“To be wise means to be very smart, and you know everything,” says Rachel, age 6. “And when someone wise says something, and it comes true, that means they are really wise and really smart. The wisest person I know is my dad because he knows the weather, and he’s only a doctor.”
“To be wise means to be very smart, and you know everything,” says Rachel, age 6. “And when someone wise says something, and it comes true, that means they are really wise and really smart. The wisest person I know is my dad because he knows the weather, and he’s only a doctor.”
Hey, maybe I’ll ask my doctor for a weather forecast along with my next checkup.
“The wisest person I know is my mom because she has helped me and my big sister with a lot of stuff, and mostly all the things were right,” says Sarah, 9.
Most of the things were right? No mom is perfect. Dad gets high marks for wisdom from Lela, 8: “I think my dad is wise because he said you better clean your room before you get in trouble.”
The book of Proverbs contains many sayings about wisdom. In the first chapter, there’s an appeal to “hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother; for they will be a graceful ornament on your head.” In other words, things will turn out well for children who listen to and obey their parents.
Ever wondered what it would be like for God to grant you any wish? This happened to young King Solomon. The Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”
Solomon asked for a wise and understanding heart to perform his duties as Israel’s king. Because Solomon asked for this instead of wealth, God not only gave him wisdom but riches and honor, too. Proverbs includes Solomon’s wise sayings.
“Wisdom according to the Bible is not necessarily smart, but to fear the Lord,” says Carey Ann, 12. You couldn’t be more right. In fact, Solomon says the starting place for wisdom is to fear or respect the Lord (Proverbs 1:7). If you don’t respect God and his ways, you will live the life of a fool, say many of the proverbs.
“I think someone who asks for wisdom is wise,” says Mandy, 11. The Apostle James agrees: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God” (James 1:5).
Asking God for wisdom requires humility. Proud people rely on their own resources. The very act of asking God for wisdom is an admission of our own smallness and an appeal to God’s infinite goodness and resources. “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).
“The wisest person I know is Jesus,” says Melissa, 10. “He died on the cross for our sins.”
Melissa, you’ve probably read the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, in which he said Jesus is the “wisdom of God.” At first glance, dying like a criminal on a cross looked like absolute folly. But when Jesus rose from the dead, he destroyed the socalled “wisdom” of those who dismissed him as a false Messiah.
Paul picked up this theme when he wrote that the message of the cross appears as utter foolishness to those who reject it, but it’s the means of salvation for those who trust Jesus Christ as their savior.
Kyle, 12, agrees that Jesus is the wisest person he knows because “He does everything for His Father.”
So if we follow Jesus’ example and do everything for God, we will be wise.
Point to ponder: Jesus is the wisdom of God.
Scripture to remember: “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God” (I Corinthians 3:19).
Question to consider: Have you asked God for his wisdom?
Kids Talk About God is designed for families to study the Bible together. Research shows that parents who study the Bible with their children give their character, faith and spiritual life a powerful boost. To receive Kids Talk About God three times a week in a free email subscription, visit www.KidsTalkAbout-God.org/email.
© 2023 Carey Kinsolving
