April 4, 2024: I Will Pursue Wisdom Relentlessly, For It Protects, Illuminates, And Guides Me

”Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.“ -Proverbs‬ ‭4‬:‭5‬-‭7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Growing up, I loved watching movies. One of my favorites was The Karate Kid. In this movie, Daniel gets into some trouble and learns karate from Mr. Miyagi. When gets there, instead of learning moves instantly, he is doing chores. Waxing the car, painting the house, and other things. His frustration mounts until his teacher puts him in a situation where “wax on, wax off” makes sense.

This is a quote from TV Ropes describing the movie. “Always dismissed as a waste of time early on, but appreciated later. Often, this also serves as a lesson to the skeptical student to trust the master and do all the crazy things the master asks without questioning, by demonstrating that the master really knows what he's doing and is in fact effectively teaching the student.” Daniel doesn’t understand the wisdom of Mr. Miyagi until he actually uses what he has been teaching him.

Solomon’s advice is to get wisdom and get understanding. He emphasizes this with exclamation points. This word for get means to acquire. To buy or obtain for oneself. The only way to get wisdom is to ask God for it. Daniel wouldn’t have learned karate if he never asked Mr. Miyagi. We have to get our own wisdom and understanding. Having the mental capacity to do what right in our living and in the sight of God.

He takes it a step further by saying when you get it, don’t forget it. There are moments in life where we turn away from things because of different things going on in our lives. Believe it or not, you will have your own “wax on, wax off” moment in your life where what you didn’t understand then, you see why now. Wisdom will keep you safe. Love her and she will keep you. The more you seek wisdom, the more it will keep you in life. Every day you seek more wisdom from God, He continues to provide it.

Wisdom is the principal thing. The term generically means "what comes first," which can imply a beginning or something of utmost importance. The need to acquire wisdom is simultaneously "step one" along the wise path as well as the key principle by which to stay on it. Nothing in life is as valuable as the wisdom to know and do God's will and to understand how to respond correctly to obstacles and opportunities.