Proverbs 9:9: True Wisdom

Proverbs 9:9.. "Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning."

I have no clue if this is anywhere close to accurate, but someone once told me that the smartest man in the world only knows 4% of all that there is to know. I have no clue how they gauge that, but it paints a picture, does it not? God's creation is so big, and it takes much more than one lifetime to even have a knowledge of a good majority of it. I believe the same principle applies to our Christian faith. Although we often think we "know it all," the truth is is that there is so much more to learn about walking with God. Even the seminary professors with three Ph.D.'s have much, much more of the character of God yet to understand. Even seniors who have walked with God for 70+ years still do not understand the full height and depth of the wonder of God. God is so much bigger than we could ever know.

Proverbs 9:9 tells us that a wise man will become even wiser after someone gives him instruction (see verse above). The principle here is that true wisdom acknowledges that there is more wisdom to be had. In other words, if you're actually smart, you'll be smart enough to realize that you don't know everything. This is crucial to our Christian faith. How will we ever grow in Christ if we think that we know everything? How will we ever know more about God's character if we don't open up our Bibles because we think we know everything that's in them?

The point that I am trying to make today is this: we cannot learn unless we admit we don't know. If college has taught me one thing, it is how much I don't know. There is so much that college has opened up my mind to (in relation to both God's Word and God's creation) to show me that I am light years apart from learning all that God has to teach me. God is so great, and I am so small. It will take eternity to fully understand who he is and what he's done.

So, I encourage you today, have you humbly embraced the fact that you have much more to learn? For surely there is no better place to be as a Christian that humbly going before God and asking him to teach you what you do not know. He may teach you through trajedy, he may teach you through triumph, but through it all he will teach you if you ask him. So I encourage you today: Admit that you have much to learn, so that you can learn. For you cannot learn unless you admit you don't know.