This little country of Bulgaria boasts an historical capital that carries the name Sofia—the Greek word for wisdom. Once again, I marvel at God’s coincidences. On my way here I finished my monthly reading of all thirty-one chapters of Proverbs. During these many days of intense travel and ministry, I have been reflecting on that word wisdom (The Hebrew word is pronounced hokmah). Like a brilliant diamond, wisdom is multi-faceted. It is, in part, the ability…
• to receive instruction and apply what we learn.
• to discern right from wrong and run from evil.
• to strip away the obvious and get to the heart of a matter.
• to unravel complicated situations.
• to weigh consequences before we do something.
• to delay gratification and be willing to wait as a form of worship.
• to never stop learning for as long as we live.
And where does this life-long pursuit of wisdom begin? It begins with a daily commitment to build our relationship to a holy and loving God, who is worthy of our worship, service and obedience:
Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…”
Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
I spent my first evening in Sofia, teaching a large group of mostly young people what the pursuit of holiness can really mean for them, their families and the world. I am praying that God would open their young eyes to the immeasurable value of a life of purity and obedience, so that they would not just live in a city named after wisdom, but enjoy for themselves the fullness of all that word means. Pray with me that they would truly grasp that here, in the poorest country in the European Union, God’s wisdom is the treasure worth finding. It will surely give them a lifetime of riches worth keeping. The same is true for us.
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