The Bible says, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” Proverbs 4:7 KJV. When something is the principal thing, it means that thing cannot be ignored. But the topic of wisdom is so broad that many christians get confused trying to understand it. My goal in this write up is to bring to bare the core of wisdom; the essentials we may need to understand about wisdom and how to access it. In order to do this, we are going to ask and answer the question: What are some of the wisest things anybody can do? Or, what are some of the main biblical descriptions or illustrations of wisdom?
The fear of the Lord is one of the wisest thing anybody can do. The Bible says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments : his praise endureth for ever.” Psalm 111:10 KJV. What does the fear of God mean? Proverbs chapter 8 and verse 13 says, “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.” Below are some scriptures that can give us more understanding of the fear of the Lord.
Job 28:28 KJV – [28] And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
Psalm 34:14 KJV- [14] Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
Proverbs 3:7 KJV – [7] Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord and depart from evil.
Proverbs 16:6 KJV – [6] By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.
It is apparent from the above scriptures that the fear of God means departing from evil. It means to do good, seek peace and pursue it. The fear of the Lord also refer to a willingness to put aside our human wisdom or intelligence whenever it conflicts with divine instruction. Job 28:28 calls the fear of the Lord wisdom. The fear of the Lord and the wisdom of God are like two sides of the same coin. The fear of God is one of our greatest access into the wisdom of God. The Bible says, “What man is he that feareth the Lord ? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose. [14] The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.” Psalm 25:12,14 KJV.
Choosing right or judging right is a product of wisdom. The ability to make the right judgement or make the right choices on issues that bothers our future can only come from the Omniscient God. What may look right or true today, may be totally wrong in the light of future events. God will teach those that fear him to choose right. He will show them the secret things unknown to man. The life of Joseph is a powerful illustration of this truth. Joseph operated in the wisdom of God at a level that amazed Pharaoh. Although he was an ex convict, a slave, and an alien, who probably had a terrible ascent, Pharaoh could not find a match to the wisdom of Joseph in the whole of Egypt, which was at that time one of the world’s center of knowledge. See what Pharaoh said, “And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is ? [39] And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art : [40] Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.” Genesis 41:38-40. What was his secret? How did he become so wise?
It is clear from scriptures that Joseph’s wisdom was rooted in his fear of God. He never had anything to do with evil. He never condoned whatever evil his brothers did and would always report them to his father. Genesis 37:2. When the wife of Portipha, wanted him to sleep with her, he vehemently refused, saying, “There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” Genesis 39:9 KJV. The fear of God was his watchword, no wonder the wisdom of God was so heavy upon him. Daniel and our Lord Jesus Christ accessed divine wisdom by the fear of God as well. The Bible tells us that Daniel from the very onset, determined in his heart that he will not defile himself with the king’s meat. Daniel 1:8. He therefore did not lack the wisdom, or the secret of God at anytime. We can learn from his insight; “Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: [21] And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: [22] He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.” Daniel 2:20-22 KJV. God is the owner and giver of wisdom, and he will give it to those that fear him.
Our Lord and savior Jesus Christ also operated in the wisdom of God. The people of his days wondered at his wisdom. They said, “…From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?” Mark 6:2 KJV. He was a problem solver, he always knew what to do. Many times they tried to trap him with there questions, but failed. He had complete access to the wisdom of God because he had the fear of God. The devil had nothing in him. Even satan could not find any fault in him. In John 14 and verse 30 he said, “Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.”
Why is the fear of God such a wise thing to do? Apart from the obvious connection of the fear of God to divine wisdom, which the Bible describes as the principal thing, there are some other reasons why the fear of God is a smart thing to do. First, the fear of God gives you an upper hand over your enemies. It makes you smarter than your enemies. Psalm 119 and verse 98 puts it this way; “Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me.” Joseph was wiser that his brothers who hated him and sold him out to the Midianites. Their hatred for him could not abort his great destiny. The fear of God does not only frustrate the devices of the devil, it converts them into stepping stones, to the desired destination. In their hatred for him, they helped to send him to the country where his throne was ordained. And at the appointed time they all came crawling and begging. By the fear of God, Daniel was delivered from the lions den but the lions feasted on his enemies. Read the following couple of verses and see how the fear of God can give you victory over your enemies.
