Good morning, all!

Father, we know that true wisdom can only be found in You and in a relationship with You. We pray that Your wisdom be revealed in us through a life lived, through all of our wrongs and rights so that we might become more like You. We know Your wisdom isn’t necessarily found in us falling but rather getting back up again, so help us to rise, Amen.

Ecclesiastes 10

1 Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: [so doth] a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom [and] honour.
Dead flies in the most expensive bottle of perfume will make a stink, same as the reputation of those that are smart and honored when they act foolishly.

2 A wise man’s heart [is] at his right hand; but a fool’s heart at his left.
The wise man’s heart holds onto life with his right hand, but the fool uses his left.

3 Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth [him], and he saith to everyone [that] he [is] a fool.
You can identify the fool by the way he lives his life, his failure will speak for itself, and everyone will know he is a fool.

4 If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences.
If those in your life come against you, don’t give up! A quiet spirit can overcome even great mistakes.

Bottom line

Of course this passage was written by King Solomon who was known as the wisest man, remember he asked God for wisdom NOT money and God gave him both. You know why? He had his priorities in order, he knew he couldn’t rule God’s kingdom without the wisdom of heaven. So, what is wrapped up in this riddle this morning? We can’t do life without God and when we try…we all do…we become a fool. What are the dead flies? That’s me speaking foolishly, speaking words of death like being judgmental or NOT speaking with kindness to others. You see scripture says we are to be the aroma of Christ, if you were standing next to Christ what might you smell? Hmm…love, kindness, righteousness, peace, joy…I think you get the smell. Don’t be a fly swatter, the Lord don’t want NO dead flies-Ha! And why does the fool hold his heart in his left hand and how do we know?

[Mat 25:33 KJV] And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. The sheep FOLLOW the Shepherd…Jesus…we are on His right hand which means we FORGIVE…those on the left are goats they don’t listen and so they don’t forgive. But notice that also makes me a fool, makes sense…when you don’t forgive you think God says now there goes a genius? Ha! I mean He is the Father of forgiveness, and we are His children, goats are not because they’re stubborn and won’t surrender to God’s will. Is there any other reason NOT to forgive? What causes the fool’s wisdom to fail? Simply put, his lifestyle will always speak louder than whatever it is he has to say. How will the world know we have the wisdom of God?

[Deu 4:6 NLT] Obey My word completely, and you will display your wisdom and intelligence among the surrounding nations. When they hear all these decrees, they will exclaim, ‘How wise and prudent are the people of this great nation! There is NO way to live this life without God’s word and when we follow God’s instruction for life the nations will be amazed and see our greatness, we become the glory of God. And what about the last one? When people come against you, it will be considered wise if you DON’T give up, DON’T run, DON’T retaliate. What does the wise person do? YIELD…it’s called let it go…the fool HOLDS a grudge. James says earthly wisdom is bitter and causes strife also known as failure but wisdom from above, well that’s another level of smart…it’s smart like God.

[Jas 3:17 NLT] But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. This wisdom is ALWAYS gentle and willing to YIELD to others, it has NO favorites and shows MERCY to all…sounds like someone we know. Wisdom from above should be seen, it should be expressed, it always looks to find peace through the lens of love and provide good deeds to ALL. What made Jesus wiser than Solomon? Well unlike Solomon, when Jesus looks back ,He always got it right because His wisdom was beyond this earthly realm. He would YIELD to Caiphas the high priest that found Him guilty, he would yield to Pilate, to king Herod, he would yield to the roman soldiers that beat Him, to Peter, to Judas, to the Cross…wisdom from ABOVE.

Point to Ponder

Just how wise are you? [1Co 4:10 NIV] We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! When you know who you are in the eyes of God you can be thought a fool so others might be seen as wise…now that’s juice…the wise don’t worry about what the world thinks of them.

Let’s all pursue wisdom from above, In Him Phil

Faith – Family – Friends