Proverbs 8:15-17: Diligently Searching

By me kings reign, and rulers decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, all the judges of the earth. I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me. Proverbs 8:15-17

Love: to have affection for , friend

Seek: with longing, long for, with the implication of earnestness, to search for painstaking

Find: Attain, acquire, take hold on, seize 

Time. 

On what do I spend my time? Each day has 24 hours. We all are given the same time each day—24 hours. 1440 minutes. 86,400 seconds. 

Out of the 25 hours, 1440 minutes, or 86,400 seconds—how much time is spent DILIGENTLY searching for Wisdom? 

Each DAY on AVERAGE we spend .........

• 7 hours sleeping.
• 3 hours each day watching TV. 
• 7.5 hours working. 
• 40 minutes each day on Facebook. 
• 17 minutes  exercising.
• 90 minutes communicating, socializing, talking (face to face).
• 70 minutes shopping
• 15 minutes reading books. 
• 70 minutes eating and drinking.
• 30 minutes doing housework.
• 60 minutes involved in a religious or spiritual activity.

Where does searching for wisdom fit in your daily schedule? Do you carve out a few minutes sometime in the middle of checking Facebook? Do you attempt to search for wisdom as you watch TV? Or maybe you just are waiting for wisdom to appear in your dreams. 

Long for. Search for painstakingly. With earnest. Diligently. 

If you knew that 1 million dollars was in your house somewhere–and you only had to find it—would you sit around all day "liking" random posts on Facebook? Would you sit down in front of the TV for 2 and half hours? I highly doubt it! You'd painstakingly turn your home upside down searching for $1,000,000! With earnest. Diligently. 

Throughout the first 7 chapters of Proverbs, we've read over and over how priceless wisdom is. It's a valued treasure. It's worth more than gold or silver. Yet, we simply sit and idly waste away our days. And then we wonder why we make mistakes. We wonder why we are wandering aimlessly. We wonder why we make foolish decisions. 

Wisdom is a valued treasure which we must put for a diligent effort to find and seize. And the diligent effort begins with a heart that is permeated with a deep sense of reverence for God (Act 9:31 MSG). 

How much time will be spent diligently searching for wisdom today?

Proverbs 3:13: Finds

Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding; Proverbs 3:13

Happy: how happy! -- blessed

Finds: to attain to; to find thing sought

Wisdom: ethical and religious

Gains: bring out, elicit, obtain

Understanding: the object of knowledge

Searching for something and when you find it that wonderful feeling of success! Even more exhilarating that finding that thing, is finding wisdom and putting the wisdom into practice. 

Finds, to attain to to find the thing sought. Before you can find something, first you must decide what you are after. Then you have to be willing to seek it. And once you find it, take possession of it. 

I like to know why. I like to know how things work. I like to learn. The key to wisdom is the desire to know and learn and be willing to search for wisdom. And the great thing about that... is that we know the source of wisdom so that narrows down our search area. We can go directly to God Himself who is the Creator of all—the very source of wisdom. 

We know where to look—God. The next is having that desire to look. The motivation to find, attain wisdom and understanding. That begins when a heart is permeated with a deep sense of reverence for God (Acts 9:31 MSG). 

And as we gain wisdom, we must put into practice the knowledge and understanding. Live our lives in accordance to what we learn. 

And the end result is true happiness that is not base on how we feel, but rather based on the wisdom and knowledge of Almighty God. 

Finds. What is that thing which you are seeking? If you are looking for true happiness, then begin seeking wisdom.