Job 28:28 (NLT) “And this is what he says to all humanity: ‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom;  to forsake evil is real understanding.’”

It is said that the longer you live, the wiser you become. But that proves to be totally false. You can actually live to a ripe old age and never come close to gaining wisdom. Many people are of the opinion that knowledge is wisdom, but we learn that a lot of information in your head has nothing to do with wisdom. In the same way, reading a lot of books can make you know a lot of things, but it can't make you wise. You can have common sense and while that is good to have, it is not wisdom, nor does it lead to wisdom. Wisdom comes from one source: God. While the world is full of intelligent people, accomplished people, important people and innovative people, there are very few wise people, and the verse above tells us why. It's because wisdom is found through fearing God. In other words, when you reverence God, it leads to gaining wisdom in your life. To reverence God means to have a deep respect for Him coupled with a healthy dose of awe. When your eyes are opened to the majesty of our Creator, it is then that you find wisdom.

That wisdom inspired by reverencing God leads to the rejection of evil. As proof of how powerful and influential people do not have an ounce of wisdom, just take a glimpse into the lives of the people that this world considers wise. Hollywood actors and actresses who become very famous begin to think that their opinion about things matter, and there are people (their fans) who hang on their every word. But what they are spouting is utter nonsense. In addition, in this day of social media where there are no longer any hidden secrets, you find out how many of these people really live. You find out that these powerful, influential people are doing things behind closed doors that are evil and shameful, many that would be too vile to mention in public. These are what many considered to be wise people, until they found out what they were really like. Without true wisdom, which begins by fearing the Lord, what human beings can get involved in is evil and foolish, which leads to their own downfall and demise in the end.

True wisdom comes from the Lord and reverencing Him unlocks that wisdom to our understanding. That wisdom then shapes our character, keeping us from the lurid things that perhaps we were involved with before that were leading us down the path to death. Gain wisdom by reverencing the Lord with your life. Not only will you have wisdom to live by here on the earth, but you will also gain the understanding that you need to stay away from the traps of the enemy, the lure of the world, and the evil that once lurked in you through your sinful nature. Reverence God and open wide the pathway to wisdom for yourself for your own sake and for the benefit of others.

Pastor Joey Vazquez