Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a video of a chorus of the Wabash College glee club alumni singing The Wabash College Alma Mater, and if one looks closely in the video, yours truly can be found in the glee club reunion photos as the Wabash College’s Alma Mater is sung to glorify an education at Wabash College in song.
Highlight Passage Proverbs 3: 13-14 [ESV] …
13 Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, …14 for the gain from here (i.e., wisdom) is better than gain from silver and her profit than gold.
… Wisdom, for Solomon, was worth more than the pursuit and gain of gold/silver.
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Highlight Context - Proverbs, Chapter 3 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God’s value of wisdom and understanding of His truth is portrayed by Solomon for his son.
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Reference Passage #1 - Job, Chapter 28 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… See especially Job 28: 28 … Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,and to turn away from evil is understanding
Reference Passage #2 - Psalm 119 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, through the Psalmist, reveals the value of attaining God’s truth from His word
Reference Passage #3 - Isaiah 55: 11 [ESV] … 11 … so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth. It shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing which I sent it.
… God, through the Prophet, proclaiming the value of His word.
Reference Passage #4 - Romans 16: 25-27 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul’s doxology proclaims the value of the truth of the Gospel as revealed in God’s word.
Reference Passage #5 - Colossians 2: 1-3 [ESV] …
1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
… Paul’s desire was that all Christians would pursue the great riches of the Gospel which can only be attained when one pursues them in God’s truth [i.e., His word].
My Journal for Today: Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Joe Stowell, reminded his readers (me) that this time of year often finds our culture glorifying the attainment of college degrees as many colleges and universities have their graduation ceremonies. And we believe in our world that the pursuit of such degrees signifies the attainment of knowledge and wisdom, which hopefully can be leveraged into careers, financial success, and worldly influence (see the attached photo).
Well, in Bible times, the pursuit of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding was also valued greatly; but for a different reason … and the pursuit from a different source. Wisdom, as from the likes of Solomon, Job, and the Prophets in the Old Testament, was attained only from digging desperately and finding it in from God Himself; and that pursuit could only be found - for God’s children - from His word. Hence, from so many OT sources, as in Job, Chapter 28 or Psalm 119 or Isaiah 55: 11, we read the wise men of God, from their experience, writing about the value of wisdom and understanding being pursued from God’s word.
But unfortunately, we, in today’s world, value the achievement of a piece of paper [i.e., a degree], which declares that we’ve been to a certain worldly institution of so-called “higher” learning, … so that we can show that we know certain things, … so that we can be hired to make others rich. The degree, for so many, is key to success in our world, … which, of course, is totally misguided. Because, if one takes in God’s truth from His main source of His wisdom [see the Scriptures above], truth wisdom can only be attained from gleaning HIS (God’s) understanding from HIS (God’s) truth; and that is from HIS (God’s) word.
So, the question - from today’s devotional - shouts loudly … Are we digging deeply into God’s truth (i.e., His word) for His true wisdom, which is His key to success in His purpose for our lives?
Dear one, … that’s why I published my pursuit of His truth here yesterday, and again today; and I will be here again tomorrow, digging into His word for one more gem of truth.
So, I’ll see you back here tomorrow!
My Prayer Today: Oh Lord, … I dig in Your gold mine of wisdom today for just one more gem of truth from You. Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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