True riches can only be found in wisdom.
Yet all good things together came to me in her company,
and countless riches at her hands.
We need the wisdom of heart that only God can teach us. To keep the commandments is necessary but insufficient. We can avoid transgressing those commands and still be fundamentally living for ourselves, investing in this world, without wisdom.
"You are lacking in one thing.
Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."
At that statement his face fell,
and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
Wisdom teaches us to seek our treasure in heaven. It tells us to value the things that last rather than the things that are temporary. When wisdom is our teacher we learn not to store up "treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal" (see Matthew 6:19). We learn to use the things of this world as though not using them (see First Corinthians 7:31).
We need wisdom to follow Jesus. We need to learn the lessons she teaches in order to enter the kingdom of God. Wisdom shows us the freedom of Spirit we need to enter the kingdom. To do so we must follow Jesus as he enters. In order to follow Jesus we must be unbound by the world. But the world has subtle traps catering to our individual personalities. It encourages us to invest in things that are not only unhelpful but restrict and hinder our ability to follow.
Wisdom is not something that only a few gain by assiduous study. She is a spiritual gift on offer to everyone.
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him (see James 1:5).
Lacking wisdom is not going to be an excuse when God makes it so abundant. When we open God's word and ask for wisdom he delights to give it.
Indeed the word of God is living and effective,
sharper than any two-edged sword
Wisdom is available. We need it to enter the kingdom. But to receive it we must ask. We must open the word of God, the privileged place where God communicates his wisdom to his people. If we are too rich to ask for wisdom or too comfortable to open the word of God. We are at risk just as the rich man is at risk. May we remember to number our days that we can turn toward those things that last, to learn to desire them, to ask for them, and to seek them.
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
No comments:
Post a Comment