The Benefits of Wisdom - Part 2

Welcome to the In Touch Podcast with Charles Stanley for Thursday, March 17th. When you learn to study and apply the principles of Scripture, you can truly enjoy the benefits of wisdom. Here are some keys to walking wisely. Well, there are lots of benefits of being a believer. Once you've trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you learn to walk in wisdom, learn to walk wisely. There are many wonderful benefits to being a child of God. And I want you to turn, if you will, to this third chapter of the Proverbs.

And I think almost all of our Scriptures except one will be in the book of Proverbs. If you'll notice beginning in verse thirteen of the third chapter, he says, How blessed is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding. For its profit is better than the profit of silver, and its gain than fine gold. She's more precious than jewels. Nothing you desire compares with her, and personifying wisdom as a lady here. Long life is in her right hand, in her left hand the riches in honor, her ways of pleasant ways, and all her paths of peace.

She's a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who hold her fast. There is a tremendous number of benefits when a person chooses to walk wisely. Now let's talk about what wisdom is for a moment. The Bible says that there is a wisdom of the world, there's a wisdom from above. That is God's wisdom. Man's wisdom is his way of looking at life and doing things in the light of his particular gifts and skills and so forth from an outlook of a fallen nature. That is, this is life and this is so-called wisdom without God. But then there is a godly wisdom, a wisdom that says I'm able to see things and view things from God's viewpoint.

I can see them the way He sees them. Therefore, I will interpret them the way He interprets them and respond to my circumstances and challenges in life on the basis of His principles. So wisdom, godly wisdom, is the capacity to see things as God sees them and respond according to His principles. So when a person says, well, what does it mean to walk wisely? A person is walking wisely when they are living out their life daily in their thinking, in their perspective of things. They're seeing God and looking at things the way God sees them because they are interpreting their life on the basis of the principles of Scripture. And therefore, if I interpret those things around on the basis of Scripture, then I'm going to be seeing things as God sees them and I'm going to be walking wisely. And so somebody says, well, it's walking wisely. I don't know about that.

Wait a minute. You mean to tell me that if you can gain an in-depth knowledge of God? You mean to tell me that if you can have clear direction for your life and God's divine protection? You mean to tell me that if all of this is a part of walking wisely, submitted to, yielded to, surrendered to, seeing things from God's perspective and responding appropriately and responding according to His biblical principles and having His energy and strength to live by? Tell me something. Give me any other lifestyle that can promise you that.

You cannot. Well, there is a fifth benefit. And that is one that somebody says, well, now, you know, I can maybe understand part of this other, but I'm not sure about this fifth one.

Well, what is it? Simply this, peace, contentment and happiness. Now you're saying, you mean to tell me that I'm going to have all that all the time? That if I'm walking wisely, looking at it from God's perspective that I'm going to be happy all the time?

No. Not all the time will you be happy. Peace, contentment and happiness will characterize our life. How can I have peace and contentment and happiness when I face difficulty and hardship? Well, what is walking wisely all about?

Walking wisely is the capacity to listen, see things from God's perspective and respond to them according to scriptural principles. So that if I go through some hardship and I see it from God's perspective, what am I going to see? I'm going to say He's in control. He loves me unconditionally. Therefore, there is a reason that He allows this in my life at this moment.

He's got something in mind. He only works for our best. God is up to something in our life. He is up to either establishing us, strengthening us, building us, testing our faith in order to bring us through with approval, never to bring us through disapproval. So when I can look at those difficulties and hardships or those times that are fruitful and joyful and those times that are good and productive, looking at those from God's perspective, what do I see?

I can look at it and thank God. We can look at even difficult times and thank Him. We can have contentment because God is in control.

I can have absolute peace because I know that my sovereign God is in absolute control and only will do the right thing toward us because that's the kind of God He is. There's only one successful life, the life lived in obedience to Almighty God. And the person who walks wisely interprets every aspect of life from the viewpoint of what's the mind of Christ?

What is the mind of God? And apart from walking wisely, you're not going to find it. Instead, you're going to find frustration, strife, anxiety and all the rest.

And so one of the benefits is certainly that threefold attribute that all of us would like to enjoy every day of our life and that is peace and contentment and happiness. There'll be moments when we're not very, don't feel very happy. But listen, that should be temporary in the life of one who is walking wisely because we're looking at things from God's perspective. Is it not true that there have been times when you have hurt deeply and the next thing you can know, you could turn around and laugh at the circumstance. You think, well God, there you were right in the middle of that bringing me through that and blessing me and strengthening me and educating me and enabling me and maturing me and here I was complaining everywhere.