My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt. [24] And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den. Daniel 6:22,24 KJV
Wisdom will make you wiser than disease, sickness, defeat, failure, lack and poverty. The fear of the Lord is you access to wisdom. If you find yourself working with people that don’t like you, people that are capable of getting you in trouble, the wise thing to do is allowing the fear of God be your watchword. By so doing, just as God shut the mouths of the lion that they could not devour Daniel, God will not only deliver you from them, he will make them suffer whatever evil they planned against you.
The second reason why it is a smart thing to fear the Lord is that it attracts favor. Proverbs 14:9 says, “Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour.” Righteousness attracts favor which puts you on the fast lane of life. I love the way Proverbs 16:17 puts it, “The highway of the upright is to depart from evil…”. In the U.S we call it freeway. Do you want to win in life? Do you need divine enablement in your pursuit of life’s goals? Try the fear of God. Depart from every appearance of evil. Consider this, if righteousness can exalt a nation (Proverb 14:30), what do you think it will do to you? It will catapult you to the very top of your destiny, and keep you there permanently. Yes you shall be the head and not the tail, always above and not beneath. The fear of God will keep you above only. See how the Bible says it, “And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them.” Deuteronomy 28:13 KJV
Another reason why the fear of God is the smartest thing to do is because sin is a killer, a sinker, and a destroyer. Every time we sin something in us dies. Every time you sin something dies in you. For the wages of sin is death. Romans 6:23. This death may not be immediately obvious, but it certainly happens. We must also understand that the words death and life mean a little more than the traditional meanings we ascribe to them. For instance, if we look carefully at Deuteronomy 30:19 (KJV), “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:” we would observe that the word life here is synonymous with blessing, and the word death here is synonymous with cursing. It is therefore fair to say that sin attracts cursing, the wrath of God, or death as it is generally called, while righteousness attracts the blessing, or favor of God. Let’s use another scripture; Proverbs 18:20-21 “ A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. [21] Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” You will agree with me, that it will be wrong for us to confine the traditional meaning of death, cessation of life, to the word death in verse 21. It will also be wrong to say that the traditional meaning of life, consciousness or existence, is what the life here refers to. I have seen many people use their tongue terribly, but i have not seen any of them fall down and die the moment they did so. Life here refers to blessing, favor, the goodness of God, as well as eternal glory. Death on the other hand, means cursing, the wrath of God, misfortune, and eternal damnation. Now look at Romans 6:23 again, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Every time you sin something dies in you even though you might not notice it. Similarly, when we do righteousness, we start enjoying the blessing, favor, and kindness of God even while we are still here on earth. Adam and Eve did not die physically the moment they sinned, although the effects of their sin set in immediately. Sin shut them out of the glorious estate God prepared for them. The glory of God that covered their nakedness departed from them. And although they were designed and created to live for ever, sickness and premature death set in. His wisdom was also was also affected. He thought the wise thing to do was to hide from God. The same way many people that should be running to God for answers are running away from God today. Sin blurs your reasoning. It deadens your mind. The wisdom of God cannot coexist with sin. The fear of God is your access to the blessing, favor, and kindness of God.
The story of Samson’s arrest in Judges 16:4-21 show that sin can dampen the mind, sin blurs your understanding. What other reason can we give for why Samson told Delilah the secret of his strength when he was already aware that the enemies were lurking around to take advantage of it. Sin would not let understand that Delilah had sold him out to his enemies. Let’s read.
And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth. [16] And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death; [17] That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother’s womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man. [21] But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house. Judges 16:15-17,21 KJV
Although it was obvious that Delilah was bent on destroying him, yet sin had blinded his mind so much that he could not see it. And when they eventually arrested him, the first thing they did was to pluck out his eyes. Sin will take away your God-given vision and drown your destiny. The fear of God is a no brainer. It is the right way to go. It is one of the pillars of the wisdom of God.
Another major core of wisdom is the love of God. Take a close look at these verses from Proverb chapter 8:
I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.
[14] Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength. [15] By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. [16] By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth. [17] I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. [18] Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness. [19] My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver. [20] I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: [21] That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.
[35] For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord. [36] But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death. Proverbs 8:12,14-21,35-36 KJV
We see the personification of wisdom in these verses. When we look closely, it becomes obvious that our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ is the embodiment of wisdom. It is becomes even clearer when you consider more closely verses 21, 35 and 36: “That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures. [35] For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord. [36] But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.” The love of God, the greatest of all commandments is referred to here as the key to wisdom. We also know that 1 Corinthians 1:24 says, “…Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” You cannot truly love God and lack his wisdom. In fact, the love of God is the greatest wisdom anyone can have. When Jesus was asked which was the greatest commandment in scriptures, he answered: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. [38] This is the first and great commandment. [39] And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. [40] On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40 KJV
The law and the prophets in verse 40 refers to the holy scriptures, which is the custodian of God’s wisdom. This means the wisdom of God is predicated on the love of God. Let’s illustrate this with Solomon and David is father.
