Saturday, March 1, 2008

Wisdom That Makes You Effective/Live It!

Editor's Note: My hard drive crashed this week, causing me to be without a home computer for about 2-3 weeks. I will work to keep my schedule of Mon-Wed-Fri posts up, but anticipate needing some grace during this time. Thanks!

Sometimes conversations happen in the oddest places.
I'm remembering a discussion on drugs that happened while in junior high orchestra. I was an eighth or ninth grader and a leader in the group. For some reason, the orchestra teacher was trying to explain how peer pressure and other influences cause teens to move into drugs. From his perspective, the decision to do drugs was understandable.

He was nuancing the logic as far as I was concerned. For me, it was a simple choice. "Drugs will harm you. They'll mess with your brain, addict you, and perhaps kill you. They are unregulated, so the dealer can be selling you rat poison as far as you know. The choice is simple--don't do drugs."

As I've grown older, I've become less judgmental about the decisions others make. I've realized I have my own weaknesses, my own blind spots. (Another blog, another time perhaps.)

But the fact remains, there are choices that ARE simple. The prudent decision is clear; yet, we struggle to choose the path that will lead to success, prosperity, and significance.

The answer can only be addressed in the spiritual terms. There is no other adequate explanation.

It's our sin nature that draws us away from the wisdom that Solomon speaks of. That sin nature is driven to rebel against God, which also means to reject his wisdom. Simply put, we don't want to do what God says.

You see it from birth. I'm reminded of this as I see my 14-month-old granddaughter throw a temper tantrum because her parents won't let her play on the stairs. She doesn't understand that her mom and dad want only the best for her. And, quite frankly, it doesn't matter in her mind. She wants what she wants.

Try to grasp what I'm about to say. We are to God what my granddaughter is to her parents. She lacks the experience, the brain power, the foresight, the maturity, the knowledge--the wisdom--to understand that her parents are showing her the right choice. Likewise, as old and as experienced as we may become, we'll never be equal to God's wisdom. Yet, we think we know better what to do with our lives than God.

That's the sin nature. That's why it's so difficult for a man to choose to follow God's direction. That's why "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." (Proverbs 1:7)

So, again, I say the choice is simple really. It's the choosing correctly that's difficult. And unfortunately, the choice can't be made once and it's done. We have to choose daily to follow God's wisdom in all matters.

We'll talk more about this dynamic as we explore other pictures from Proverbs in the coming weeks.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Wisdom That Makes You Effective/Go Deep

Solomon lays out a simple choice between foolishness and wisdom.
At least, you'd think it would be simple.

Then why does Solomon feel it necessary to spend the first nine chapters of the 31 in Proverbs trying to convince young men to make the choice for wisdom. Obviously, being a right choice still doesn't make it an easy choice.

Although it is never pointed out in direct terms, we see a picture of life unfolding in the first chapters of Proverbs. It goes something like this: Life is a choice between two paths.

One path is named wisdom. It will take discipline, which translates into hard work. Honesty is the hallmark of a wise life. Few will support you in your pursuit of wisdom, so plan on standing against the tide. But wisdom itself stands on the path, calling all who will listen and encouraging them to follow this way that leads to success, to fulfillment, to lasting and rewarding relationships, and to a praiseworthy life.

A good start down the path of wisdom is a knowledge of and relationship with God, the author of wisdom and the creator of the heavens and earth--a source that provides mortal man with an eternal perspective.

The second path is named foolishness. It shuns discipline, choosing instead the easier course of dishonesty in pursuit of quick gain. Many who have already chosen this desolate life seek company. Rationalizing a foolish life is easier when you can convince others to join you. This path leads to failure, to a vapid existence, to broken relationships, and to insignificance.

A good start down the path of foolishness is to ignore the God of heaven, determining instead to listen to people who are shallow, unthinking and selfish, with a perspective that looks no further than the next hour.

Seems like an easy enough choice, right? Then why is it so hard?

Monday, February 25, 2008

Wisdom That Makes You Effective/Think About It

This blog is dedicated to helping men be successful.
And by successful, I mean productive in a positive vein--you benefit yourself as you benefit those around you. Family. Co-workers. Friends.

From my perspective, if you damage others as you benefit yourself, you net out a negative.

One of the consummate works on living an effective life is the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament. It was written specifically for young men by Solomon, the third king of Israel, who is said to have been the wisest among men.

The book itself contains so much advice, it's difficult to know how to approach all that is there. I'm going to begin by talking about several of the life pictures Solomon lays out as a preface to his advice.

Solomon truly speaks from his heart to young men. You can tell he understood what men go through as they leave adolescence behind and move toward manhood. He also knew the temptations, the relationship dynamics, and the pitfalls that all men have to deal with throughout their lives. So his advice is not just for young men. It's for all of us.

The first of several life pictures I want to cover this week and next is the one of two paths and a choice. As a wise man would, Solomon lays out a very simple picture. All men must choose a path. The choice is best made early as you start your journey into manhood.

But the choice--especially in today's culture--is often deferred, we think. The reality is that not choosing is actually a step or two down the wrong path. It is a choice you HAVE to make.

The question is, "Have you made it?" Think about it!