One cornerstone characteristic of wisdom is listening. A wise person listens, as opposed to a fool who won’t listen to anyone. Solomon commended his sons to live wisely and by doing so, they would find life. Proverbs 1:5 is one of many sayings Solomon gave to his sons that shows how much wisdom makes life better, “Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance….”
God is pretty upfront about what He thinks of pride…He opposes it! (James 4:6). Satan loves it when we are full of ourselves because then we won’t listen to anyone else—even God. When we don’t listen to God, we will be separated from our Heavenly Father who has shed light on our path in order to lead His children home. Trusting God’s light, His words, His guidance becomes a necessary part of reaching our eternal goal.
Ultimately, listening to God is a fantastic demonstration of faith. People all throughout Scripture model for us the blessing that comes from listening, and there are also many that serve as examples of what NOT to do by their refusal to listen.
Solomon said in Proverbs 15:31-33, “The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise. Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence. The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.”
As we seek deeper faith, take a moment to reflect on how much listening to instruction helps our faith. And with deeper faith, comes a better display of faithfulness, which is a goal of a true child of God. Faithfulness isn’t just about attendance or Bible knowledge, it’s about being effective in God’s kingdom. Therefore, faithfulness may be better recognized by the way situations are handled, or temptations thwarted, or love shared.
What we soon discover is that we become more effective in God’s kingdom when we are able to be taught, when we receive instruction, and when we can practice things like forgiveness and mercy, which takes wisdom.
Solomon mentions a few characteristics of the wise in this way:
Proverbs 29:11, “A fool gives full vent to his spirit (let’s his temper fly), but a wise man quietly holds it back.”
Proverbs 16:21, “The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant words are persuasive.” (NLT)
Proverbs 17:28, “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.”
Consider some ways you can model wisdom more effectively in your life. People will notice, you will notice, but most importantly, God will notice.
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