Proverbs 15:14A

"The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge...." Proverbs 15:14A

Upon hearing various stories from the Bible, I had a misconception concerning wisdom. My thought process was that if I asked God for wisdom that He would just basically cram the whole Encyclopedia Britannica into my head. Much to my chagrin, I learned that it doesn't happen this way!

First, you have to be willing. God loves a willing individual. A request is made to God. Ask him for a hunger to dive into and read His Word. Don't leave him hanging though! Do NOT ask, receive, then squander the hunger He has given you by not reading. Familiarize yourself with His Word. The more we dig into it, the more we are deemed faithful. Faithfulness leads to bestowment.

What does God bestow? Discernment. Keenness of insight and judgement. Your reading will change. Things will begin to click and make sense. I know when I first started reading the Bible, it contained interesting stories. They were just stories to me. I garnered nothing else from them. Over time and prayer for a hunger and discernment, they became more than stories. Read inbetween the lines and gather hidden truths. The Bible is an excellant source of knowledge, but do not limit yourself to it. Many great authors(men of God) are out there. They have expanded the understanding and knowledge of God many times over. C.S. Lewis, George MacDonald, G.K. Chesterton, Philip Yancey, Ronald Rolheiser, Martin Luther, St. Augustine, John Eldredge, etc. God gave me the ability to understand and grow under the tutelage of these men. They can do the same for everyone. They have been gone for years, yet still influence and help people grow intimate with God.

God wants us to seek Him. The easy part is accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The hard part is getting to know and grow intimate with God. Work is required. Knowledge is what brings us close to God. What joins our heart with His heart. Reading about him is the same as hanging out with your friends. Consider seeking knowledge exactly that, you are chilling with God and getting to know him better.

kenny