On the 20th day of Christmas my true love gave to me, wisdom, the key to all life (Proverbs 8:35).

“Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not” (Proverbs 8:33). I think we have all violated that command. We hear someone telling us the right thing to do, but we have unwisely chosen to ignore the instruction and find ourselves with a big mess. Some of us try to clean up the mess with more foolish notions, causing us to get deeper in. Then others of us wise up quick, taking the initial instruction and seeking more wisdom so we won’t travel the old foolish road. I think many times when we make unwise decisions we forget that Wisdom Himself resides within us, waiting to guide all our choices.

Blessed [is] the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death (Proverbs 8:34-36).

This is wisdom personified and points us to the person of Jesus Christ. When Jesus came to earth, He “became for us wisdom from God” (1 Corinthians 1:30), and this Wisdom dictates that we choose Him so we have all we need to live this life according to God’s will (John 14:6; 2 Peter 1:3; Philippians 2:13). All “treasures of wisdom and knowledge” are hidden in Jesus (Colossians 2:3). If we want those riches we must first accept Him as Savior and Lord and then seek Him for the treasure He wants us to have to make wise decisions. As verse 34 states, seeking God is a daily process with the guarantee of finding Jesus—finding life—and obtaining God’s favor.

Make sure to read all of Proverbs 8 and meditate on the following scriptures to help you seek God daily for wisdom: Proverbs 3:13-18; 1 Corinthians 2:6-16; and James 3:13-18.

Copyright 2010 by Rhonda J. Smith