Use It Or Lose It
Proverbs 4:7 (NKJV)
Wisdom is the principal thing;
Therefore get wisdom.
And in all your getting, get understanding.
Wisdom, the Bible says, is the most important thing. People chase money, fame, pleasure, and even other people, but it is all the deception of the devil. Not because any of these things in and of themselves is bad, but because our heart toward them can be.
Recently, a man in my church had some questions about the book of Ecclesiastes. A curious and great question after reading it, “how can a man (King Solomon) having so much wisdom say such depressing things?” “Vanity Of vanities!,” He starts off, “all is vanity!” What we need to understand is Ecclesiastes is written from the stand point of a man reflecting on his life after not following God. See, Solomon received wisdom, but he didn’t always walk in it. You can have the tools, but if you don’t pick them up and use them, they are pointless. They become vanity!
In doing some Solomon research, I came across some very interesting scriptures. We read in 1 Kings 11:1-2, “But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites— from the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love.” Now, if we are not skillful with the Word we can misunderstand something important. Twice here it tells us Solomon loved these women. The love it is referring to is not the love we are to have for each other or that God has for us. It is literally to have affection for someone sexually. God, in His wisdom knew Solomon would be drawn away from Him by His lust for women. He knew if he didn’t check it, he would be drawn away from God. Solomon was given great wisdom and though he used it for many things, he didn’t use it for the most important, that which God had warned him about.
As we continue to read in chapter 11, we see that exactly what God had warned Solomon about came to pass because Solomon didn’t use the wisdom given him. It wasn’t anyone else’s fault, but Solomon’s.
We need to take heed according to the Word of God. When it says don’t touch, don’t touch. The stove will only burn you if you touch it! The Word of God was given to us to protect and guide us, to lead us into His blessing. It is not God’s fault if we choose to ignore His wisdom.
Psalms 119:11 (NKJV)
Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.
Be Blessed,
Pastor Jeff
