With a chapter in Proverbs for each day of the month, I noticed in chapter 20 that the glory of young men is their strength. Count me out on that one. Having lived in Latin America for more than fifty years it’s easy to see the physical strength of the men, even beginning from their earliest childhood days. Soccer is a part of life from the time a child can walk. A Bolivian friend told me that the muscles in the legs of her professional soccer husband were as strong as wooden posts. What strength!
Reading on in Proverbs I discovered that there are others who are strong, not just the young men. Here Solomon says in chapter 24 that the wise have great power and a man of knowledge increases strength. All through the book wisdom is given a prominent place. Then James writes that God generously gives wisdom to anyone who asks because he knows he lacks. Besides the promise he assures us that the Lord doesn’t find fault with the one who asks. I like the translation in Spanish that says that when one asks the Lord for wisdom He doesn’t throw it in his face (no lo echa en cara).
Who is wise? How does he show his great power? James makes it clear that the wise one shows it by his good life, by deeds done in humbleness. His reasoning? The wisdom that the Lord gives is pure, considerate, submissive, and sincere, among other admirable qualities. It’s worth asking for – the wise have great power.
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