“Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise. Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair.
” The Book Of Proverbs— Chapter 1 verses 1-3 NLT
Wisdom of the world or God’s wisdom.
Kids, I want to let you know what happens when God is with you and you have found favor with God. No, there isn’t anything you could do about this. You see, God loves us so much, that He calls out to us even before we understand that it is He who is calling out to us.
- Poppa did not always have Godly wisdom. He grew to know who God was at a young age but still did not learn enough to understand the purpose of His teaching…
I grew up in a neighborhood with different ethnicities. I hung out with everyone and quickly realized there was a difference in the way kids acted. I learned that certain neighborhood kids were feared, and looking for trouble. Those were the kids that would be in my life for a few years. I did not pick them, they somehow picked me. Yet, I knew, hanging out with them was not a good thing.
- No one had to tell me this. A still small voice kept whispering in my thick-headed brain that this was not the way that I needed to go.
Back then, I had a choice, to talk to everyone or just the kids who wanted me in their gang. I chose to talk to everyone but hang out with the gang kids. To me, they weren’t gang members but kids in school and close to the neighborhood who played in the same park I did, were coached by the same coaches I was, and had the same skin color I had. So when they needed my help, I was there for them.
I won’t tell you the details of those times, because they are not important. What I do know is that by the grace and protection of God, I am still alive. A few of those neighborhood kids ended up dying too early, not by choice.
God had put Godly families in my life to pull me away from the kids I would call friends for a bit.
- God knew better than me and knew that I would need extra instruction and discipline in choosing the right kind of wisdom.
Yet throughout all the years that I hung out with the wrong group of people, God was working in my life, instilling His wisdom and not the wisdom of the kids I hung out with.
- You see, there is a big difference in being street-smart and God-smart.
— Street-smart is the way of the world. You are never too young for me to instruct you in what the differences are. Street-smart is what you think is right in your own mind. It draws you in, promising you fake stuff in order for you to get drawn into a life that little by little, turns down that still small voice of right and wrong, until you hear another voice. The voice that tells you lies and only gives you advice that makes you think you are smarter than everyone else. That voice will tell you to do things that are not right until you give into this “other voice” and do the things you know are wrong to do. You will know the street-smart voice because you will not be able to sleep at night. You will not be able to feel a peace. The peace that you once had will no longer be there. You will start lying to your parents when they ask you how your day was. The nagging feeling in the pit of your stomach will be a sign that you are listening to the street-smart voice and not God’s wisdom.
— Godly wisdom is the opposite of street-smart wisdom. It makes you stop hearing yourself and start depending on God’s instructions.
- Godly wisdom brings you peace, it will encourage, uplifted and make you hopeful.
Hopeful that with God, you can conquer anything you set out to do. Why do I know this? Because with God all things are possible.
You can read about Godly wisdom in the Bible. Start in the Book of Proverbs. Read one verse a day to start. Then when you are away from your parents and get into a situation where you here the peaceful small voice whispering out to you, ask yourself what Proverbs says. Remember to ask your self these three things:
1. Is what I am about to do the right thing to do?
2. Is this the just (Fair) thing to do?
3. Are the consequences worth doing this?
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The short version—Is what I am about to do a right and good thing to do? Or will I be in trouble for doing it? What does God say about this? Will Poppa give me the look?
I’ll explain more next….
Eternity is a long time for those offended lost souls to think of forgiving us for not trying hard enough to reach them. It is not our job to be inoffensive. It is our job to present the unbelievers with the word of God. It is our job to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth and make disciples of 
