True heavenly fame is compatible with earthbound anonymity.
Our lives do not consist in what is visible on this earth; instead, we are storing up treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:19–21). Part of the way we do so is by seeking after spiritual wisdom.
The book of Proverbs contains gems of wisdom for every aspect of life. From laziness to the stewardship of money, it uses pithy sayings to teach us how we ought to live, applying our knowledge so we develop skill.
True skill is living each area of our lives under the dominion of God. This involves recognizing His centrality and orienting ourselves toward Him first instead of trying to compartmentalize Him.
This process will not happen overnight. It is a long, gradual process in which we are being slowly conformed to the image of Christ. At the same time, we need to be careful not to make slow, small compromises—whereas commitment to training will gradually increase wisdom, these small compromises are a slippery slope of destruction.
As we set out to seek wisdom, we need to be faithful in our prayer life. Very often, we are tempted to approach God with a long list of things we want. We assume that we know what is best for us and that He does not. However, God does have our best interests at heart.
While it is not wrong to ask God for specific requests—in fact, He encourages us to do so—we need to submit to Him in reverential awe. Recognizing our radical dependence on Him will grow us in wisdom and deepen our prayer life.
Practicing godly wisdom will mark our lives as different from those around us. This was true when the book of Proverbs was written, and it is true now.
We see the scoffers mentioned throughout the Proverbs—in the gallery of four fools mentioned, these are the ones who utterly reject wisdom. There are many who oppose the truth and wisdom of God, seeking to listen to their own voices instead of His. As a result, we need to be on guard, recognizing that opposition will come if we truly seek after God.
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Check out Ken’s other Friday morning videos here.
For a resource on wisdom, consider reading Ken’s book Pursuing Wisdom.
The Proverbs transcripts used in this video are available online.
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