Dear Family and Friends,

Did you know that the average adult makes 35,000 decisions a day?

When I read this, the first thought that came to mind was – no wonder I have to take a nap every evening. I’m just kidding. It’s actually every other…

Yes, we make a lot of decisions every day. Most are rather innocuous. Others are important, even life changing.

And if you’re like me, every once in a while we’ll make decisions that, despite our best efforts, could have been better.

Have you ever wished you had godly wisdom for moments like those, seeing and reacting to people and situations as God would? I have.

James 1:5-6 NIV is an often quoted verse about gaining godly wisdom.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt.”

Do you know what happened when I fervently prayed for wisdom? Nothing. And I’m still waiting. Are you waiting as well?

So, is there more to gaining godly wisdom?

Fortunately for us, a man with God-granted wisdom named King Solomon shared the steps to gaining wisdom.

But before we get to those steps let’s look at Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV.

“In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

This and several other Bible verses use the ‘path’ metaphor to describe life with God. Paths are meant for walking not running, especially when the path is not straight (like most of our lives).

We’ve grown accustomed to running through life, mistakenly believing that’s how to get ahead.

Life with God is not a race to run. It’s a walk to be enjoyed. A time to smell the roses, to enjoy the blessings of God’s joy and peace.

And as we walk with God and do the things He asks, He will give us the wisdom we seek.

Be mindful that wisdom will not be downloaded into our brains like an app on our phone. That may have been the case for King Solomon, but not so for us.

Let’s look at the steps that will prepare us to receive His wisdom.

We begin with Step 1 – Fearing the Lord

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”  Proverbs‬ ‭9‬:‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Wisdom begins with seeing God as who He really is. Not as we want Him to be.

Fearing the Lord does not mean feeling threatened by Him. It means being in awe of Him, and feeling daily how we will feel when we get to Heaven.

“Surrounded by Your glory
What will my heart feel?
Will I dance for You Jesus
Or in awe of You be still?
Will I stand in Your presence
Or to my knees, will I fall?
Will I sing hallelujah?
Will I be able to speak at all?”
MercyMe, I Can Only Imagine

The next step to gaining wisdom is knowing deep in our hearts that God loves us – unconditionally.

Trusting that there is absolutely nothing that will cause Him to forsake us.

“Let love and faithfulness never leave you. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”  ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬,5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The next step to gaining wisdom is knowing ourselves.

“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.”  ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Knowing our limitations and weaknesses, and humbling ourselves before the Lord is the hardest step we will take.

Unless we succeed in the first two steps – fearing the Lord and truly trusting Him with all our hearts.

I’ve had the privilege of managing and mentoring many young professionals and pastors. There’s nothing more rewarding than helping someone reach their potential.

Conversely, when someone asks for advice and then discards it in favor of their own way, it can be a bit frustrating. I share this not to say my advice was better.

But to show how God likely feels when we ask for wisdom then discard it in favor of our own ways…

Let’s close today’s message with this thought: The foundation for godly wisdom is that we let go of ourselves and hang onto God. Are we willing to go all in with Jesus?

We’ll continue next week.

In love always,