life is but the gift of God it must be cared, shared and lived for the humanity essays
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No matter how deep it seems to be or how great it seems to be, how admired it is, God's wisdom goes far beyond human wisdom. Solomon says, "I prayed and understanding was given to me. I asked earnestly, and the spirit of wisdom came to me." Now he shows how important that is. "I prefer wisdom to scepters and thrones. I consider wealth as nothing compared with wisdom. I prefer wisdom to any jewel of unlimited value, since gold beside wisdom is nothing but a few grains of sand, and silver is nothing but mud. I loved her more than wealth. I even preferred her to light and beauty because radiance and wisdom, God's wisdom, never dies."
Solomon was trying to impress upon his own people at the time, and upon us today, that we have to search out God's wisdom. Where will we find it? We find it ultimately in God's word. There is a marvelous in the passage in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah where the prophet is speaking about God's word. He says, "As the rain and the snow come down from the heavens and do not return until they have watered the earth, making it yield seed for the sower and food for others to eat, so is my word that goes out of my mouth."
"It will not return from me idle, but it shall accomplish my will, the purpose for which it has been sent." Then we have to listen to this caution that Isaiah gives us. Isaiah says God's word comes down into our awareness, into our world, into our consciousness, just as rain comes down from heaven and earth, and is planted there to grow into marvelous fruit. Isaiah, also speaking for God, says, "My thoughts are not your thoughts. My ways are not your ways," says God, "for as the heavens are above the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts."
Isaiah is warning us that this word of God, the wisdom of God, is going to be far different from human wisdom or anything that we will find in the world around us. If we listen to the second lesson today, we notice how this word of God is like a two-edged sword that enters deeply into our consciousness and that it challenges us to change our ways, to follow the wisdom of God. The passage says, "It pierces to the division of soul and spirit, the intentions and thoughts of the heart."
Everything is uncovered by this word of God and laid bare to the eyes of anyone who listens. So the word of God, this wisdom of God, is going to challenge us. The Gospel lesson today provides probably the most difficult challenges that we face when we try to listen to God's word, follow it and really be a disciple of Jesus because the challenge is about material goods, wealth. There is a passage in St. Luke where Jesus says to his disciples, "Beware of greed in every form."
That's the first danger of wealth. We always want more. What is enough? If you are part of the culture in which we are in the country -- we're all part of it -- we're constantly being bombarded with messages. You have to have more. You have to have something better. Every time you buy something, you'll always be expected to buy the next version of it that is supposed to be a better version. So we pile up material goods.
Solomon was trying to impress upon his own people at the time, and upon us today, that we have to search out God's wisdom. Where will we find it? We find it ultimately in God's word. There is a marvelous in the passage in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah where the prophet is speaking about God's word. He says, "As the rain and the snow come down from the heavens and do not return until they have watered the earth, making it yield seed for the sower and food for others to eat, so is my word that goes out of my mouth."
"It will not return from me idle, but it shall accomplish my will, the purpose for which it has been sent." Then we have to listen to this caution that Isaiah gives us. Isaiah says God's word comes down into our awareness, into our world, into our consciousness, just as rain comes down from heaven and earth, and is planted there to grow into marvelous fruit. Isaiah, also speaking for God, says, "My thoughts are not your thoughts. My ways are not your ways," says God, "for as the heavens are above the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts."
Isaiah is warning us that this word of God, the wisdom of God, is going to be far different from human wisdom or anything that we will find in the world around us. If we listen to the second lesson today, we notice how this word of God is like a two-edged sword that enters deeply into our consciousness and that it challenges us to change our ways, to follow the wisdom of God. The passage says, "It pierces to the division of soul and spirit, the intentions and thoughts of the heart."
Everything is uncovered by this word of God and laid bare to the eyes of anyone who listens. So the word of God, this wisdom of God, is going to challenge us. The Gospel lesson today provides probably the most difficult challenges that we face when we try to listen to God's word, follow it and really be a disciple of Jesus because the challenge is about material goods, wealth. There is a passage in St. Luke where Jesus says to his disciples, "Beware of greed in every form."
That's the first danger of wealth. We always want more. What is enough? If you are part of the culture in which we are in the country -- we're all part of it -- we're constantly being bombarded with messages. You have to have more. You have to have something better. Every time you buy something, you'll always be expected to buy the next version of it that is supposed to be a better version. So we pile up material goods.
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