And Lord, my goodness, you were just being so good to me. All of our happiness is not always there all the time. But there is the power of God to make us content and peaceful even in the midst of difficulty and hardship. Well, certainly one of those benefits and blessings of walking wisely is, here's what happens. That is when you walk wisely, it contributes to a good self-image. Look if you will in the eighth chapter of Proverbs. He says, beginning in verse thirty-two, Now therefore, O sons, listen to me, tell me wisdom now. For blessed are they who keep my ways, their wise ways, walk in wisdom. Heed instruction and be wise.

Do not neglect it. Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, that is, we are sensitive continually to his way and his will, waiting at my doorpost. For he who finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord.

Now think about this. When you and I begin to see things from God's perspective, we see the thing that most Christians will die and never experience. Because the most difficult thing I have found among believers is this. The most difficult thing for them to believe is that God loves them unconditionally. I get letters at times, this idea of God loving me unconditionally.

I don't believe He loves me unconditionally. Well, you're just missing out on the blessing. One of the benefits of walking wisely, seeing things from God's perspective is we begin to discern how God favors us and loves us and blesses us. And we begin to see things that we normally would not see. And oftentimes other people see how God has blessed you in ways that you never even thought about. Because you see, so often we get all tied up in the complexities of life. Somebody else can stand off and back off and look and say, my, how the Lord's blessed you. And that person can oftentimes just reiterate event after event or circumstance after circumstance or material blessing after material blessing and say, my, how God has blessed you. We'll look at life differently when we're walking in wisdom. And one of the benefits is we realize that God wants us to see ourselves as He sees us and He loves us and He says, you'll find good. He says, no good thing will He withhold from those who love Him, from those who walk in reverence toward Him. Number seven is this, and that is prosperity.

Now wait a minute. You mean to tell me that if I walk wisely that I'm guaranteed prosperity, you know what the answer is? Yes. Is this one of those prosperity gospels?

No. So let's look at it for a moment. Let's just begin in the eighth chapter for a moment. Eighth chapter, Proverbs seventeen.

Listen to wisdom speak now. I love those who love me and those who diligently seek me will find me. Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, even pure gold. My yield and choice is silver. I walk in the way of righteousness in the middle of the path of the justice to endow those who love me with wealth that I may fill their treasures.

I either believe it or I don't believe it. Now, all wealth is not confined to gold, silver and paper money or stocks and bonds and lands and houses and cars and all the rest. The most enduring wealth is not anything tangible, but it is wealth. Think about the wealth of knowing God. Think about the wealth of the knowledge of God.

Listen, there is nothing to compare with the knowledge of God. That's wealth. That that is spiritual wealth. You are rich. You are extremely rich when you know God. And when you and I are walking wisely, what's happening? Our riches are increasing.

Our wealth is increasing because our knowledge increase. He says he stores up knowledge, stores up wisdom for those who love him to those who obey him. Now, think about this for a moment. When you and I are walking wisely, what are we doing? We're getting God's viewpoint on something. We're getting God's viewpoint and we look to the Scriptures to find out what's the principle. All right, let's take this something financial, for example. If you and I are walking wisely, we're going to understand that money comes and money goes and it goes faster than it comes. Amen?

So we understand that. If we're walking wisely, we will be careful with what God has entrusted to us. When you and I are walking wisely, he will give us discernments about what is a wise investment and what is not.

What is a wise way to spend or to invest that money and what is not? Because listen, we get in the mind of God. And so the mind of God, if we are wise and he sends us a message, don't do that. Don't go that. Don't buy that. Don't spend it on that. You say, well, is God interested in all that? Why? Certainly he is.

Why? Because because you belong to him and everything you and I have was given to us by him to use wisely. Does that mean that you should not enjoy life?

No, it doesn't mean that. He says he will withhold no good thing from those who love him to those who trust him. God wants his children to be blessed and to enjoy life, peace, contentment and happiness. Now they don't come through material things, but God certainly does not want us to be miser's. He does not want us to just be a miser and never spend any money on ourselves. But the issue is, what's wisdom? What's the wise thing to do? The wise thing to do is not to go out and do what you feel like doing at the moment, but to say, Lord, what is the wise thing to do? Is there a benefit in walking wisely?

You better believe there is. Lots of benefits. One of them is that financially can be beneficial to us. And in our knowledge, of course, it'll be beneficial because that's the greatest wealth of all.

Well, let me mention one last one, and that is walking wisely contributes to good health and a long life. Oh, now, how can you guarantee that? Well, I wouldn't guarantee anything, but I just tell you what God says. Here's what he says. Look in the third chapter now, again, third chapter, and let's look in verse eight.

Here's what he says. Speaking of wisdom and trusting the Lord and so forth, he says, verse seven, Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones. Walking wisely contributes to good health and long life. Think about this. If you and I are walking wisely, that means we get up in the morning and what are we going to do? We're going to interpret life for the day according to the mind of Christ. That is, how does He think about it? We want to know how He thinks about it.

