“Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.”
Proverbs 19:20
“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”
Proverbs 12:15
“An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.”
Proverbs 18:15
“Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.”
Proverbs 17:27-28
There are two main types of wisdom that people think exist: earthly wisdom and spiritual/heavenly wisdom. Earthly wisdom comes from man, perhaps most notably from ancient philosophers and writers who have passed on what they have learned in life. Stoicism, teachings of Confucius, and existentialism are common examples of earthly wisdom that most people will recognize.
Earthly wisdom does not always come from a spiritual thinker, and earthly wisdom is not always wrong, contrary to what people in the religious world think.
Spiritual wisdom is what comes from spiritual teaching. For Christians, this spiritual teaching is the Bible and the writers of the Word.
Both spiritual and earthly wisdom are valuable which again is contrary to what you hear in the religious world. In fact, if you look deeply into earthly teachings, you will see connections to the spiritual teachings you have heard your whole life. Any real truth we extract from ancient writings, if it is really truth, must be somehow connected to the Word of God if we believe that the Bible is truth. All wisdom is connected.
“If you know the way broadly, you will see it in all things” ~
Miyamoto Musashi, Book of Five Rings.
If you know the Way of God Broadly, you will see it in all viable philosophy.
Take Stoicism for example, which was becoming popular around the time of the apostle Paul. The main idea of stoicism is to control how you react to and think about situations and life events. It teaches to control emotions instead of having them control you. Stoicism is all about managing the mind in order to live a good life. Now if you look at stoicism for more than two seconds before writing it off you will see that the main premise of it is self-control. And what is self-control but a fruit of the spirit? So stoicism actually turns out to be a potential in-depth philosophy for developing a fruit of the spirit. Facts like this make earthly wisdom useful.
Wisdom can be instruction on how to live and conduct yourself while you are among men. Wisdom is also used to describe other people. Men are wise if they behave and think in a certain manner. Wise men know how to use patience since they have cultivated it over a lifetime. Also, wise men know to look deeply at a situation, to analyze it before they search for a solution. Wise men understand that problems are temporary situations that lead to the growth of the individual.
Have you noticed that most of the wise men you know are generally quiet men?
They need and use very few words. Wise men let their actions speak for them and they understand that the man who talks much knows little and thinks even less.
The stereotype of a wise man is an ancient fellow with a long beard who speaks in vague, ominous phrases. This image did not appear magically since all stereotypes originate from some grain of truth. The wise man is eventually thought to be crazy, until his strange,vague and prophetic sayings turn out to have some truth to them – such is the benefit of speaking vaguely about the future.
To be wise, be silent. You must be wise, for there are very few truly wise men in the religious world today.
Mantra
Think much, speak little.
Application
The wise man considers all variables before he makes a decision. If it so happens that he makes a decision and something happens that he did not expect, he will remember that situation the next time he needs to contemplate a similar action. The man who is wise conducts himself in a way that causes the least amount of unnecessary or unprofitable pain to others.
The key trait of a man of wisdom is the ability to use foresight in actions. This is the manifestation of all wisdom. The wise man considers all of his steps well and thinks several moves ahead on the figurative chess board. The wise man is acutely aware of his surroundings in social situations. He places himself in the shoes of others and sees life through their eyes. By doing this he shapes his words actions to the personality of the person he is interacting with and wins their favor.
The wise man fears the Lord and therefore behaves righteously (Proverbs 1:7).
The wise man thinks before he acts in all situations. There are very few instances in which action should be taken before it is thoroughly contemplated. The wise man conducts himself with character and integrity in all that he does. He is completely honest and forthright with the truth, but he delivers it in such a way that it does not damage the recipient. If the recipient of the truth needs to be stuck on the head with truth, then the wise man knows it must be done. Certain personalities need to be beaten over the head with the truth in order to accept it,while others need to have the truth gently placed upon them, and they will absorb it all the same.
The wise man is masculine to his very core, and he knows never to suppress his masculinity because in its suppression the darkness of man will begin to simmer until it forces its way out. He gives all negative emotions constructive outlets and rules over his emotions with an iron fist. The wise man considers all variables in life at all times, and remains ever vigilant to the assault of evil on his mind and thoughts.
The wise man conducts himself like a man, so you must also conduct yourselves like men.
