Proverbs 8:6-9
⁶Listen, for I have trustworthy things to say; I open my lips to speak what is right. ⁷My mouth speaks what is true, for my lips detest wickedness. ⁸All the words of my mouth are just; none of them is crooked or perverse. ⁹To the discerning all of them are right; they are upright to those who have found knowledge.

Finders Keepers

            What do you do when you find money? If you find money on the ground and nobody is around, what will you do with it? “Finders keepers!” they say.

            Money had been the most important thing in the life of many people. There are lots of things one can do with money. What is one thing that you may do if you have so much money to support your lifestyle? If you’ve no idea, pray for it.

Have found personally the fullness of life that Christ promised? Pray for godly wisdom. Let us reflect on 1 Corinthians 1:24, ²⁴To those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

            Do you believe that Christ is the power of God and wisdom of God? When Christ offers fullness of life, how do we receive it? God tells just one instruction at a time. When we take the first step of faith, he will give the next. But if we cannot follow the first instruction that he gives, how can we trust him in the next step?

Christ the wisdom of God helps us take which godly instruction leads to fullness of life that he offers to believers. How do we know when we have godly wisdom? Wisdom from God speaks what is right, and it detests wickedness.

1. Detest

⁶Listen, for I have trustworthy things to say; I open my lips to speak what is right. ⁷My mouth speaks what is true, for my lips detest wickedness.

            Wisdom speaks what’s right and true. When we receive godly wisdom, we also detest and abhor wickedness. That is the Holy Spirit of God who helps us. What is this wisdom that we should ask God for? It is wisdom that originates from God; it’s Christ himself, the wisdom of God. As we wholeheartedly trust Christ, we trust his wisdom also. Of course, it’s by faith we trust godly wisdom.\

            Someone may ask, “How can we know that we trust God when we decide? Or, how can we know that it is by faith in Christ we decide things in life?”

Have you ever asked those questions personally? Most often, God allows struggles to test our faith in him. Certainly, he knows if we have faith or not, but we do not know if we have grown mature spiritually or not yet; so, testing of faith is for us to know the level of our trust in God. The degree, intensity or severity of testing may practically expose the level and strength of our faith in the Lord.

            Personally, let’s meditate on what it declares in 1 Corinthians 10:13, ¹³No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

            Godly wisdom is at work when we accept that God allows us encounter the same struggles that others have gone through. We can learn from Abraham the father of believers of God. God told him to go to Canaan. Abraham obeyed; then, there’s famine in Canaan. Instinctively, he went to Egypt. Genesis12:11-17 states: ¹¹As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. ¹²When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. ¹³ Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”

¹⁴When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman. ¹⁵And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. ¹⁶He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels. ¹⁷But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai. ¹⁸So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me?” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife?  

            During famine in Canaan, Abram went to Egypt and instructed his wife to tell other that they were siblings. Why? Did he not trust God to save them from famine or from danger in Egypt? Abram trusted God when he obeyed and went to Canaan; maybe, the level of his faith was still in progress at that time when they went to Egypt. He was scared of safety when he told his wife, “Tell them that we are siblings!” It’s not lie because they have the same father but different mother.

            God let Abram decided as a blessing in disguise. Abram prospered in Egypt.

            So how can we discern the right path we should take, as we trust the Lord?

2. Discern

⁸All the words of my mouth are just; none of them is crooked or perverse. ⁹To the discerning all of them are right; they are upright to those who have found knowledge.          

When Abraham instructed his wife to tell others that they were siblings, can you accept that it was God who gave Abram wisdom for his cleverness?

Would God allow us to decide beyond the level of our trust in him? Most often, the Lord allows decisions made according to our disposition or outlook in life. When we face danger and pray for help, we are reminded of his promises.

The Lord declares in Isaiah 43:1-3, ¹Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.²When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. ³For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

Actually, this promise of God to Israel was proven true by the friends of Daniel. King Nebuchadnezzar had set up an image of gold to be worshipped. And, anyone who does not worship the golden idol was thrown into a blazing furnace.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to worship the image of gold, and they were thrown into the blazing furnace. King Nebuchadnezzar said in Daniel 3:25-27,  ²⁵“Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.” ²⁶Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, ²⁷and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.

Do you accept that God makes miracles unique for each believer? When God tests us even when we know we have faith in him, it serves as practical proof of his grace and mercy when we overcome. Of course, godly wisdom says, we do not need to jump into a blazing furnace just to test if we have faith in God or not.

Do you want to test your faith in God? Let’s read Colossians 4:2-5 ²Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. ³And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. ⁴Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. ⁵Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.

If you remember it, pray for mission ministry regularly. Ask for wisdom. God may want you to participate in mission ministry: Go, send, or be a prayer partner.

God situates us where we may test if we’ve godly wisdom and knowledge. Keep praying for stronger faith in Christ the power and wisdom of God!

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