Mensa Otabil - What Does Wisdom Say?
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We’re continuing our teaching on wisdom. We’ve talked about what wisdom is and where to find it. So, how do you know whether what you have found is wisdom or not? What does wisdom say? Proverbs chapter 8, verses 6 and 7: «Listen, for I will speak of excellent things, and from the opening of my lips will come right things. For my mouth will speak truth, and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.» So, wisdom says, «Listen! Pay attention! I’m going to speak.»
How do we know if this voice is the voice of wisdom? If someone gives us advice, how do we know that this is wise advice? How do you know that the choice you are making is a wise choice? Well, the passage gives us some clues about how to identify the voice of wisdom.
The first thing it says is that wisdom speaks excellent things. Wisdom will always talk about things that are high and above. Wisdom doesn’t discuss things that bring you down but rather things that lift you up. Wisdom always challenges us to excel. So, the voice that tells you, «Well, everybody is doing it; this is how it is,» is not the voice of wisdom. The voice of wisdom will say, «Everybody is doing it, but you can do better.» The voice of wisdom would say, «You are down, but you can rise up,» because wisdom always calls us to excellence. If you want to audit whose advice is offering you wisdom or whose voice is calling you to excel, to be better, and to improve, versus whose voice is telling you to just settle for what it is and do whatever you feel like doing, recognize that that voice telling you to do whatever you feel like is not the voice of wisdom because wisdom’s voice is a voice of excellence.
That’s one of the ways to determine whether something you’re hearing is wisdom. The second thing is that wisdom says, «From the opening of my lips will come right things.» Wisdom calls us to do what is orderly and what is straight. The right things. Wisdom tells us to be orderly; it would not call us to disorder and chaos. If you were drinking a bottle of water and you finished consuming it, that voice that tells you to throw the container anywhere is not wisdom. Wisdom tells us to do the right thing. Wisdom tells you to be orderly. Wisdom encourages you to manage your life, your marriage, and everything better because wisdom speaks of right things. Wisdom is not haphazard; it is not disorderly. So, check your life. If you are living disorderly, throwing things wherever you want, that’s not wisdom, my friend. It may be your behavior; it may be your pattern, but it is very far from wisdom. Wisdom will call us to excellence and to do the right thing.
The third thing about wisdom is that it tells us the truth. It calls us to what is trustworthy and dependable. Wisdom stands on solid ground. It is not shallow; wisdom is deep. Wisdom does not accept whatever is on the surface; it digs for the truth. That is why, when you operate in wisdom, you don’t just hear one side of a story and believe it without hearing the other side. Wisdom calls us to truth. So, when somebody says, «Believe you me,» it’s good for him to say that, but check out the rest of the story.
Does it work out well? Is it coherent? Does it make sense all around? For all of us, when you hear something, pause. Don’t rush to judgment; don’t condemn something you don’t understand. Get the full picture. Why? Because wisdom calls us to truth. If you want to know whether what you are doing is wise or not, ask yourself: is it excellent? Is it right? Is it true? These are the voices of wisdom. Wisdom will tell you not to follow shortcuts. It will tell you the truth that life sometimes is hard, but it can be better, and the sweet will come later. Wisdom will not sugarcoat life for you because wisdom leads us to the truth, to what is right, and to what is excellent. You wonder whether you’re wise? Check the standard.
Let us pray. Say with me: «Heavenly Father, You are a God of excellence. Teach me to only approve of things that are excellent. In Jesus' name, Amen.» Well, we’re learning some things to help us make our lives more fruitful. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.