Read
Wisdom and Bad Friends
1My child, you must follow
and treasure my teachings
and my instructions.
2Keep in tune with wisdom
and think what it means
to have common sense.
3Beg as loud as you can
for good common sense.
4Search for wisdom
as you would search for silver
or hidden treasure.
5Then you will understand
what it means to respect
and to know the Lord God.
Reflect
Do you have anything really precious that you take special care of? It could be a valuable sports card, a favourite piece of art, or a limited edition special handmade artifact. Maybe it goes in a special box, or plastic protection every time after you use it. You would never leave it haphazardly on the floor or forget it at a friend’s because when you have it out, it gets your full attention. This is how we should treat the Wisdom of God.
I remember my uncle chastising me for putting a glass of water on my Bible on one occasion. At the time, I thought he was being legalistic, but I now recognize that there was some truth in his concern. How we treat something shows us how much we truly value it. It was more an attitude of respect and reverence I needed, then simply a rule about using a proper coaster.
Wisdom is asking us to treat her as something special – to treasure her. Don’t take the truth of Scripture for granted. Continually pursue it. Be so in tune with her voice that you know Wisdom when someone speaks it. Don’t just hear it once and be done with it. Beg for it, chase it, constantly be in contact with it.
The search for Wisdom never ends, it just progresses as you build a firm foundation, brick upon brick. Think of it like a pirate treasure, and you have the roadmap marked firmly with an “X” for Christ. It is only then that we truly show we understand what we are dealing with – the very Word of God. Make Wisdom your treasure, and the payoff will be otherworldly.
Respond
Father of Wisdom, your words are more precious than any earthly object. Help us to chase after them with all of our energy, so that we know what it means to love you and treasure your knowledge. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
Cyril Guerette
Dr. Cyril Guerette is Lead Pastor of ForestView Church Without Walls in Oakville, ON. He also served for 10 years as a pastor in downtown Toronto. He holds a PhD (University of St. Michael’s College) and M.Phil (University of Cambridge) and serves as Associate Professor of Philosophy & Theology at Heritage College & Seminary. Cyril enjoys writing, taking walks, making hiphop music, playing with his children, and admiring the mixed-media photographic artwork of his wife, Maegan. Publications: Guerette, Cyril. Poetic/Dialectic: The Confluence of Poetry and Philosophy in St. Anselm’s Theology. Portland, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2017 (Forthcoming). Guerette, Cyril. “The Pastor as Poet”, in For Christ and His Church. Edited by Rick Reed. Kitchener-Waterloo, ON: Joshua Press, 2015. Guerette, Cyril. “An Appeal to Zeal”, in Letters to a Future Church: Words of Encouragement and Prophetic Appeals. Edited by Chris Lewis. Downer’s Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2012.