Wisdom. The first thing that comes to my mind is a correct application of knowledge or understanding. But what does it really mean according the Lord? The Lord sets out the importance of wisdom and how to obtain it. For example, Alma preaches to the poor saying "it is well that ye are cast out of your synagogues that ye may be humble and that ye may learn wisdom; for it is necessary that ye should learn wisdom " (1) In other words, when we become truly wise we become humble and are brought to a lowliness of heart.
Our goal in this life is to become like Jesus and learn of him. If we make an effort in becoming wise while we are young, we make an effort in becoming like our Heavenly. "O, remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God." (2) Learning the commandments and actually keeping the commandments helps us learn to be wise because they keep us in the right direction. The wisdom that God has is true wisdom and "individuals may acquire true wisdom, especially if they are willing to be humble, teachable, and obedient to God's commands. (3) Jacob's people were given an opportunity to be teachable and humble when he told them the view simple words "O be wise; what can I say more?" (4) I think that is powerful, because those were the last words that Jacob spoke before his farewell to his people. It had to be important. He wanted to teach in clarity so he couldn't think of anything else to say, to warn, to urge or to motivate but those few profound words.
Another way of looking at wisdom is realizing that the Lord in his infinite wisdom has designed His church to operate with a ministry. We should be very wise in all that we do. According to Elder Ballard, "We have been charged to watch over one another and to serve one another."(5) That is part of being wise, finding those who need service and help in their lives and fulfilling that calling. I believe Heavenly Father thinks it wise for us to be more thoughtful towards others, because that is what he is about.
In being wise we should "seek not for riches, but for wisdom, and behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich" (6) Seeking for riches describes the souls of the wicked and that is the opposite of what we are wanting to be and what Heavenly Father wants us to be. What a great promise we learn from that scripture, that we can have the mysteries of God be unfolded unto us if we but seek for wisdom in all things. Being rich isn't about having money, popularity, or material items it's about being rich in our thoughts and spirit.
My own personal experience I had of being blessed in my making an effort to be wise, happened when I volunteered to mentor a young junior high school girl. Every week on Wednesday, I would see her for an hour and it would just be me and her. Right before I'd see her, I'd tell myself that I would give all my attention to her and be the most loving I can be about her needs. I wanted to not think about me but about her and how much Heavenly Father loves her. In taking that wise challenge, I found that more and more people were serving me. It was as if an hour of my time devoted to my young friend was followed by three hours worth of devoted service given to me. Thats when I learned that when we are wise we make those decisions that draw us closer to becoming like Heavenly Father.
Works Cited
1. Alma 32:12
2. Alma 37:35
3.Largey, Dennis Book of Mormon Reference Companion pg 786
4. Jacob 6:12
5. Ballard, M. Russell. lds.org. O be Wise.
6. D&C 6:7
Our goal in this life is to become like Jesus and learn of him. If we make an effort in becoming wise while we are young, we make an effort in becoming like our Heavenly. "O, remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God." (2) Learning the commandments and actually keeping the commandments helps us learn to be wise because they keep us in the right direction. The wisdom that God has is true wisdom and "individuals may acquire true wisdom, especially if they are willing to be humble, teachable, and obedient to God's commands. (3) Jacob's people were given an opportunity to be teachable and humble when he told them the view simple words "O be wise; what can I say more?" (4) I think that is powerful, because those were the last words that Jacob spoke before his farewell to his people. It had to be important. He wanted to teach in clarity so he couldn't think of anything else to say, to warn, to urge or to motivate but those few profound words.
Another way of looking at wisdom is realizing that the Lord in his infinite wisdom has designed His church to operate with a ministry. We should be very wise in all that we do. According to Elder Ballard, "We have been charged to watch over one another and to serve one another."(5) That is part of being wise, finding those who need service and help in their lives and fulfilling that calling. I believe Heavenly Father thinks it wise for us to be more thoughtful towards others, because that is what he is about.
In being wise we should "seek not for riches, but for wisdom, and behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich" (6) Seeking for riches describes the souls of the wicked and that is the opposite of what we are wanting to be and what Heavenly Father wants us to be. What a great promise we learn from that scripture, that we can have the mysteries of God be unfolded unto us if we but seek for wisdom in all things. Being rich isn't about having money, popularity, or material items it's about being rich in our thoughts and spirit.
My own personal experience I had of being blessed in my making an effort to be wise, happened when I volunteered to mentor a young junior high school girl. Every week on Wednesday, I would see her for an hour and it would just be me and her. Right before I'd see her, I'd tell myself that I would give all my attention to her and be the most loving I can be about her needs. I wanted to not think about me but about her and how much Heavenly Father loves her. In taking that wise challenge, I found that more and more people were serving me. It was as if an hour of my time devoted to my young friend was followed by three hours worth of devoted service given to me. Thats when I learned that when we are wise we make those decisions that draw us closer to becoming like Heavenly Father.
Works Cited
1. Alma 32:12
2. Alma 37:35
3.Largey, Dennis Book of Mormon Reference Companion pg 786
4. Jacob 6:12
5. Ballard, M. Russell. lds.org. O be Wise.
6. D&C 6:7
9 comments:
I like the photo! And your in-depth analysis of this scriptural concept. You say, "Another way of looking at wisdom is realizing that the Lord in his infinite wisdom has designed His church to operate with a ministry." I'm not sure what you mean here, exactly. How is that a perspective on wisdom? Is your thesis about humility? If so, how do the other things you write about directly relate to humility?
i really liked the expeirence you shared. that is very touching. i really liked how you stated that we need to learn to how to be wise. i thought there were a few confusing parts but i loved the blog.
I liked how you talked about our goal being to be more like christ and to be closer to Christ. Always good to think about.
I liked how you stated different qualities that a wise person might have: humility, charity, and service to others. They are very important characteristic we all should work on to imporve ourselves.. Great blog :)
Pretty picture:) I really thought that your entire blog would be about becoming wise through humility, that is always a great topic. I still liked your blog though.
I really liked the photo you chose for you blog! You also made good use of scriptural references.
I loved the part when you talked about not seeking for riches and how that is wisdom. Isn't true, though? When we seek after the holy things of this world, we end up making wise decisions. Thank you for sharing that insight!
The Lord has told us that we will be blessed even more than we have room to receive if we serve others. You have found that to be true. Isn't it amazing when you receive that revelation that what the Book of Mormon says is real? I LOVE IT!
I really enjoyed the photo and the quote by elder ballard! excellent job.
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