In 1 Kings 3 and verses 3 and 4, the Bible says, “And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places. [4] And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar.” Solomon loved the Lord like his father David and God rewarded him with wisdom. His decision to choose wisdom, instead of wealth, fame, or the heads of his enemies was inconsequential if you come to think of it. Do we penalize people for the decisions they made in a dream? There was no other way around it, by choosing to love God, Solomon chose wisdom even before he went to bed that night. And with wisdom comes riches, honor and fame. Proverb 8:18,21.
It is pertinent to note at this point that Love is in giving. While it is possible to give without loving, it is impossible to love and not give. The Bible says, God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. John 3:16. If you love somebody, you will give him/her your time, your kindness, forgiveness and even money. If we say we love God, we must make time for him; time to pray, time to study his word, time to witness and evangelize. And more importantly, the love of God will compel us to be financially responsible in his kingdom. We must be givers and tithe payers. If the love of God in you does not compel you to foster his agenda here on earth, what you have is something else. It is certainly, not the love of God. God loved and gave, Solomon loved and gave, if you love God, you will give to his interest.
To love God also means, putting God first. The wisdom of putting God first is clearly stated in Matthew 6:32 and 33. Matthew 6:32-33: “(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. [33] But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” When the widow of Zerephath agreed to give the prophet Elijah her last meal, she was applying this principle. It worked. The Bible says, “And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. [16] And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah.” 1 Kings 17:15-16 KJV. Until you start making God and his agenda your priority, you are not ready to become his priority. Put God first, and see how far he will take you.
David, the father of Solomon was a God lover. And he was a dangerous giver as well. He was willing to give his life to fight Goliath, the warrior and giant of the Philistines who was intimidating the children of Israel. His bravery and wisdom can only come from God. We can learn a lot by looking closely at David’s attitude in the middle of crisis. Look at what he said when others were trying to talk him down, and discourage him from fighting Goliath:
And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: [35] And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. [36] Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. [37] David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee. 1 Samuel 17:34-37 KJV.
Two things are worth pointing out here. The first is David’s willingness to draw strength and courage from past testimonies, to fight his current challenge. His reasoning was, the same God that delivered me from the paw of the lion and bear, has not changed. He will do it again. If we can all remember to draw strength and courage from our previous testimonies while facing our current challenges, we will all come out victorious. This is wisdom; giving testimonies of God’s faithfulness even in the face of our current challenges. The second wise thing he did, was saying that the armies of Israel were the armies of God. By saying so, he handed over the battle unto God. If we would learn to hand over all our battles unto God, victory would become so easy; unending breakthroughs shall become our portion. “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” 1 Peter 5:7 KJV. Tell God to take over that battle you have been fighting.
I was going to make the point that David was a dangerous giver when I digressed a little bit. His love for God compelled him to give to the work of God sacrificially. It was David that said, “…Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.” 2 Samuel 24:24 KJV. God lovers will freely give to God and to his interest here on earth.
In second Samuel 7 and verses 1 and 2, David told Nathan the priest, his desire to build a house for God. God was pleased by this, but would not allow him to do so because he was a man of war. But promised that his offspring will build for him a house. That did not stop David from supporting in the building the temple of God. Please read through the following passage and see David’s love and commitment to building the temple of God.
Furthermore David the king said unto all the congregation, Solomon my son, whom alone God hath chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great: for the palace is not for man, but for the Lord God. [2] Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for things to be made of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and the brass for things of brass, the iron for things of iron, and wood for things of wood; onyx stones, and stones to be set, glistering stones, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance. [3] Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, [4] Even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses withal : [5] The gold for things of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and for all manner of work to be made by the hands of artificers. And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the Lord ? [6] Then the chief of the fathers and princes of the tribes of Israel, and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers of the king’s work, offered willingly, 1 Chronicles 29:1-6 KJV
Was loving God the wise thing to do? Or, did God bless David for loving him? The love of God is certainly the wisest thing anybody can do. 1 Corinthians 2:9 says, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” But, what are some the specific blessings we get for loving God? How did God bless David and others that loved him?
