A friend recently sent me an article entitled "Why Men Stay Stuck." I almost laughed out loud ... because my brain interpreted this statement as, "Why Men Stay Stupid."
Paul wrote, "Claiming to be wise, they became fools (stupid)" (Romans 1:22).
I just relate more to being stupid than being stuck because so often stuck is the result of stupid.
God said, (in a direct quote), "Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid" (Proverbs 12:1).
So, there it is. Why do we stay stupid?
We don't care for discipline. We don't want to live with guardrails. We'd rather have our own way. We don't love knowledge. And wisdom becomes an elusive attribute.
Wisdom is the Holy Spirit-breathed skillful application of knowledge and understanding to live aligned with the Word of God. Wisdom is seeing what is right and doing it. James said, "The reason you do wrong is because you don't do right."
(James 4:17 my paraphrase).
Here's the best summation of it, in Proverbs:
When I was a boy at my father’s knee,
the pride and joy of my mother,
He would sit me down and drill me:
“Take this to heart. Do what I tell you—live!
Sell everything and buy Wisdom! Forage for Understanding!
Don’t forget one word! Don’t deviate an inch!
Never walk away from Wisdom—she guards your life;
love her—she keeps her eye on you.
Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom!
Write this at the top of your list: Get Understanding!
Throw your arms around her—believe me, you won’t regret it;
never let her go—she’ll make your life glorious.
She’ll garland your life with grace,
she’ll festoon your days with beauty.” Proverbs 4:3-9 MSG
It is wisdom to live according to God's Word. It is wisdom to be in brotherhood. It is wisdom to help others. It's wisdom to guide your family to righteousness. It is wisdom to follow Jesus with all your heart. It is wisdom that produces courage.
Make healthy and wise decisions today. (In Biblical terms, don't be stupid.)
I say this to you in the hopes that, as you build your life on wisdom, you will be a light to others who need to find the way to Christ and become a disciple of Jesus. That's smart.
