(Proverbs 1:7) The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

(Proverbs 2:1-7 NLT) My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands.  Tune your ears to wisdom and concentrate on understanding.  Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding.  Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasure.  Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God.  For the Lord grants wisdom!  From his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.  He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest.  He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.

In my youthful years, I ignored so many wise instructions.   Many foolish and destructive decisions flowed from my young mind.  Since the Lord guided me out of my pursuit of a dark and destructive existence, I have often longed for a chance to redo those wasted years – wishing that I had turned to the Lord much sooner. I could have been a blessing to so many had I focused on the needs of others.

A fool can be defined as someone who is missing out on God and his ways.  We can ignore God, deny that he exists, or simply rebel against him, but without him we are missing out on the joy of knowing the love of our creator and the great value of living in the wisdom of his ways.  Jesus made the way for us, and he invites us to live in the light of his wisdom which dispels the darkness of foolishness.

In Ecclesiastes Solomon, the man of wisdom, gives these words of advice, “Be generous: Invest in acts of charity.  Charity yields high returns. Don’t hoard your goods; spread them around.  Be a blessing to others…” *   God wants us to know the way of love and service that Jesus came to teach us.  This is just one aspect of the treasure chest of wisdom that can be ours.

God is the only true source of wisdom.  When we seek him, we will be granted access to his wisdom.

*Ecclesiastes 11:1&2 MSG