Proverbs 2:6-8 (ESV)

[6] For the LORD gives wisdom;

from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

[7] he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;

he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,

[8] guarding the paths of justice

and watching over the way of his saints.

Wisdom and intelligence are two different things. Wisdom and business savvy may be related, but they too are very different. Wisdom guards one’s choices and actions. Wisdom keeps you from falling for the devious lies, distortions, and distractions of the Enemy. Wisdom protects against the influence of perverse, immoral, unethical, and dishonest companions. Wisdom produces integrity, justice, and holiness.

There are two truths we need to understand about wisdom. First, it is sourced in God. He gives it. He speaks it. He leads us into it. He stores it up for the upright (Prov 2:7). It is not hidden. It is not something that is hard to find. The problem is, we are too often looking for wisdom in the wrong place. We are talking to our friends, trying to figure out life. We are reading books, trying to understand the world. We are listening to motivational speakers, trying to find the key to success. But wisdom is not found there. It is found in God.

Second, wisdom is a matter of the heart, not the head. Wisdom is not about memorizing the 10 keys to happiness, or the 5 secrets of success. Wisdom is first, and foremost a heart issue. “For wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul” (Prov 2:10). It causes you to “understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path” (Prov 2:9). The exercise of wisdom leads to both safety and success, but that is not it’s primary goal. The point of wisdom is that it reproduces the heart of God in those who are willing to listen.

Maybe that is where wisdom begins. Proverbs 1:7 says that, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Wisdom starts with the humility to recognize that life is not about me. It starts with a high view of God, not a high view of self. The power of sin is in the promise of self-fulfillment. The Serpent said to the woman, “You will be like God” (Gen 3:5). That is the lie he has been selling ever since. “You can be somebody. You can be significant. You can be happy.” But his path leads to destruction and misery.

Our goal is not to seek personal peace and affluence. In that pursuit is the misery of brokenness and sin. Our goal is to glory in and glorify God. In that is wisdom, and in wisdom we find all that we were so desperately seeking in our self-centered pursuits. Wisdom is ultimately a matter of the heart, not the head. What is the passion of your heart today? May the wisdom of God guard your hearts and minds. “Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth” (Prov 4:5).