“For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the LORD. But whoever fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death." – Proverbs 8:35,36
The person that loves wisdom and finds her (she’s a chick) finds life and receives favor from the Lord. The pursuit of wisdom is not a casual thing; it should be one of our chief life goals, to lay hold of wisdom and understanding. The benefits of knowing and understanding lady Wisdom are manifold and are revealed again in this passage; life and favor! People that find wisdom and possess understanding are truly alive! They aren’t living for themselves, but for the betterment of others. They aren’t selfish and self-centered but outwardly focused and God-centered. They understand the fear of the Lord and this governs their actions. It has been said:
“The glory of God is man fully alive.” - St. Irenaeus
I believe this is true. God is most glorified in us when we thrive in His life. To achieve this kind of life, we must lay hold of wisdom and the fear of the Lord. Favor is the delight of God upon our lives. When we lay hold of wisdom, God smiles upon us. He is blessed when we are blessed! I love that we serve a God that is fully engaged in our prosperity, blessing and glorification!
This proverb tells us that the person that does not find wisdom, loves death and harms himself! That’s harsh! When we don’t lay hold of wisdom and the fear of the Lord, either through passivity or simply ignoring her when she calls, we harm ourselves. I have told people for years that God’s ways are not made for His benefit only, but for ours! Many people seem to think that the Lord is a cosmic kill joy, stopping them from doing fun things they want to do. But that’s not so! When God forbids something, He does so for our benefit! By not laying hold of wisdom we harm ourselves. By simply not pursuing her, we show that we love death instead of life. Now who wants to stay there?
LIFE LESSON:
I love Wisdom because I love life and enjoy God’s favor. You?
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