so I’m not quite there yet. I would love to dialog with any readers interested in this subject. Or better yet, check out Packer’s book. Just don’t plan to get through it in a hurry.