A WORD TO THE WISE: Proverbs 26: 12

Proverbs 26: 12     Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

Proverbs 26:12.    Wisdom is a progression not a destination. 

A person is wise relative to his/her movement toward God and away from sin.  A person is foolish relative to his/her movement away from God and toward sin and self.  The progression is essential because the natural momentum of this sinful life moves you toward sinful and stupid.  Unless you’re pushing, pressing toward the mark of the high calling of Christ then momentum/ gravity will pull you back toward the center of foolishness.

In theology this is known as putting away the old man and taking on the mind of Christ (Ephesians 4: 17-23).

In mathematics this is known as “approaching infinity.” I learned this when I took college calculus.  I still remember the concept (though once I changed my major to English, my brain dumped all the actual calculations to make space for Shakespeare). 

If you ever feel like you’ve reached the end of your progression to wisdom, if you ever look at yourself and think, “I know it all.  No one can tell me anything,” then you’ve stopped progressing.  You nullify your wisdom.  Since you’re no longer approaching the mind of Christ, you default back to the old man, the sinful mindset.  You become the worst kind of fool: the fool who remember just enough wisdom to convince himself and others that he’s actually profound. 

Stay humble.  Stay teachable.  Don’t excuse your immorality and occasional idiocy by trying to spin it into anything other than wrong.  Learn.  Get better. 

Wisdom is progression. 

 

As one of my Facebook friends posts: Keep it moving.

Philippians 2: 5     Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,