First, God lovers enjoy unusual mercies from God. It is amazing how God in several occasions speared the life of David and made others suffer the repercussion of his actions. When David unadvisedly numbered the children of Israel in 2 Samuel 24, seventy thousand men were killed by a plague from the Lord as punishment for his sin, but David himself did not die. In fact, when the angel was about plaguing Jerusalem where the king and his household lived, God stopped it. “So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to Beer-sheba seventy thousand men. [16] And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the angel of the Lord was by the threshingplace of Araunah the Jebusite.” 2 Samuel 24:15-16 KJV. Also, when David sinned against the Lord by taking the wife of Uriah after killing him, God brought a curse upon the the household of David and said the little child that was born as a result of that affair would die. David, the cause of the whole problem, was speared. But the innocent child that was born had to die. What David did to Uriah was worse in comparison to what Saul did and lost his throne and lineage. Loving God will make you enjoy unusual mercies from God.
The offsprings of God lovers often enjoy the mercies and kindness of God. Abraham was a God lover. He was willing to give his son Isaac. As a result, God blessed him and his offsprings. Listen to God speaking after Abraham demonstrated he was willing to give son, Isaac: “And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son : [17] That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.” Genesis 22:16-17 KJV. And long after Abraham had gone to be with the Lord, whenever any of his offsprings was in trouble, God would intervene saying I am doing this for Abraham’s sake. Here is an example of this: “And the Lord appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.” Genesis 26:24 KJV. Loving God is the smart thing to do, at least for the sake of our offsprings.
God lovers names are immortalized. Abraham, Moses, David are, but a few example of God lovers we will continue to talk about as long as man has breath and can read the Bible. Even a minor character such as the woman that broke the alabaster box of very expensive ointment on Jesus, got her spot in history. Jesus said concerning her, “Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.” Mark 14:9 KJV. Let me show you through scriptures, the blessedness of the name of David: first, Jesus Christ the son of God, God incarnate, was call the son of David. “And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.” Mark 10:47 KJV. Second, the key or the authority of heaven is named after David. “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;” Revelation 3:7 KJV. The throne of heaven is called the throne of David. “He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:” Luke 1:32 KJV.
Is David going to make heaven? The answer is an emphatic yes. God lovers will inherit eternal glory.
What about material blessing? Will God bless those that love him with material blessings? The answer is yes. Solomon’s love of God brought him untold wealth and fame, besides the wisdom God gave to him. Abraham loved God and was very rich. Genesis 24 paints a clear picture of the wealth of Abraham. In verse one, the Bible says, “And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.” What the Lord said in Proverb 8:17-21,35,36 is insightful: “I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. [18] Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness. [19] My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver. [20] I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: [21] That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures. [35] For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord. [36] But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.” Note that he said, durable riches and honor shall be given to his lovers.
The fact that the love of God is the anchor for the multi faceted wisdom of God cannot be overemphasized. Jesus said, loving God with all we have is the pillar of wisdom on which other wisdoms hangs on. “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. [38] This is the first and great commandment. [39] And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. [40] On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40. The love of God is the master key in the school of wisdom.
Let me also point out that we cannot truly love God without loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. Jesus made this clear when he said, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” John 13:34 KJV. Are you ready to excel in the school of wisdom? He said, “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. [24] He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.” John 14:23-24 KJV. Jesus was the full expression of the wisdom and power of God (1 Corinthians 1:24), and his primary focus was to express the love of God to man. He taught his disciples to love one another just as he had loved them. He prayed to God to keep them together in his love. Read carefully this prayer of Jesus Christ for his disciples: “And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. [15] I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. [23] I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. John 17:11,15,23 KJV. He came to express God’s love, so he had the wisdom of God without measure.
It is pertinent to note here also that love never fails. “Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.” 1 Corinthians 13:8 KJV. You cannot live in love and fail in life. The love of God is the greatest force available to us, to conquer the devil. Apostle John, succinctly puts it this way, “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. [7] Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. [8] He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” 1 John 4:4,7-8 KJV. God is love, therefore, the love of God in you makes you unstoppable. Apostle Paul said, “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21 KJV.
