Bullseye: Proverbs That Hit the Target: Finding Wisdom, 8/30/15

Aug 30

Bullseye- finding wisdom

Proverbs 3:13-18

Blessed are those who find wisdom,    those who gain understanding,
¹⁴ for she is more profitable than silver    and yields better returns than gold.
¹⁵ She is more precious than rubies;    nothing you desire can compare with her.
¹⁶ Long life is in her right hand;    in her left hand are riches and honor.
¹⁷ Her ways are pleasant ways,    and all her paths are peace.
¹⁸ She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her;    those who hold her fast will be blessed.

Series – proverbs.  Trust, train a child, vision, iron sharpens iron

Wisdom.  What is it all about? A cup of the ocean – Styrofoam cup

Story of high school graduation… card: wisdom is its own reward.

The mirror sunglasses

The scratches on my face

          Being foolish

          Attracting attention to myself

          Allowing your ego to be based on the actions of others

         

We understand… common sense

Wisdom is uncommon sense

King Solomon and the baby. 1 kings 3 [we glamorize some of the biblical folks]

Solomons temple with slaves….

As  a side note this is not very Christian…….

Many great quotes regarding wisdom

Elbert Hubbard-Every man is a fool for at least five minutes every day; wisdom consists in not exceeding the limit.

Our scripture today reminds us……….

Wisdom will bless you

Better than money or fame

Nothing compares to having wisdom

Her ways are pleasant her paths are peace

She is like a tree of life… psalm 1

Several RANDOM things that I would like to say about wisdom….

1.   Possessions can get in the way… cloud our thinking….

An angel appears at a faculty meeting and tells the dean that in return for his unselfish and exemplary behavior, the Lord will reward him with his choice of infinite wealth, wisdom or beauty. Without hesitating, the dean selects infinite wisdom.

"Done!" says the angel, and disappears in a cloud of smoke and a bolt of lightning. Now, all heads turn toward the dean, who sits surrounded by a faint halo of light. At length, one of his colleagues whispers, "Say something."

The dean looks at them and says, "I should have taken the money." 

Worldly or soulful thinking?

Story of the Mexican fisherman

2.   Wisdom comes from being listening to others……….

Pat Starke

Who is wise in love, love most, say least.

Alfred Lord Tennyson

Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you would have preferred to talk.

Doug arson.

3.   Getting yourself out of the way.  Navigating a thing without your ego destroying the outcome

There is an old Chinese tale about a woman whose only son died. In her grief, she went to the holy man and asked, "What prayers, what magical incantations do you have to bring my son back to life?"

Instead of sending her away or reasoning with her, he said to her, "Fetch me a mustard seed from a home that has never known sorrow. We will use it to drive the sorrow out of your life." The woman went off at once in search of that magical mustard seed.

She came first to a splendid mansion, knocked at the door, and said, "I am looking for a home that has never known sorrow. Is this such a place? It is very important to me."

They told her, "You've certainly come to the wrong place," and began to describe all the tragic things that recently had befallen them.

The woman said to herself, "Who is better able to help these poor, unfortunate people than I, who have had misfortune of my my own?"

She stayed to comfort them, then went on in search of a home that had never known sorrow. But wherever she turned, in hotels and in other places, she found one tale after another of sadness and misfortune.

The woman became so involved in helping others cope with their sorrows that she eventually let go of her own. She would later come to understand that it was the quest to find the magical mustard seed that drove away her suffering.

There are many great wisdom sayings

The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.   William Arthur Ward

Two modes of prayer….. change god or change me….

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see.

Henry David Thoreau

My father said there were two kinds of people in the world: givers and takers. The takers may eat better, but the givers sleep better.

Marlo Thomas

More on Getting yourself out of the way

Wm bridges laws of organizational change

First Law of Organizational Development Is this: those who were most at home with the current state of affairs are the ones who are the most likely to experience change as a severe personal setback.

We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.

Max de Pree

Get the whisker from the tiger story

4.   Wisdom comes from contentment – peace in heart……….

Abbot and monk, clean water, dirty water….

To wait.  To be quiet.

That is why we like fountains.

That is why we like the wind in the trees.

5.   Trusting in God

Set your course by the stars, not by the lights of every passing ship.

Omar N. Bradley

True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.

Socrates

Wisdom begins in wonder.

Socrates

Wisdom is known by her children luke 7

³³ For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ ³⁴ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’³⁵ But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”

Wisdom of the kingdom is counter intuitive

I have come among you as one who serves…luke 22

If you want wisdom ultimately we must learn to follow the path of Jesus….