And we're going to respond to situations and circumstances and decisions accordingly. What am I going to do? Here's what's going to happen. I'm going to fill my day fruitfully. I'm not going to waste my time.

I'm not going to waste minutes, let alone hours. And what's going to happen is I'm going to fill my day with those things that are fruitful and profitable because I'm living wisely, walking in the will of God, getting guidance, clear guidance from Him and doing those things that He wants us to do the way He wants us to do them. That's how you fill up your life and become productive and fruitful and successful.

So your days are going to be full. He's saying we will accomplish more, achieve more, enjoy more. Our life's going to be fruitful and productive when we walk in wisdom. And it's just plain common sense that says that, that if I'm walking and interpreting life from God's perspective and living in His will and doing what He wants me to do, when He wants me to do it, how He wants me to do it, when He wants me to do it, it's got to be productive.

It's got to be fulfilling. It's got to be rewarding because that's the very nature of life and God is involved in your life. He benefits you with it with a full, healthy life. Now when I said contribute to our good health and prosperity, let's think about that for a moment.

Let's think about this. Good health. Would you say that it's wise to smoke cigarettes? Is it wise to drink alcohol?

I don't care whether you get that much or a whole pint. Is it wise or is it not? Is it wise to commit immorality? No, it's not. Is it wise to live in an immoral condition? No, it's not. Is it wise to just eat, eat, eat, eat, eat everything you see and overindulge yourself?

No, it's not. Does jealousy and pride and arrogance contribute to good health? No, it does not. There are many, many attitudes that do not contribute to good health. Does doubt and fear contribute to good health?

No, they do not. What's the cure of all that? Walking wisely, looking at life from God's perspective.

You know what that does? When we look at life from God's perspective, I don't have any reason to be anxious or fretful or fearful. When those moments come, check myself instantly. Thank God you're in control. Why do I have to be afraid of something if you're in control?

Why do I have to be anxious if you're in control? And so good health and nourishment to our bones, energy for our life. A person who is living and walking wisely is going to have God's divine energy. Why?

Because all of these benefits work together. I'm going to be relying upon Him for strength and energy. I'm going to be taking care of my body, what I put in it, what I don't put in it. Listen, a believer, if we violate the laws of the human body, if we violate them, we're going to suffer the same result as the unbeliever does because you can't violate God's laws and say, well, I'm just praying and talking to God about it.

You can't do that. And so when people say to you, don't eat sugar, or when they say, don't eat too much fat. Well, you know what, that's not going to hurt me. Ask yourself the question, what does God say? God says that these bodies of ours are the temples of the Holy Spirit. If it is the temple of the Holy Spirit, it is a holy thing in the eyes of God. And if somebody walked into any church building, your church or this church, and they took an ax and they absolutely destroyed this pulpit. And they wrote dirty stuff all over these walls. And they marked up, painted white and red all over the piano. They tore up all the pews and all the chairs. We'd say they just desecrated the house of God.

We would just be irate about that. Did you know that in the eyes of God, to misuse your body, desecrate your body, is worse in His sight than something that is material that can be replaced. And He says in this passage, we just saw it a few moments ago, that from God's perspective, listen to this, from God's perspective, He says that He will give nourishment to our bones. That wisdom will give good health, health. Something goes on in the human body when you and I begin to walk wisely. We begin to want to take care of ourselves. That's not being self-centered.

Remember what He said a few months ago? He said a wise man loves his own soul. Well, if he loves your own soul, what houses your soul, your human body? And so the believer, we ought to take care of our body, look our best, do our best, feed at our best, sleep at our best, take care of it in every way we possibly can. So you ask yourself the question, no matter who you are and where you are, if walking wisely, having trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, and submitting yourself to Him, and living each day with Him and His purpose and plan in mind, seeing things from His viewpoint and responding accordingly, listen, if it will bring you a deep knowledge of God, if it will give you a clear direction for your life, if you will experience God's protection and His energy and His power, if you will begin to experience contentment and peace and happiness, and you begin to experience in your life good health and strength and riches and wealth, both spiritual and material as much as He chooses to give you, would you not agree that's the best way to live? You can't beat that for living. Friend, it's the best life. It's the only real genuine life. It's the only thing that's reality, everything else is a counterfeit.

Everything else is, listen, the product of man's fallen nature. It doesn't work. It has never worked.

It cannot work because God is the source of all life and peace and joy and happiness and contentment and riches and true genuine wealth and eternal life. You can't miss it when you choose God's instructions. The wisest thing you and I can do is to choose to walk wisely. Thank you for listening to part two of The Benefits of Wisdom. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or In Touch Ministries, stop by intouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of In Touch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.