Wisdom is knowing and taking the right course of action in every situation. It is popular in our culture today to believe that what is right for one person is not necessarily right for another. Therefore, one course of action for one man may not be the “right” course of action for another. Here is a recent example. One man believes it is wise, after scoring a touchdown, to give the ball to the referee and run to the sideline to be congratulated by his teammates. However, this does not mean that it is foolish for another man, after scoring a touchdown, to pretend to pull his pants down in front of a crowd and then wipe his derriere upon the opposing teams goal post. Furthermore, with this thinking, for a broadcaster to clamor over and be appalled by the action of the later of these men would be to elevate his piety and self righteousness, or to put his standards of right and wrong above another. And in today’s culture this is not wisdom but foolishness. However, with this cultural standard of individualistic knowing right and doing right we have turned wisdom on it’s head. What is wise is foolish and what is foolish is wise. How has the culture and peoples thinking spiraled to this place of darkness?
Wisdom is possessed by God and he grants it to his creatures. The primary means of this granting of wisdom is through the revelation of himself in creation and the Word of God. The creation reveals to his creatures what can be known about God in a general manner. But the Word of God is his special revelation. In his special revelation he teaches about his nature, his salvation for man in the person and work of Jesus Christ, and the way his creatures should live. Our thinking and culture have spiraled into this foolish realm of darkness through a foolish exchange. We have the knowledge of God through his general revelation and special revelation. Yet we have not turned to him in worship and for wisdom. We have exchanged the worship of the Creator for worship of the creature, and exchanged the truth about God and life for a lie. Therefore our foolish hearts are darkened and we have been given over to the foolishness of our hearts with a continual want for more foolishness. When this exchange takes place in the hearts of men it effects life and culture. And when man spirals to this place of darkness the culture follows in darkness. And what once would have been foolish, may seem foolish to some, but they dare not say anything about it as foolish, for that is not wise.
How then do parents raise children of wisdom in such a realm of foolishness? Wisdom is attained through a course of life that begins and ends with the fear of God, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. First, parents must begin by sitting their children at the feet of God everyday through his Word. It will be at this place of submission and by faith that they will see the glory of God revealed in his manifold perfections, the salvation of God in the person and work of Christ Jesus, and the ways of God for their lives in the words of wisdom that flow from the fountain of Infinite Wisdom. Second, parents must place their children within the hearing of God speaking through his Word. God speaks to his people today through his Word preached by faith and received by faith. We need to be certain that our children are hearing the whole counsel of God’s Word preached every week from a pulpit on Sundays. The steady diet of God centered expository preaching through the books of the Bible will enable children to hear from God in his ordained means of speaking wisdom to their hearts. Third parents must assume the responsibility of teaching the wisdom of God to their children in daily life. The writer of Proverbs says to children, Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching,. Parents live with their children in the culture of life. Children go to school, watch television, socialize, and walk the sidewalks of life. And there lives are sponges in this culture of life. Parents are given the primary responsibility to teach their children in the culture of life to fear and love God and to walk in his ways. Parents can assist their children to understand the culture of life through the wisdom of God. And in this manner teach their children what is right and what is the right course of action in every situation.
In a realm of foolishness there is not a way of instant wisdom. And in a realm of foolishness there is not a way of wisdom by osmosis. Wisdom begins and ends with a fear of God, and God has ordained that children would learn to fear him and learn wisdom through parents who will lay down their lives to rescue their children’s hearts to God in the midst of a realm of foolishness.
No comments:
Post a Comment