The third core, or pillar of wisdom, I want us to see today is soul winning. The Bible says, “…and he that winneth souls is wise.” Proverbs 11:30 KJV. This is huge because we already know that wisdom is the principal thing. Many things we consider wisdom today, will fail the test of time. But if God says soul winning is a wise thing to do, we can be rest assured that this wisdom will never fail, even unto eternity. Daniel 12:2 and 3 agrees with this. Read carefully, “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. [3] And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” At the resurrection of the dead, soul winners will continue to be considered wise. They shall shine as the brightness of the firmament and as stars for ever more. If you want your wisdom to speak for you even unto eternity, try soul winning. Let’s not just give mental ascent to this truth, let’s run with it. Become a soul winner today, and you will never regret you did.
Another reason soul winning is such a core of the wisdom of God is clearly stated in Ezekiel 3:17,18 and 19: “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. [18] When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. [19] Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.” Think about this for a moment. If my inaction on soul winning will result in me paying with my life for the death of a sinner that I had the opportunity of witnessing to, the wise thing to do now, is to seize every opportunity I have to witness the word of God. This is another no brainer. Be a soul winner, save your soul, and shine as the star of heaven forever.
There are many people who want to witness but do not know what the gospel entails. The gospel is about Jesus, what He did, His life of perfect obedience, His atoning death on the cross, His resurrection from the dead, His ascension into heaven, and His outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the church. These are the crucial elements of the New Testament gospel of Christ. First, there is the question of who Jesus was and what He did. Second is the question of how that benefits you and me. The doctrine of justification by faith is also an essential part of the the gospel. In preaching the gospel we preach about Jesus, and we preach about how we are brought into a saving relationship with him. When we read the book of Acts 10: 34-45, we see certain features of the gospel that we must always have in mind when we witness.
First, God is not a respecter of persons. God does not discriminate. The gospel would profit whosoever will believe in it. See how Peter said it when God persuaded him to take the gospel to Cornelius, the gentile centurion: “Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: [35] But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.” Acts 10:34-45 KJV. No wonder, the word ‘whosoever’ appeared over 93 in the New Testament. For instance, John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Second, Jesus Christ is both the prince of peace and the Lord of all. We see this in verse 36, “The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)”. We must let everyone around us know that true peace abides in Jesus. He said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” He is also Lord over all. Apostle Paul by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit said, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: [10] That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; [11] And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11 KJV. We must let the world know that Jesus is Lord, not the devil.
Third, Jesus came to do us good. He will heal you. He will set you free. He is the answer to the questions of the world today. He is the solution to the crises in the lives of many today. We must communicate this loud and clear. Peter was a eyewitness. He was with Jesus throughout his ministry here on earth. See what he said in verse 38, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” Jesus will do you good. Let us announce to the world that Jesus is the best thing that can happen to them. He will heal and deliver you. He will bless you. He is still doing good; “He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” Psalm 107:20 KJV. Don’t forget to tell somebody Jesus will do you good.
Fourth, Jesus Christ died for the sins of mankind and rose again. A major part of the gospel is faith on the substitutionary work of Jesus Christ. Verses 39 through 41, and 43, say, “And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: [40] Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly; [41] Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. 43] To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” The book of 1 Corinthians 15:19-22 KJV makes it even clearer: “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. [20] But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. [21] For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. [22] For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” Jesus has paid the penalty for the sins of mankind, but we must accept his sacrificial work on the cross of Calvary in order to walk in this freedom. It is our responsibility to let the whole world know about this.
Fifth, Jesus is coming again. He is coming to judge both the dead and the living. Verse 42 says, “And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.” Jesus himself spoke of this in Matthew 25:31-32 KJV: “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: [32] And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats.” Many in the world today somehow think they will live forever. We have the responsibility to remind them of Hebrews 9:27 that says, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” it urgent that we let people know that we shall all give account of our lives on the day of Judgement. There will be damnation in hell fire and reward in heaven. Now is the time to choose where you want to be.
Finally, Acceptance of the gospel is followed by two types of baptisms. Water baptism baptism which is conducted by man, is essential for the transition from the kingdom of darkness, into the kingdom of light.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is conducted by Jesus himself. We need it for service and for victorious Christian living. “While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. [45] And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.” The baptism of the Holy Spirit sometimes come before water baptism, as it was in this case. Have you experienced water baptism and the baptism of the Holy Ghost? Tell your pastor you want to be baptized, if you have not and pray that God will baptize you with the Holy Spirit as well. God is ready and willing to baptize you with the Holy Ghost. The Bible says, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” Luke 11:13 KJV.