Sell everything and buy Wisdom!

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When I was a boy at my father's knee, the pride and joy of my mother, He would sit me down and drill me: "Take this to heart. Do what I tell you - live! Sell everything and buy Wisdom! Forage for Understanding! ... Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom! Write this at the top of your list: Get Understanding! -Proverbs 4:3-5, 7 MSG

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I love the imagery as this proverb begins.. the picture of a father teaching his son.. impressing on him the value of inner heart learning and how spiritual life comes from obedience. I also love the straightforwardness of this verse - if you want wisdom then do everything you can do to get it. This captures the heart of the seventh verse of Proverbs One that teaches that wisdom begins when we honor the Lord. Obtaining wisdom, like following the lord, is an issue of priorities.

These verses also tell us why so many are not wise. To be wise we must assume the attitude of a child listening to what their father tells them. The path to wisdom always involves humility. Yet, like the child who thinks they know better than their father, we are full of pride and reject the voice of wisdom. We rely more on the voice of our own 'logical' understanding than the voice that speaks to us from deep within. To be wise we must first trust with all of our heart.

Help me to be wise dear Lord. Help me to hear and listen to your voice deep within my soul.

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