Note: Last week we were traveling in New England and did not post messages. We are home now and so we resume! Tomorrow is the 29th anniversary of this ministry and also Brooksyne's birthday!

Message summary: Wisdom is knowledge applied to the reality of life. You can have knowledge without wisdom. But you can’t have wisdom without knowledge.

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“Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice?” (Proverbs 8:1). "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight" (Proverbs 9:10). Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!" (Romans 11:33).

Our church is in a series from the book of Proverbs using an interesting format with Sunday School lessons coordinated with the sermon each week. Yesterday I taught a lesson to our Crossroads Adult Bible Fellowship class based on Proverbs 8 which presents wisdom as a lady calling out.

There are many voices calling out claiming to dispense wisdom but so many voices utter foolishness. It takes discernment and spiritual discipline to hear the voice of truth.

Proverbs 8 invites us to pursue wisdom with urgency and love. It’s not just about knowledge (there's a lot of that), but true wisdom is about aligning with God’s design for our life. Wisdom is presented as a personified voice, a woman calling out to humanity, offering insight, truth, and understanding. It contrasts wisdom with folly (as seen in the previous chapters) and shows wisdom as eternal, noble, and aligned with God's purposes.

J.I. Packer in his classic book “Knowing God” writes "Wisdom is the power to see and the inclination to choose the best and highest goal, together with the surest means of attaining it."

Wisdom is knowledge applied to the reality of life. You can have knowledge without wisdom. But you can’t have wisdom without knowledge.

Wisdom is not hidden or elusive. She stands in public places, on the heights, beside the way, at the crossroads - calling out to all people, especially the simple and foolish (ultimately all of us), inviting us to learn and grow. But will we listen, and just as important, if wisdom requires certain actions from us will we opt to walk in the narrow path of wisdom's insight or tread the broad path of foolishness?

The apostle James writes, "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere" (3:17). May God give us all a heart to hear and properly respond to this "wisdom from above"!

Be encouraged today!  Hebrews 3:13

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber