1

In Search Of Wisdom
For the Teacher
God's Word extols wisdom in the most glowing terms: "For wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her." (Prov. 8:10,11). And God doesn't leave us in the dar as how to o!tain wisdom. "n m# $re$aration, " surve#ed over %00 verses on the to$i&, and "'m sure that "'ve 'ust s&rat&hed the sur(a&e. )ut alas, the demon o( *duh* has gri$$ed this generation o( students, and he doesn't relin+uish his gri$ without a (ight. ,ow &an we ho$e to ins$ire our own students to !rea (rom the (oolish &rowd to $assionatel# $ursue wisdom- .oremost, the# need an exam$le. As one o( m# heroes in #outh ministr# used to sa#, *"( #ou want #our #outh to !leed, #ou've got to hemorrhage/* 0a# God grant #ou a heart that !urns (or ,is wisdom, and that #our exu!eran&e will light a (ire in the hearts o( #our students. SERIES PURPOSE: BY THE END OF THIS SERIES, I WANT MY STUDENTS TO KNOW THE PATH TO WISDOM, AND HAVE THE MOTIVATION TO PASSIONATELY FOLLOW IT. LESSON PURPOSE: BY THE END OF THIS LESSON, I WANT MY STUDENTS TO DEVELOP A PASSION FOR SEEKIN! WISDOM. T"#: 1e(le&t on this lesson's $ur$ose in the light o( #our students. What attitudes do the# now have &on&erning see ing wisdom- "n what areas do the# &urrentl# see wisdom that #ou &ould &a$itali2e on- What hurdles ee$ them (rom see ing wisdom- ()oring tea&hers, a$atheti& &lassmates, uninvolved $arents, distra&ting entertainment-) ,ow &an #ou hel$ them &ross these hurdles- ,ow &an the (ollowing lesson !e ada$ted to !etter (ul(ill this $ur$ose in your students3o$#right 1444, 5teve 0iller, %816 5ail!oat Pointe, A&worth, GA 70101. All rights reserved.

DEVELOP A PASSION FOR WISDOM LESSON I

INTRODU$TION
ILLUSTRATION: To introduce this series, I'd like each of you to close your eyes and join me on an imaginary summer hike in the foothills of the ocky !ountains. "re your eyes closed# $kay. %ou're walking along a wooded trail, when you hear a brook cascading o&er a small waterfall somewhere nearby. '(an you see the trees, smell the clean air, hear the brook#) %ou &enture o&er to take a closer look, and as you sit on a rock taking in the waterfall, you notice a peculiar glimmer, seemingly caused by the angle of the sun's rays reflecting off of something behind the waterfall. %ou gingerly reach your hand through the water, and pull out an ancient bottle inscribed with strange words. %ou rub the bottle to get a better look, and to your shock and ama*ement, a mystical fog begins to pour out, which, when it disappears, re&eals a huge genie, standing with arms crossed, dressed in "rabian garb. +e immediately addresses you as !aster, and, being a rather stingy genie, offers you not three, but one wish. "nything you want e,cept, of course, the normal e,clusions of more wishes or more genies. -ow, with your eyes still closed, with your wish being your genie's command, what will you ask for# .ut aside all spiritual thoughts like "the sal&ation of the world,/ or 0a 1ible for e&ery child." This is something for you. Think about it. -ow, open your eyes. Tell us, what would you ask for# '2et them share.) Well, !elieve it or not, one $erson in histor# was indeed $romised one re+uest, an#thing he wanted. 8nl# the

$romiser was not a genie, !ut the almight# God. 9et's turn to "" 3hroni&les 1::(( to dis&over who he was, and what he as ed (or. (1ead the $assage.)

5o, what did 5olomon as (or- (Wait (or the answer: wisdom and nowledge.) And was God $leased with his re+uest- ,ow did God show his delight- (,e made 5olomon not onl# the wisest man in the world, !ut added great ri&hes and honor !esides.) ;oda#, we start a new series entitled, *"n Pursuit o( Wisdom,* where we will tr# to $ursue something that most $eo$le avoid. "n some s&hools, it's a&tuall# dangerous to a&t interested in learning. <ou'll !e !randed a *gee * and $ut in a &ategor# o( $eo$le with shirt $o& ets (illed with &olored $ens, a &al&ulator, one shirttail hanging out, and an unnoti&ed !ugger lodged in a &ons$i&uous lo&ation. )ut i( that's #our idea o( a wisdom=see er, God is out to &hange #our mind. 9et's $ra# (or o$en hearts: Wor% St&%': ;he $rimar# ,e!rew word translated wisdom is hokma, meaning wisdom, skillful, prudence, cle&erness. 0ore than a&ademi&s, it &overs *the whole gamut o( human ex$erien&e.* "t sometimes re(ers to te&hni&al s ills, li e that o( artisans (?x. 71:7) or navigators (?2. @::8,4). Also o( de&ision= ma ing s ills (or leaders (>eut. 76:4A @ 5am. 16:@0). And more !roadl# o( the $ra&ti&al wisdom needed to live li(e su&&ess(ull#. (B)>,;W8;,?>;h,)>), 5trongs)

PRAY >o you want to !e wise- And " don't mean 'ust the wisdom to get !etter grades in s&hool, !ut also the intensel# $ra&ti&al wisdom #ou need to &arr# on su&&ess(ul relationshi$s, ma e wise de&isions, !e&ome a su&&ess(ul musi&ian, athlete, &he(, me&hani& or ar&hite&t. We're tal ing a!out the insight it ta es to !e su&&ess(ul in li(e. >o #ou want to !e wise- " ho$e so, !e&ause the onl# other o$tion is to !e a (ool. And most $eo$le toda# have &hosen a $ath that will lead them to !e (ools. ;oda#, a (or in the $ath o( li(e is o((ering us an o$tion to the !eaten $ath. "t's the $ath to wisdom. And toda# God's Word will reveal what awaits ea&h o( us, i( we onl# ta e this $ath.

I. !ET FIRED UP
A. SOLOMON LAYS OUT A $HALLEN!E
?ver#one turn to Prov. 8:10,11, and let me read to #ou an astounding &laim that 5olomon made a!out wisdom. "(hoose my instruction instead of sil&er, knowledge rather than choice gold

For wisdom is more precious than rubies,

3
A,egesis B "'rubies' remains the nearest e9ui&alent."

and nothing you desire can compare with her." '.ro&. 3:45,446 cr. .r. 7:48) Bow, " &an desire some $rett# !ig things: 1) " credit card with no upper limit that will be magically paid off e&ery month. )ut a&&ording to this verse, the worth o( that &ard doesn't even &om$are to the worth o( wisdom. @) "n $lympic si*ed indoor pool attached to my house. "t would !e neat, !ut this verse tells me that it's not even in the same &ategor# with wisdom. 7) "n e,citing girlfriend with the looks of a beauty 9ueen (and, o( &ourse, the s$iritual li(e o( Cohn the )a$tist/), who is madly in lo&e with me. )ut a&&ording to this verse, wisdom is so mu&h !etter than an# o( these, that #ou &an't sa#, D8n a s&ale o( 1 to 10, wisdom gets a 10 and the magi& &redit &ard an 8.E Bo. <ou &an't even &om$are on a s&ale. "t's !e#ond &om$arison. 3om$aring an#thing else #ou desire with wisdom is li e &om$aring #our to$ middle s&hool !as et!all $la#er with 0i&hael Cordan. <ou &anFt sa#, DWell, " thin CordanFs got the a&&ura&# !ut Cunior edges him out on +ui& ness.E "tFs laugha!le to even tr# a &om$arison. "tFs the same wa# with wisdom. Bothing else even &om$ares.

B. !OD LAYS OUT THE BENEFITS

)ut i( given a &hoi&e !etween wisdom and the magi&al &redit &ard, "'d sa# most would gra! the &redit &ard. " thin that sin&e God new that this $oint would !e hard to swallow, ,e de&ided to show us in ,is Word exa&tl# why wisdom is so valua!le. <ou see, when we get wisdom, we get more than wisdomA we get a $a& age deal. 9etFs unwra$ the rest o( the $a& age. Act"("t': >ivide into small grou$s and "'ll give ea&h grou$ a (ew verses that tell us $art o( the $a& age deal. <our res$onsi!ilit# is to read the verses, dis&over what !ene(its wisdom and nowledge !ring, and dis&uss how #ou thin that wisdom !rings a!out those !ene(its. (As ea&h grou$ re$orts on their verses, #ou ma# wish to ma e some o( #our own $oints a!out &ertain verses. " give some ideas !elow.) Pro(er)* +:,, - Hea.th a/% Lo/0 L"1e 2cr. 3: 4, 5,,,6 +: 36 5: 5,376 8: 6 9/. 5:7 :

"n what wa#s &an wisdom extend our li(e s$an- ("t ee$s us (rom al&ohol and drug a!use, dangerous (riendshi$s, et&.) ILLUSTRATION: If instead of buying a pack of cigarettes e&ery day, a youth in&ested the money at 45: interest, he might not only be healthy at age ;<, but ha&e an e,tra =>55,555 to spend? $r, he could be broke with lung cancer. @hich course do you think the wise man will take# 3aution: Prover!s o(ten tea&hes tenden&ies that ha$$en in most &ases rather than a!solutes that will ha$$en in ever# &ase. .or exam$le, 5te$hen, in the !oo o( A&ts, was wise (A&ts G:7,10) #et he died #oung (::G0). Cesus died at 77 #ears. )ut, although not a!solute in ever# &ase, these verses show us that wisdom tilts the s&ale in our (avor in some ver# attra&tive areas o( li(e. >o #ou want to s$end #our li(e enslaved to drugs and (oods that will ro! #ou o( #our health- >o #ou want to die #oung- ;hen !e a (ool. Pro(er)* ;:, < A&thor"t'

Whether #ouFre into s$orts, the militar#, or !usiness, $eo$le want wise $eo$le in leadershi$.

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Illus ra ion: To a large e,tent, the Cnited Dtates owes its independence to the brilliant military leadership of Eeorge @ashington. @hy did the (olonists choose @ashington to lead the fight# Euess. They not only knew of his bra&ery6 they recogni*ed his great wisdom. 5o i( #ou want res$e&t, get wisdom. "( #ou want no one to ta e #ou seriousl#, #ou &an alwa#s !e a (ool. Pro(er)* , :,, - Po=er 2cr. ,+:7, Ecc.8: 3< 4:

Illustration: !ost people donFt know just how bad @ashington had it with his soldiers. Dometimes the soldiers would miss their families and simply lea&e the ranks without telling anyone. $nce, when spooked by a lightly armed ad&ance guard of 455 1ritish troops, his militia of 7555 men fled, lea&ing @ashington sitting alone on his horse, steaming with rage, 455 yards in front of the troops. The 1ritish could ha&e easily shot or captured him, but they suspected some kind of trick? Do how did @ashington, with often undisciplined and sometimes cowardly troops, defeat the seasoned 1ritish troops, which greatly outnumbered him# +e outsmarted them with brilliant strategy, and the cle&er use of spies. Want to !e a wim$- ;hen !e a (ool. Pro(er)* :33 < Sa1et' a/% Sec&r"t' 2cr. :3,6 ,: ,6 3:,3<,4:

Are we getting the $i&ture- *Bothing #ou desire &an &om$are* with wisdom. Want to go through li(e in (ear, without an# &on(iden&e- ;hen !e a (ool. Pro(er)* ,+: + < Ho#e

Are #ou !eginning to see wh# God's Word tells us that *nothing #ou desire &an &om$are* with wisdom Pro(er)* 3: 3 < Ha##"/e** 2cr. 3: 56 8: :

Want a sad, disa$$ointing li(e- )e a (ool. Pro(er)* 5:37, 34 < The 1a(or o1 !o% 2cr. 3:+: Pro(er)* 3: 4 < R"che*, ho/or, .o/0 ."1e 2cr. 8: :

ILLUSTRATION: In Gec. 3, 4H3H, the @all Dtreet Iournal reported on a study of 4<J (hristianBbased companies and found that they grew "significantly faster than other companies in their fields by e&ery criterion e,amined." 'Gec. 3, '3H) >o #ou want to !e $oor, em!arrassed, and die #oung- 3hoose (oolishness. Are #ou getting the $i&ture- >o #ou see wh# God tells us, *3hoose instru&tion rather than silver, nowledge rather than &hoi&e gold. .or wisdom is more $re&ious than ru!ies, and nothing #ou desireH* 9et's sa# it together: *nothing #ou desire &an &om$are with her.* 8n&e #ou see the in&redi!le $a& age that &omes with wisdom, the &hoi&e is a no !rainer. 5ee wisdom.

$. SU$$ESSFUL PEOPLE PROVE ITS WORTH

Cum$ing ahead a!out @%00 #ears (rom the time 5olomon was writing Prover!s, we (ind the same $rin&i$les at wor toda#. At a time when the demon o( *duh* seems to have $ossessed $eo$le in un$re&edented num!ers, some nota!le ex&e$tions stand outH Illus ra ion! First, "ill #a es. @hat do you know about him# @ithout an insa ia$le hirs for unders andin% com&u ers that began at 48 years old, Eates could ha&e ne&er led the computer re&olution, become a millionaire in his J5's, and in his 85Fs the wealthiest man in "merica, a multiBbillionaire. +e was so moti&ated to learn computers that as a youth he would act like he was going to bed at night, only to sneak out and take a bus to an office which allowed students access to their computers. In future weeks, weFll find out more about this remarkable manFs *eal for learning. Illustration: Decond, "en'amin Fran(lin. @hat do you know about him# @hen most of us think of Franklin, we picture a chubby old man dressed like a Kuaker who flew a kite in a storm and found out something important about electricity. 1ut let's fill in some of the blanks that you might ha&e missed about this incredibly successful man. The son of a 1oston candle maker, Franklin had scarcely two years of formal schooling. 1ut his insatiable thirst for wisdom allowed him to enlighten the world concerning the nature of electricity, to in&ent the lightning rod, a machine for duplicating handwritten documents, the Franklin Dto&e, a simplified clock, and a musical instrument for which !o*art composed music. +e wrote "merica's Geclaration of Independence, and wrote on such di&erse subjects as agriculture, chess, military strategy, and silk worms. Guring his life, this man with two years of formal education would be recei&ed by fi&e kings, awarded honorary degrees by si, uni&ersities, and be hailed as the "greatest philosopher of the century" by an Italian academy. +ow did he do it# "s we will see in coming weeks, he &assiona el) &ursued *isdom. Illustration: Third, S e+en S&iel$er%, arguably the most successful film maker e&er. @hat do you know about him# +ow did Dpielberg, as a J4ByearBold 'who looked more like 4;), land a directorFs job at Cni&ersal Dtudios, becoming perhaps the youngest director e&er# "t JJByearsBold, he directed such greats as Ioan (rawford. +ow did he pull it off# IFll tell you how. +e de&eloped an insa ia$le hirs for learnin% filmma(in% before the age of 4<, so that at J4 he had se&en years of film making wisdom from both his handsBon e,perience and obser&ing the greats in action.

>uring this series, we will (ind out how Gates, .ran lin, 5$iel!erg, 0i&hael Cordan and other (as&inating $eo$le !e&ame wisdom=see ers. Without a !urning desire to learn, " dou!t we would have ever heard o( these gu#s. )ut toda# " 'ust want us to &at&h some o( their (ire (or wisdom. PRAY

$ON$LUSION AND A$TION POINTS

Are #ou read# to see wisdom- >on't let 5atan and dis&ouraging $eo$le &onvin&e #ou that #ou don't have what it ta es. "n Prover!s 8:1:, wisdom sa#s, *" love those who love me, And those who see me (ind me.* >oes it sa#, *;he unusually gifted who see me (ind me-* 8r, *Those who get straight ""'s" (ind me-* Bo. Wisdom is (or anyone who is willing to seek. "t's more a matter o( 0.I. than ".I. = <our 0otivation Iuotient than #our "ntelligen&e Iuotient. "( #ou want to !e&ome a lover o( wisdom and see er o( wisdom, #ou &an start this wee . ,ere are some a&tion $oints: A3;"8B P8"B;5: "( #ou're serious a!out $ursuing wisdom, it will ta e more than showing u$ (or this stud#. ;a e on *;he Wisdom 3hallenge.* .ortunatel# (or us, 5olomon didn't ta e all his wisdom with him to the

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I%ea: 3onsider o((ering a reward to an# students who su&&ess(ull# +uote the verses to #ou ea&h wee . 5in&e Cesus used rewards to motivate us to righteous !ehavior (0t. G:6,G,18), wh# should we (eel that using rewards is somehow uns$iritual- " memori2ed several &ha$ters in high s&hool when m# tea&her $romised a Bew ;estament as a reward. 8(ten something as small as a !lue ri!!on, a sti& er, or a da# tri$ &an generate the extra !it o( motivation a #outh needs to rea&h a s$iritual goal. grave. ,e $ut mu&h o( it !ehind in the !oo o( Prover!s, to hel$ us !e&ome wise. (5ee Pr. 1:1=:) *;he Wisdom 3hallenge,* (or those who dare to a&&e$t it, will hel$ us to move these $rin&i$les those vital 1@ in&hes (rom our heads into our hearts. PA1; " = Rea% a/% Me%"tate o/ Pro(er)*. ;he !oo o( Prover!s has 71 &ha$ters, so that !# reading a &ha$ter a da#, #ou &an &om$lete it in a month. Written largel# !# 5olomon, it &ontains wisdom that s$ea s to toda#'s world as $ra&ti&all# as it s$o e to 5olomon's world. 1ead with a note $ad in hand, so that #ou &an write down the insights that stand out to #ou, and !ring them !a& with #ou to share with the grou$ ea&h wee . PA1; @ J Me>or"?e So>e Pro(er)*. 0emori2ing 5&ri$ture hel$s us to meditate on a $assage now, and re&all it later when we need it. .or next wee , memori2e Prover!s 8:10,11. 3ir&le it where itFs written out on #our student handout. " re&ommend writing it out on a note &ard tonight and &arr#ing it with #ou through the wee , so that #ou &an review it several times a da# during the wee . KAssign the s it in&luded in next wee Fs lesson to two #outh and give them a &o$# o( the s&ri$t. $ptional: If some of your youth are budding Dpielbergs, ha&e them &ideotape this beforehand and play it on a TL for the group.L

IN SEAR$H OF WISDOM WEEK II

PM1P85?: A.;?1 ;,"5 5?55"8B, " WAB; 0< 5;M>?B;5 ;8 P1"81";"N? 5??O"BG W"5>80 AB> 1?589P? ;8 ,ABG A18MB> W"5? P?8P9?. THE WISDOM $HALLEN!E : Who wants to tr# #our memor# verses !e(ore the grou$, or in (ront o( a (riend- Yo&r (er*e 1or /e@t =eeA "* Pro(. 3:,B. $o/t"/&e to re("e= Pr. 5: B, . 3ould an# o( #ou share with us what #ou learned (rom Prover!s during the wee - ,ereFs an idea (or the &oming wee s: ee$ two sheets in (ront o( #ou, one entitled D3hara&teristi&s o( the WiseE and the other entitled D3hara&teristi&s o( .ools.E As #ou read, note the verses that s$ea o( wisdom and (oolishness and re&ord #our o!servations. SKIT 1or re("e=: In order to re&iew last weekFs lesson, listen carefully to a skit that your friends ha&e prepared for you. S uden - 0Dtay tuned to your TL set for the e,citing conclusion of the MBFiles. 1ut first, a word from our sponsors./ S uden . "Go you think there are three kinds of people in this world: those who can count and those who

can't# If someone were to write a feature article on you for the school newspaper, would it be entitled "(lueless#" Then ha&e we got the product for you. The 1ook of @isdom? '.ull out a 1ible, co&ered with a brown paper slip book co&er, with @IDG$! written on the front in bold letters.) -o more trying to con&ince your parents that your "G" was really the highest grade in the class. -o more playing the dunce because you fell for the old line "1ut e&erybody's doing it." !ore &aluable than gold, more precious than sil&er B in fact, nothing you could e&er want e&en compares with it? "nd what do you think it would sell for in stores# =<555.55# =45,555.55# 1ut no, if you call today, 4B355B@IDG$!, you can own this in&aluable product for only =4H.H<. 1ut wait? $rder now and you'll also recei&e length of life, enduring wealth, health, and power. "nd thereFs still more? This package deal brings you authority, freedom, safety, confidence and honor. Gon't delay? $rder today? 'Lisa and !astercharge accepted, sales ta, may apply in certain countries.)

INTRODU$TION
Illus ra ion: To introduce todayFs message, imagine that an eccentric uncle recently died, lea&ing you the large house he had Alternative "ntro: Mse &li$s (rom recently ac9uired and whate&er belongings remained in the house. a movie li e 5$iel!ergFs In your first &isit to the old mansion, you donFt find much of *GooniesE whi&h shows ids interest in the li&ing area. Do you climb the ladder into the attic (inding a treasure ma$, dro$$ing and begin rummaging through the dusty relics of a byBgone ever#thing to sear&h (or the generation. 1ut just when youFre about to lea&e, you spot an old treasure, and the ex&itement o( wooden chest. %ou pry it open to disco&er a tattered, yellowed (inding the treasure. A(ter the map, clipped to a note from your deceased uncle. It reads, "%ou &li$s, as , D"( #ou were to (ind a hold in your hands a treasure map of inestimable worth, treasure ma$ whi&h #ou thought concealed by our ancestors for generations, waiting until we could was legitimate, would #ou !e ac9uire the deed to this estate. 1ut upon obtaining it, I became willing to &arve some time out o( terminally ill. Do itFs left to you to unra&el the riddles and #our !us# s&hedule to loo (or itinstructions on the map. If you succeed, you will disco&er a &ast chamber of gold, sil&er, and precious stones, all untraceable and worth billions, originally hidden on this estate by our infamous ancestor, 2ong Iohn Dil&er." -ow, imagine that you belie&e that the treasure is real, just waiting for you to find and claim it. @ould you say, "@ell, some day, when I get around to it, I'll ha&e to make time to try to find that treasure/. -o way. %ou'd immediately begin clearing time in your busy calendar, e&en if it meant gi&ing up some TL and fa&orite leisure acti&ities. 9ast wee we (ound that the treasure wisdom o((ers is o( mu&h more value than the treasure " des&ri!ed. 9etFs sa# that memor# verse over one more time. )ut, li e the e((ort re+uired in (inding the treasure on the estate, so a&+uiring wisdom involves &on&entrated e((ort. Who will read Pr. 8:1: (or us0I lo&e those who lo&e me, and those who seek me find me./'&r. 6:8A1%:16) 5o, a&&ording to this verse, does wisdom &ome e((ortlessl#, 'ust !# sitting in a &lassroom- (Bo. We must love it and diligentl# see it.) When #ou get into the lives o( gu#s li e Gates, 5$iel!erg, and 0i&hael Cordan, #ou (ind that the# loved learning so mu&h that the# didnFt mind missing out on lesser things, even when it meant se$arating themselves (rom the &rowd. While the (oolish live (or (itting in with the &rowd, su&&ess(ul $eo$le $ursue their goals and eventuall# develo$ (riendshi$s with others who are going the same dire&tion. And thatFs what this lesson is a!out: Dare to Be D"11ere/t.

II. DARE TO BE DIFFERENT

A.

B' Watch"/0 Yo&r Me/ta. D"et

ILLUSTRATION: Arnold Sch*ar/ene%%er disco&ered that if he wanted to de&elop a body that would beat e&ery competing body builder, he needed to not only hit the weights, but to eat a muscleBbuilding diet. In the same way, wisdom seekers find that they must eat a mindBbuilding diet. 8n Pr. 1%:16 J D;he ver!s ex$ress eager interest and devotion.E (;o#) 9etFs see how 5olomon $ut it in Prover!Fs 1%:16: 0The discernin% hear see(s (no*led%e, $u he mou h of a fool feeds on foll)12 I22CDT "TI$-: 2ast week we mentioned "ill #a es. +e's now the wealthiest man in "merica, considered the world's greatest entrepreneur. If you e&er work with a computer, you find the name !icrosoft popping up e&erywhere B !icrosoft @indows, !icrosoft Internet A,plorer, !icrosoft @ord. " computer won't do anything without an operating system, and Eates managed to produce the systems that became the standard. Do when almost anyone buys a computer, part of that money goes to !icrosoft, which Eates started when he was around 4H or J5 years old. 'Eates, 4>H) In the early days of !icrosoft, Eates was so young that when he flew into cities to market his software, he couldn't rent a rental car. +e was too young, and looked e&en younger. " year later, Dte&e @ood, general manager for !icrosoft, hired a secretary who was instructed that a couple of rooms were off limits for &isitors. It wasn't long till she spotted someone who looked like a teenager, complete with messBup hair and blue jeans, rummaging through the president's office and heading for the offBlimits computer room. Dhe dutifully ran to warn @oods, who calmly instructed her, "That's 1ill." "@ho#" "1ill Eates. The president. +e's your boss."'Eates, pp. 44;, 44>) The ne,t year, when Eates was JJ, !icrosoft would ha&e its first million dollar sales year.'p. 4J3) @hile in his 85's, he became a billionaire. Do how did this guy get the smarts to be able to write computer code lightning fast, lead a fastBgrowing company, and keep a step ahead of his competitors, while many people his age were still trying to decide on a career# 2ater on in the series we'll disco&er some of how he came to ha&e a grasp of the computer industry that some said was une9ualed. 1ut for now, I'll mention one thing that he determined not to do. +e knew that he couldn't keep ahead of the computer industry while spending the time that most spend following the popular sitcoms and soap operas. Do to make sure this didn't happen, he didn't e&en own a TL until he was JH. A&en then, it was just a monitor and a L( gi&en to him by a longBdistance girlfriend so that they could watch the same mo&ies and talk about them by phone afterwards. +e made sure that he didn't get a broadcast tuner, so that he couldn't pick up TL stations. Nnowing how enticing TL is, he couldn't risk wasting the time. "s if that weren't radical enough, he disconnected his car radio so that he could think better in the car. 'Eates, pp. J8J, J<8, CD" Today @eekend, p. <.) 9i e Gates, all serious wisdom see ers se$arate themselves (rom the &rowd !# showing an a$ath# toward the (oll# that man# (ol s live (or. "tFs 'ust li e the 5olomon said, wise $eo$le soa u$ wisdom while (ools (eed on (oll#. 5o letFs get s$e&i(i&. "magine that 5olomon were to hang out with an average grou$ o( #outh toda#. What $arts o( their mental diet do #ou thin he would des&ri!e as D(oll#-E (9et #our students dis&uss. .ollowing are some ideas.) De(o&r"/0 $e.e)r"t' Ma0a?"/e*. 5ome girls now more a!out 9eonardo de 3a$rio = how he dresses, his &urrent movies, who he's dating, what !rand o( deoderant he uses = than the# do a!out Cesus'

5ermon on the 0ount. And some o( #ou gu#s now s$orts stats li e #ou were a s$orts &ommentator. ;here's nothing wrong with !eing interested in the lives o( stars. )ut i( this dominates a $erson's reading, arenFt the# (eeding on (oll# Fea*t"/0 o/ Ro>a/ce No(e.* that ta e #ou nowhere. Scar1"/0 Do=/ TV Sho=* a/% Mo("e*. "tFs !een &alled D;he 8ne ?#ed 0onster,E and D;he 3#&lo$s ;hat ?ats )oo s.E ;he more #ou wat&h, the lower #our grades. 5tudies $rove it. <et, man# students, !# the time the# (inish high s&hool, will have s$ent more time in (ront o( a ;P set than in the &lassroom.

"( #ou (eed #our mind a stead# diet o( *>um! and >um!er,* Glamour 0aga2ine, and 0;P, don't !e sur$rised i( #our mind is (la!!# and #ou &an't get motivated to see wisdom.

A.

B' U*"/0 Yo&r T">e W"*e.'

0"e careful, hen, ho* )ou li+e 3 no as un*ise $u as *ise, ma(in% he mos of e+er) o&&or uni ), $ecause he da)s are e+il12 (?$h. %:1%,1GA &r. ,e! 1@:1) I22CDT "TI$-: @hen e&eryone else was chasing girls and hanging out in high school, S e+en S&iel$er% carried a camera around the school and hung out with the photography club. " high school ac9uaintance tried to ridicule him into the party lifestyle by asking, 0@hat are you going to do, make mo&ies all your life#/ 1ut Dpielberg stayed with his mo&ies, and got the last laugh. I22CDT "TI$-) 2ast week we mentioned "en'amin Fran(lin, who had only two years of schooling, but ended his life with a string of accomplishments that allowed him to be recei&ed by fi&e kings and be awarded honorary degrees by si, uni&ersities. 1ut Franklin reali*ed early on that he had to make a choice: either pursue wisdom or goof off with the crowd. Do, since he had to work instead of attending school, he set apart an hour or two each day for study, and used his weekends for reading and rubbing shoulders with wise people. "ccording to Franklin, " eading was the only amusement I allowed myself." 'p. 3>, "utobiography) Act"("t': 5ome o( #ou sa#, D)ut " 'ust donFt have an# time.E )ut weFre not tal ing a!out !e&oming a li!rar# ornament or dro$$ing all so&ial li(e and s$orts. Cust a little e((ort ea&h wee adds u$ to !ig wisdom over time. 9etFs have a +ui& 0ath &ontest to see who &an (igure the (ollowing amounts o( reading the +ui& est: "magine that #ou &an read @0 $ages $er hour. (5ome &an read mu&h more.) "( #ou gave u$ a 70 minute ;P $rogram ea&h da#, re$la&ing it with reading good !oo s on to$i&s #ou want to learn a!out, how long would it ta e #ou to read a 1G0 $age !oo - (Wait (or them to answer: ;hatFs 10 $ages $er da# (or 1G da#s.) ,ow man# !oo s in a month- (A!out @) ,ow man# !oo s in a #ear- (A!out @6) ,ow man# !oo s in 10 #ears(A!out @60) )# sa&ri(i&ing 70 minutes o( 0;P $er da#, #ou &ould rea$ the &ounsel o( the wisest o( the wise on a s$ort #ou are tr#ing to $er(e&t, (riendshi$s, (amil# li(e, ma ing and saving mone#, the )i!le, ministr#, health, et&. 8r, with 70 minutes a da# #ou &ould tea&h #oursel( a s ill su&h as $iano, guitar, &oo ing, or woodwor ing.

A$TION POINTS: "s there an#thing #ou &an write down (rom this $oint under #our a&tion $oints- Would #ou li e to set a goal o( 70 minutes $er da#, or a &ou$le o( wee end hours to a&&om$lish something great over

the #ears-

10

III. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH WISE PEOPLE

45e *ho *al(s *i h he *ise %ro*s *ise, ?xegesis = 3ould mean either *!e&ome evil* or *su((er evil (harm)* (Oidner)

$u a com&anion of fools suffers harm14 (Prov. 17:@0A &r. P. 16::, ) "( #our greatest &on&ern ea&h morning is whether or not #ou are having a !ad hair da#, and #ou have no motivation to learn or !etter #oursel(, #ou might want to loo around to see what ind o( $eo$le #ou hang around. " now, " now. 5ome will argue, *0# (riends don't reall# in(luen&e me mu&h.* )ut the Word o( God sa#s, "+e who walks with the wise grows wise..." 5o, what do wise $eo$le loo li e- >onFt !e (ooled. 5traight DAE students are not ne&essaril# wise. 0an# DAE students are in $rison toda#. Beither are slow students ne&essaril# dum!. 5$iel!erg &ouldnFt get into (ilm s&hool !e&ause o( his low grades. WeFre tal ing a!out $eo$le who not onl# a thirst (or learning, !ut &an ma e the wise de&isions that !ring them su&&ess. Illus ra ion! 2ast week we met "ill #a es, and talked about his meteoric rise to the top of the computer industry. -ow, according to Eod's @ord, the people we choose to hang out with ha&e an incredible influence on us. @hat kind of people do you think Eates hung out with in school# '2et them guess.) Through the > th grade he was a problem student who seldom applied himself 'Eates, pp 43BJ7) +e wasnFt going anywhere. 1ut the eighth grade he found his niche with some high school mathBscience whi* kids who fell hopelessly in lo&e with computer programming. -e&er mind that the other students thought they were geeks. Eates and friends spent their free time learning computer languages and writing programs. $ne of those friends, a tenth grade electronic whi* named .aul "llen, would become the coBfounder and idea person behind !icrosoft. %ou see, by walking with wise people, he became wise. Illus ra ion: "en'amin Fran(lin felt he couldn't attain wisdom by himself. Do he formed a club, named Iunto, which continued for 75 years of his life. @hile others were hitting the ta&erns on Friday nights, Iunto would meet to present and criti9ue each otherFs essays, debate issues, and discuss important matters. 'p. ;< of "utobiography) "t age 43 his chief ac9uaintances were three people who he discribes as "lo&ers of reading." They took pleasant weekend walks together where they would read to one another and talk about what they read. 'p. 74, "utobiog.) Do, by walking with wise people, he became what# @ise. Illus ra ion! @hen 4<ByearBold Arnold Sch*ar /ene%%er caught fire for bodybuilding, he began to hang around the local serious bodybuilders, although they were twice his age. +e learned from them, looked up to them, and by hanging around those who were wise in bodybuilding, he became wise in bodybuilding. Illustration: S e+en S&iel$er% didn't fit into the social life of his school any better than Eates. 1ut in middle school he wasn't the only kid making mo&ies. Incredibly, four other students within 45 houses from him spent their time making films while other kids chased girls and played sports. $ne of these friends said that he doubted Dpielberg could ha&e kept his moti&ation for filmmaking without the camaraderie of his fellowB enthusiasts. 1y hanging around those who were growing wise in filmmaking, Dpielberg became wise. Illustration: "s basketball superstar 6areem A$dul 7a$aar once said, "Gon't let those who are going

nowhere influence your opinions."

11

9isten, i( the lo(tiest goals o( #our &lose (riends are to get their hair (ixed, go to a $art#, or to tr# a new drug, #ouFre going nowhere in li(e and will never ma e a dent in this world (or Cesus. )e&ause Da &om$anion o( (ools su((ers harm.E 5o, as #ou de(ine where #ou are going in li(e, surround #oursel( with $eo$le who are going the same dire&tion. ;hen #ou will (ind #oursel( growing wise. A$TION POINTS: Are #our &losest &om$anions wise- "( not, who is someone #ou &ould see to !ring into that &lose &ir&le that &ould hel$ !ring out the wisdom see er in #ou- 9i e .ran lin, the# ma# have onl# two #ears o( (ormal edu&ation, !ut within them !urns that (ire that ee$s them restless with what the# &urrentl# now, and in their &onversations and reading the# are &onstantl# growing. "n the &losing, silent $ra#er time, as God i( #ou need to ma e an# &hanges in #our (riendshi$s.

"B 5?A13, 8. W"5>80 W??O """

PURPOSE: A5 A 1?5M9; 8. ;,"5 9?558B, " WAB; 0< 5;M>?B;5 ;8 PM15M? W"5>80 )< GA;,?1"BG W"5? 38MB5?9 AB> 9?A1B"BG .180 1?)MO?. THE WISDOM $HALLEN!E : "tFs time to +uote the verses (rom the $ast two wee s. .or next wee , ee$ reviewing the old verses and add Prov. 14:@0A 1::10. Who has something interesting to share that #ou read in Prover!s-

INTRODU$TION
I'&e heard it told that a mechanical problem caused a factory to shut down, so that the head of operations had to call in a master mechanic. The mechanic asked few 9uestions, pulled out a screw dri&er, and fi,ed the entire problem by adjusting one screw. Then he promptly presented the owner with a bill for =<<5.55. "For turning a screw#" the owner objected. "1y no means," replied the mechanic. 0I only charged =.<> for turning the screw. The balance of =<7H.78 was for knowing which screw to turn." This may ha&e been written as a joke, but itFs true in a lot of cases. %ou see, as one man said, 0Nnowledge is the currency of e,change of the information age./ 'Iohn Ealbreth) The more you know about your profession, the more &aluable you are to your company, and the more they will pay to keep you. ;hatFs de$ressing to some o( #ou. <ouFre thin ing, D9earning isnFt m# thing. Bo matter how hard " tr# in s&hool, " &anFt seem to ee$ u$ with the other students. " must not have what it ta es to grow wise.E )ut listen, Wins on 8hurchhill9s (ather was ashamed o( Winston's a$$arent dullness and (elt that he would never !e a!le to earn a living in ?ngland. (3radles, $. @G6) Al$er Eins ein struggled with languages and (ailed his test to enter &ollege. S e+en S&iel$er% wasn't a&&e$ted into (ilm s&hool !e&ause o( his low grades. "n )en'amin .ran linFs two #ears o( (ormal edu&ation, he struggled with 0ath. Thomas Edison:s tea&hers &onsidered him one o( their slowest students. 5o #ou see, wisdom is not 'ust availa!le to a&ademi& whi2 ids. ;he re+uirement (or !e&oming wise is not +ui& ness in s&hool. 9isten to Prover!s 8:1:, where wisdom is $i&tured as s$ea ing: "I lo&e those who lo&e me, and those who seek me find me." 5o, a&&ording to this verse, who &an !e wise- (;hose who love wisdom and see it.)

<ou see, there are three inds o( $eo$le in this room: 1) Teach >e "1 'o& ca/. @) Pa**"(e ."*te/er* who will learn onl# what need to $ass a test. 7) ;hen there are tho*e 1e= =ho *"t o/ the e%0e o1 the"r *eat*, $en in hand, in hot $ursuit o( the 'ewels that most $eo$le miss. 5olomon sa#s that this third grou$ will (ind wisdom. 9etFs go on a treasure hunt/ P1A< 9etFs review the $ath to wisdom that weFve &overed so (ar. 1) @) 7) !et 1"re% &# H>evelo$ a thirst !# envisioning the things #ou want out o( li(e, and reali2ing how wisdom &an get them (or #ou. Dare to )e %"11ere/t H1adi&all# &ut out the detra&tors that ee$ #ou (rom !e&oming wise. Ha/0 aro&/% ="*e #eo#.e.

12

IV. !ATHER WISE $OUNSEL A1 Wha #od Sa)s

5o, #ou want to $er(e&t ex&el at a s ill, li e 0i&hael Cordan with !as et!all or )ill Gates with &om$uters. 8r, #ou want to !e an all=around wise gu# li e )en .ran lin. ,ow do #ou do it- 5olomon gives us a $ath in Prover!s 14:@0 and 1%:@@. Who will read these (or us4Lis en o ad+ice and acce& ins ruc ion, and in he end )ou *ill $e *ise14 (Prov. 14:@0A &r. 1:%A 1@:1%, 14:@0) 0Plans fail for lac( of counsel, $u *i h man) ad+isers he) succeed12 (1%:@@) 5o, i( #ou want to end u$ wise, how does this verse sa# to go a!out it- (9isten to advi&e and a&&e$t instru&tion.) 0an# $eo$le &anFt learn (rom others !e&ause the#Fre &onsumed with im$ressing others (&r. Pr. 18:@). "( #ou want to !e wise, #ouFve got to develo$ an intense &uriosit# a!out other $eo$leFs interests, and learn to get them tal ing !# as ing interesting +uestions. I22CDT "TI$-: $ne guy studied millionaires to disco&er how they did it. !ost of them made the money themsel&es rather than inherit it. Do, how did they do it# $ne surprising find was that most millionaires donFt li&e in high class neighborhoods or dri&e e,pensi&e cars. They are more interested in in&esting money than spending money. 1ut one thing they will spend money on. "ny ideas# .aying financial counselors for ad&ice. %ou see, theyF&e learned the principle weFre working on learning today.

"1 5o* We 8an Li+e I

8ne $resident said that he had never met an#one who was not his su$erior in some wa#. <ou don't ne&essaril# need to &onsult a Ph.>. A $arent or a little !rother ma# have unusual insight, es$e&iall# sin&e the# now #ou !etter than man# others. Wise gu# )en'amin .ran lin on&e said, DWho is wise- ,e that learns (rom ever#one.E Yo&r Fa>".':

13
ILLUSTRATION: 1asketball superstar Michael 7ordan reigns as "mericaFs most popular athlete, perhaps the most popular in the world. +eFs mastered the game to such an e,tent that pro player !agic Iohnson could say, 0ThereFs !ichael O and then thereFs the rest of us./ ' are "ir, on front slee&e) 1ut he didnFt just wake up one morning, pick up a basketball, and begin his lightning fast mo&es and stratospheric jumps, dunking baskets against giant defenders. 1elie&e it or not, he was cut from the Larsity team his Dophomore year in high school. Do what did he do to impro&e# $ne could argue that without the fierce, daily, oneBonBone, back yard competitions with his older brother 2arry, who was a better athlete at the time, !ichael would ha&e ne&er de&eloped his ability and confidence enough to compete at the game. 2arry was his mentor as well as best friend. 5o learn as mu&h as #ou &an (rom #our (amil# = &oo , garden, !uild. 9earn (rom their wealth o( ex$erien&es, !oth good and !ad. Yo&r Fr"e/%*: 9ast wee we s$o e o( surrounding #oursel( with wise $eo$le. A(ter #ou get them around #ou, !e more &on&erned with learning (rom them than showing o(( how mu&h #ou now. ILLUSTRATION: @hile walking to school each day, future comedian Rodne) Dan%erfield perfected his humor by telling a joke in se&eral different ways to his friends, and then ask which deli&ery was funnier. !any people learn the guitar this way. They ask someone whoFs a step ahead of them how to read a cord chart or how to position their fingers for a certain chord. Then, they practice till they can do it. @hene&er they want to do something new, they ask a person who can do it how they do it, or learn to read the music maga*ines that show how the professionals do it. E@#ert* I22CDT "TI$-: To pick back up on Michael 7ordan, after his humiliating cut from the high school team as a Dophomore, he began waking up at ;:55 each morning to practice with his Iunior Larsity coach. Then there were the basketball clinics he began attending during the summers, where he got input from top coaches. I22CDT "TI$-: Guring his college years, S e+en S&iel$er% spent his time after classes and during the summer helping out at Cni&ersal Dtudios, where he asked millions of 9uestions and watched the masters in action. "t ta es more than $ra&ti&e. "t ta es the right ind o( $ra&ti&e. Msuall#, we need ex$erts to show us how. Yo&r $h&rch 2cr. I $or. ,:5: = 9oo around 5unda# morning and see how man# &umulative #ears o( ex$erien&e these $eo$le have. "( 100 adults attend on a 5unda# morning, at average age o( 60 #ears ea&h, #ou have 6000 #ears o( varied ex$erien&e to draw (rom. God has gi(ted some o( these with ;ea&hing, Wisdom, or Pro$he&#. And even in this room, ever# student has areas o( interest and ex$ertise, whi&h, i( we were &urious enough to ta$ into it, &ould !roaden us in&redi!l#.

81 A 8hance To Do I
A3;"P";<: D#IVE ME SOME ADVI8E.E 9etFs a$$l# this verse right now. >ivide into grou$s o( (our, sitting in a &ir&le. Bow, ea&h o( #ou write down one or more areas that #ou have an interest in = a s$ort #ou $arti&i$ate in, an instrument #ou $la#, a s&hool su!'e&t #ou en'o#, &oo ing, !uilding, exer&ise, animals, hi ing, et&. Bow, one at a time, share #our areas o( interest and let other mem!ers o( the grou$ as #ou +uestions a!out it. (?xam$le: Can has an interest in $ets. 5tudents as , DWhat $ets do #ou have- ,ow mu&h time does it ta e to &are (or a $et- "s it ver# ex$ensive- KBo di((i&ult trivia +uestions $lease.L )

14

$ON$LUSION
;he worldFs greatest su&&esses didnFt ma e it !# themselves. ;he# (ound wa#s to add other $eo$leFs wisdom to their own, thus multi$l#ing their own wisdom. Ho>e=orA: 3ome u$ with an area o( li(e that #ou would li e to now more a!out. 1) ,ow to get along with di((i&ult $eo$le. @) ,ow to get m# !od# into sha$e. 7) ,ow to &hoose a vo&ation or ma'or. 6) ,ow to get !etter grades. %) ,ow to $la# an instrument. Bow, de&ide who might give #ou some good in$ut on this area ($arents, tea&hers, neigh!ors, (amil# mem!ers). >uring the wee , tal to some $eo$le a!out these to$i&s to gather wise &ounsel. 1e$ort !a& next wee a!out an#thing $ro(ita!le #ou might have learned.

V. LEARN FROM $RITI$ISM

"( #ou ta e $oint 7 seriousl# and !egin as ing (or advi&e, #ouFd !etter $re$are #oursel( (or Q6, !e&ause #ouFre not alwa#s going to li e the in$ut #ou get. >o #ou get #our (eathers ru((led ever# time someone &riti&i2es #ou"( so, #ouFd !etter memori2e this warning: 4A re$u(e im&resses a man of discernmen more han a hundred lashes a fool14 (Prov. 1::10A &r. 4::=4A 10:8A 14:@%) ILLUSTRATION: @e all understand colorblind people. If their mom or wife doesnFt match their clothes for them, they are in trouble. 1ut IFm con&inced that all of us ha&e some kind of blindness. Dome people are relationship blind. They canFt keep friends, but ha&e no idea why. They may ha&e bad breath, a sense of humor that only their mom appreciates, and body odor. 1ut they are clueless. Their only hope of not going through life with the problem is if they can get someone to be honest with them, and take the truth to heart. )ut (ools !low o(( &orre&tion, thin ing, DWho is he to tr# to set me straight-E ;hatFs wh# the# never im$rove themselves. ;he# are too de(ensive to ever (a&e their wea nesses. ItFs like the "merican (i&il war general whose last words were, as he raised his head abo&e a parapet B "-onsense, they couldn't hit an elephant at this dis...." Wise $eo$le, on the other hand, ta e &riti&ism to heart, regarding their &riti&s as some o( their most valua!le (riends. 5u$er=su&&esses go !e#ond ta ing &riti&ism wellA the# as (or it. ILLUSTRATION: $ne day "en'amin Fran(lin9s friend sharply rebuked him. "1en," he said, "you are impossible. %our opinions ha&e a slap in them for e&eryone who differs with you. They ha&e become so e,pensi&e nobody cares for them. %our friends find they enjoy themsel&es better when you are not around." Franklin took the rebuke seriously and began to work on his relational abilities. The effort paid off in later years as he became one of the most sought out, respected men of his time. "t another time, in order to impro&e his writing, he and some friends each wrote a paper based on a .salm, and then criti9ued each otherFs writing. ILLUSTRATION: "s a young gradeBschool mo&ie maker, S e+en S&iel$er%, would show his films on a sheet, thrown o&er a clothes line in his backyard, with his sister selling tickets and candy. 1etween showings, he would get their input on what they liked, and how he could impro&e. ILLUSTRATION: 1asketball Duperstar Michael 7ordan played an e,traordinary game as a college freshman. 1ut that didnFt keep him from intently listening to his coachFs e&aluation of his weaknesses. 1y

working hours a day on these weaknesses, he came a step closer to being the best player of all time.

15

ILLUSTRATION: 1odybuilder Arnold Sch*ar /ene%%er asked a fellowBbodybuilder to e&aluate his physi9ue. Dchwar*enegger took his ad&ice, changed part of his routine, and took another step toward becoming the worldFs top bodybuilder. ILLUSTRATION: "ill 5)$els started a church in a mo&ie theatre that grew, in 4< years, to o&er 47,555 attendees, making it the largest church in "merica. +ow did he perfect his speaking ability# +e asked a di&erse group of people to criti9ue his sermons each Dunday and write their input, both positi&e and negati&e, to help him impro&e himself. 1esides this input, his staff also meet with him the following week to criti9ue the entire ser&ice. "( M"chae. 9or%a/ had re(used to listen to his &oa&hesF &riti+ues o( his gameH "( Fra/A."/ had never ta en his (riendFs advi&eH "( S#"e.)er0 had never gotten in$ut on his (ilmsH "( Da/0er1"e.% had never gotten in$ut on his 'o esH Hwe might have never heard o( these gu#s. "t ma es a lot o( sense when #ou thin a!out it. )ut how man# #outh ever sa# to their $arents over su$$er, D0om and dad, whenever #ou see an#thing " do that #ou thin " need to !e &orre&ted a!out, $lease let me now.E 5ome o( #our $arents might have a heart atta& /

$ON$LUSION AND A$TION POINTS

Bow what a!out #ou- What are some a&tion $oints that #ou need to a$$l# (rom toda#Fs lesson- "deas: Give a (riend or a&+uaintan&e $ermission to let #ou now how #ou &ould im$rove #oursel(. As #our $arents (or their in$ut. A(ter the# $i& themselves u$ (rom $assing out on the (loor,as DWhat &ould " do to im$rove m#sel(- ;o !etter handle m#sel( in so&ial situations-E When #ou see stu(( " need to im$rove u$on, $lease let me now.

16
"dea: Lear/"/0 Fro> the W"*e. .or next wee Fs lesson, ta e a !rea (rom tea&hing. "nstead, use the time to a$$l# this wee Fs lesson !# gathering some wise &ounsel (rom wise mem!ers o( #our &hur&h. "n our &hur&h, we had some wise, well res$e&ted, s$irituall# minded, senior adults that " wanted m# #outh to now !etter. " as ed the #outh to tell me who some o( the senior adults were that the# would li e to learn (rom. 8ut o( this list, " as ed a!out two men and two women i( the# would !e willing to $arti&i$ate. ;hen, " hel$ed the #outh &ome u$ with +uestions that the# would li e to get answers to (rom this $anel. (" suggested some +uestions to get them started: @hat are some things you did throughout your life that you would recommend someone else to do# @hat do you regret that you did not do# @hat 9ualities should we look for in a lifeFs mate# @hat lessons ha&e you learned about handling money-) " ignored the stu$id +uestions '0+a&e you seen Al&is recently#/) , t#$ed u$ the good +uestions and made some &o$ies. " gave a &o$# to ea&h o( the (our adults to let them re(le&t on the +uestions during the wee . >uring the session, " handed out the +uestions (or the #outh to as , ma ing the session more in(ormal and &onversational. ;he adults sat in a row o( &hairs in the (ront o( the #outh, li e a $anel dis&ussion. " was the moderator, to ma e sure that no one adult dominated the dis&ussion. "t wor ed so well, that "Fd &onsider doing this a &ou$le o( times $er #ear. Oe#s to this sessionFs su&&ess: 1. A +ualit# $anel o( adults. "( #our &hur&h doesnFt have enough shar$ senior adults to $ull (rom, !roaden it to an# adults. @. "nteresting +uestions.

17

IN SEAR$H OF WISDOM WEEK IV

PURPOSE: )< ;,? ?B> 8. ;,"5 9?558B, " WAB; 0< 5;M>?B;5 ;8 )? 08;"PA;?> ;8 58AO MP OB8W9?>G?, AB> OB8W 5?P?1A9 WA<5 ;8 >8 ";. THE WISDOM $HALLEN!E: "tFs time to +uote the verses (rom the $ast three wee s. (9et them +uote to ea&h other.) .or next wee , ee$ reviewing the old verses and add Pro(. 5: 7. Who has something interesting to share that #ou read in Prover!s last wee -

INTRODU$TION
,ave #ou ever ta en an "I test, onl# to have the results &ome !a& negative- >o #ou thin there are three inds o( $eo$le in the world: those who &an &ount and those who &an't- ;hen this series is es$e&iall# (or #ou. )ut itFs also (or $eo$le who !ree2e through s&hool with straight AFs, !ut are (lun ing in #our relationshi$s with (riends and (amil#. "tFs (or an#one who would rather !e nown as wise, rather than as an air head. 9isten, our su&&ess in li(e hinges largel# on how we live out the $rin&i$les o( this series. 5o letFs $ra# that God will tea&h us tonight.

PRAY VI. SOAK UP KNOWLED!E 2A/' Wh"ch Wa' Yo& $a/C:

Pa# &lose attention to a s it that #our (riends have $re$ared (or #ou, and see i( #ou &an relate to it. 5?;;"BG: ;?A3,?1 9?3;M1"BG .180 "B .18B; 8. ,?1 >?5O, W";, .8M1 5;M>?B;5 5?A;?> "B .18B; 8. ,?1. ;?A3,?1: (5P?AO"BG "B A 5"B3?1?9< PA55"8BA;? WA<) 0Do, as you can see, the oman Ampire fell, not only because of in&aders from without, but because of moral corruption within. If you hear nothing else today, please, please hear this. Dantayana said, 0Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it./ If we fail to learn from the omans, our country could crumble as well. (anFt you seeP

DTCGA-T Q4: '1 A"NI-E I-T$ T+A !IGG2A $F T+A TA"(+A FD DA-TA-(A) Go we ha&e to write this down#
5;M>?B; Q@: <ea, is this going to !e on a test or something5;M>?B; Q7: (Pointing to his wat&h) >idnFt #ou sa# we were going to ta e a !rea a!out now5;M>?B; Q6: ?x&use me/ ?mergen&#/ " was 'ust doing m# (ingernails and !ro e m# (ile. 0a# " run to m# lo& er and get a s$areA5 ;,? ;?A3,?1 ;,18W5 MP ,?1 ,AB>5 "B >?5PA"1 AB> PM;5 ,?1 ,?A> >8WB 8B ,?1 >?5O, A BA11A;81 380?5 8M; ;8 1?A> A 531"P;M1?:

A/% So.o>o/ =rote, D>o not s$ea to a (ool, (or he will s&orn the wisdom o( #our words.E 2Pro(.

18
DOnowledgeE here is a general term, whi&h &an re(er to 1) nowledge o( a $ersonal, ex$erimental nature, @) te&hni&al nowledge or a!ilit# (li e !uilders o( the tem$le), 7) dis&ernment, 6) moral &ognition, or %) &ontem$lative $er&e$tion. (;W8;)

,3:8: ;a&&lause &lease< Some of )ou are &ro$a$l) hin(in%, 0D='> +u? Tha :s he a i ude I see e+er) da) in school12 In )our school, ou of a class of @A s uden s, ho* man) do )ou hin( are ho af er *isdomB ;#e ans*ers from se+eral &eo&le1< "u #od doesn: *an us o floa do*ns ream *i h he cro*d1 5ere 5e *an s us o s*im a%ains he flo*1 Loo( u& Pro+1 -C!-D, and see ho* Solomon &u i 1 4The hear of he discernin% acEuires (no*led%eF he ears of he *ise see( i ou 14 (&r. Prov. 1:%A @:1=%A 6:%,:A 8:76A 10:@7A 1:%A 10:16A 1%:16A
18:1%)

Do, according to Dolomon, what does a wise man do# '"c9uires or seeks out knowledge.) Today we will look at different ways to li&e out this passage, and illustrate each with some wise guys who took this principle and ran with it.
S$RIPTURE SEAR$H: "Fm handing out some verses (or #ou to read out loud. (8nl# the main verse !eside ea&h $oint. -ot the verses (ollowing the D&r.E As ea&h o( #ou read #our verse, others o( #ou tell me in #our own words what the verse sa#s a!out how to a&+uire nowledge. Bow, whoFs willing to write ea&h wa# o( see ing nowledge on the !la& !oard (or overhead, or $oster $a$er) (or us as $eo$le &all it out- (A (ew o( these verses will !e review. 0ost will !e new.)

Wa#s to Get "t

1.

Pa' Atte/t"o/DL"*te/ 2Pro(. ;:,+:

(&r. 1@:1%A 17:1A 6:1,10,@0,@1A ::@6A8:7@,76A 14:@0A @@:1:A @7:1@,14,@@A %:1,:A @%:1@A 18:@A Cms. 1::)

0No* hen, m) sons, lis en o meF &a) a en ion o *ha I sa)12

.ro&. >:J702isten/R/.ay attention/ O Translations of two +ebrew words which are practically synonymous. The basic meaning is 0to hear,/ but can also include paying close attention and obeying. 'Dtrong, Eesenius, T@$T) ILLUSTRATION: 3)5 used to run do2ens o( late night news s$e&ials a #ear, !ut sin&e Te% Ko##e. !egan hosting Bightline, the# new the#'d !e &ra2# to tr# to &om$ete. 5ome regard him as the smartest

man on television, and his s ills as host !ring him well over R1,000,000 $er #ear. 5o what ma es him su&h a great host- ,ow &an he ee$ &oming u$ with the $er(e&t +uestions and lead=ins to $ull the !est material (rom his guests- A&&ording to Oo$$el, *" listen. 0ost $eo$le don't. 5omething interesting &omes along and = whooosh/ = it goes right $ast them.* )ut listening didnFt 'ust &ome naturall# to Oo$$el. ,e sa#s that he shar$ened this s ill while travelling with 5e&retar# o( 5tate ,enr# Oissinger as re$orter (or A)3 news. (Bewswee arti&le) Oo$$el's attention to listening has hel$ed net him R1,000,000 $er #ear. "tFs hard to (ind good listeners these da#s. )ut i( #ou want to as$ire to !e a wisdom see er, #ouFve got to learn. Eot any ideas as to how we can sharpen our listening skills# 'Ideas: !ake eye contact, get rid of distractions, summari*e the main points in your mind, take notes, get enough sleep.)

19

1.

!ather "t 2Pro(er)* 5: 7:

18:@A @@:1:A @7:@7A ?&&. 1@:4)

(3r. Prov. 6:%=8A ::1=6A 8:10,11,1:,76A 10:16,@7A 1%:16A

0The hear of he discernin% acEuires (no*led%eF he ears of he *ise see( i ou 12

a. B' !ett"/0 !oo% A%("ce 2Pr. 7:,,: (&r. Prov. @::1:A 11:16A 1@:1%A @0:18)
0Plans fail for lac( of counsel, $u *i h man) ad+isers he) succeed12
WeFve alread# tal ed a!out this one over the last &ou$le o( wee s. What advi&e stands out to #ou that #ou got (rom either last wee Fs $anel, or those #ou have tal ed to $ersonall#-

$1 ") As(in% Gues ions

ILLUSTRATION! "s a child, S e+en S&iel$er% had an aunt who babysat him. 2isten to her obser&ations: 0From the time he was able to open his mouth his first word, I think, was S@hy#F %ou just had to answer e&ery 9uestion, and then there would be more. !ost of what I remember is Dte&eFs curiosity and in9uirious 'sic) nature. +e was just curiouser and curiouserP./ 'Dpielberg, p. 8>,75) ILLUSTRATION: As a s&hool!o#, A.)ert E"/*te"/E* s&ien&e tea&her was in(uriated that he e$t as ing +uestions that the# &ouldnFt answer. Although the tea&her &ouldnFt ex$el Al!ert (or as ing +uestions, he told him that the tea&hers $re(erred that he leave the s&hool. (Al!ert ?instein: <oung ;hin er, $$. 171((.) >o #ou thin ?insteinFs and 5$iel!ergFs &urious nature and innumera!le +uestions had an#thing to do with their ultimate su&&ess- "n what wa#-

c. ") EH&erimen in%

5ometimes, the !est wa# to learn is !# ex$erimenting, or learning !# tr#ing to do something. ILLUSTRATION! I heard of three missionaries who lit upon a scheme sa&e more time for language study. TheyFd let only one go to the market to buy food so that the other two could spend the time studying their language books. 1ut do you know which one ended up learning the language better# The one who went to the market. @hy# 1ecause he got to e,periment with using the language with the

nati&e speakers.

20

And itFs not 'ust languages that &ome !etter !# ex$erimenting. "( #ou want to learn how to &oo , get a re&i$e and then tr# it out. ?x$eriment to see i( #ou &an ma e it !etter. A !ig $art o( learning &om$uter $rograms is to get on a &om$uter and (ool around with $rograms. ILLUSTRATION! @hen people look at some of the mo&ies that S&iel$er% made while he was in high school they are ama*ed at how he could make such realistic scenes with an infinitesimal budget. +e didnFt learn most of it by reading books. +e just thought up stuff and e,perimented. -o fader# -o problem. +e just blew smoke in front of the camera.

D1e(le&t onE S Dto $er&eive with the mind, to understand, thin u$on, $onder, &onsider.E (Wuest) 9ens i !rings out the $resent tense o( the ver! J D!e a$$l#ing #our mind.E DHone must $ause and thin to a$$rehend it all.E (9ens i) d. B' th"/A"/0 (II T">. ,:;a: (&r. Ps. 1:@, Cosh. 1:8A Ps. 114:1%,@7,68,:8,168A Pr. 16:8,1%,1GA 1::10A
@@:1:A ?&&. 1@:4)

0Reflec on *ha I am sa)in%I12

>oes an#one now the motto o( ")0- D;,"BOE ILLUSTRATION: "ill #a es: mother says that, as a child, he was ne&er ready to lea&e when they needed to go somewhere. DheFd call and ask, 0@hat are you doing#/ to which heFd reply, 0IFm thinking. IFm thinking./ 'Eates, p. 4;) 5ome $eo$le are great at ta ing notes or memori2ing (a&ts, !ut horri!le at understanding the (a&ts. ILLUSTRATION! Dhortly after the (i&il war, Thomas Edison worked as a telegraph operator in (incinnati. 1efore the telephone, telegraph operators would send messages &ia dots and dashes, which an operator on the other end of the line would translate back into words. $ne day Adison looked outside to see an immense crowd gathering outside the newspaper office. " messenger soon appeared, shouting, 02incolnFs shot?/ The crowd wanted the details. 1ut to e&eryoneFs surprise, all the operators claimed they had not recei&ed the message. 1ut after their boss demanded that the operators look through their transcripts, an embarrassed operator held up the account. Incredibly, the operator had translated the account so mechanically, that he had no idea of the significance of what he was writing. !akes you want to knock on the guyFs head and say, 0+ello? Is anybody home in there#/ '1oysF 2ife of Adison, p. <8) 5in&e mu&h o( s&hool wor is sim$l# rote memor#, itFs eas# to (all into sim$l# ta ing notes and memori2ing without thin ing. "n (a&t, "Fve heard ,oward ,endri& s de(ine toda#Fs edu&ation as 0transferring a set of notes from the teacher to the student, without going through the mind of either./

21
A$TIVITY: ?a&h #ear, (or a $eriod o( time, inventor ;homas ?dison would ta e in a &ou$le o( the most !rilliant graduates o( one o( Ameri&aFs to$ s&hools, 0assa&husetts "nstitute o( ;e&hnolog#. 8n&e he handed the new arrivals a light !ul! (,old u$ one !e(ore the grou$.) and as ed them to (igure how mu&h water, !# weight, it would ta e to (ill it. Bow give me some ideas. ,ow would #ou solve this &om$lex mathemati&al $ro!lem- (9et some answer.) At the end o( the da#, ea&h &ame !a& with a di((erent wa# o( mathemati&all# &al&ulating the $ro!lem, and ea&h had a di((erent answer. 5o ?dison sim$l# weighs the !ul!, &hi$s o(( a !it onto the s&ale, (ills it with water, weighs it again and su!tra&ts to (ind the di((eren&e. ;hen he said to the new re&ruits, D;hereFs #our answer. Bow (orget ever#thing the# taught #ou at 0"; and get to the $oint.E 5ome o( us need to tal less and thin more. ,ow a!out #ou- Would this ma e a good a&tion $oint-

e. A/' =h"ch =a' 'o& ca/ 2Pro(. 5: 7: 0The hear of he discernin% acEuires (no*led%eF he ears of he *ise see( i ou 12
-ow look closely at this &erse. eading is one of our best skills to ac9uire knowledge. 1ut does the &erse say 0read all the time#/ -o. It simply says to ac9uire knowledge and seek it out. A&en if you canFt read books, you can read people and learn how to relate to them. %ou can listen to audio tapes checked out of the library, or learn languages by listening to 1ible cassettes in the other language. In other words, find out some ways you can learn, and start seeking. IDEA: "( this lesson runs into two wee s, &onsider !ringing the 1?P"?W (rom the next lesson (the !rie( li(e o( ?dison) into the end o( #our se&ond wee o( this lesson.

"nd donFt just stay with a few pet subjects. 2ike young Dpielberg, become curiouser and curiouser about e&erything. DolomonFs wisdom e,tended to composing o&er 4555 songs, describing plant life, and teaching about animals. 'I Nings 7:JHB87) Go you ask 9uestions when you work in the garden with your parents, or e,periment to find the best ways to grow the plants# ILLUSTRATION: "ill #a es soaks up knowledge like a sponge soaks up water. For e,ample, he read the entire @orld 1ook Ancyclopedia, I mean all the way from " to T. "nd I donFt mean as an adult. +e did it as a nineB yearBold? It wasn't until the eighth grade that he met his first computer. 1ut there wasn't a class offered in computers. -o matter. +e read manuals and learned programming by doing it along with a few friends. $ne day sharp Denior at his school couldnFt get a program he had written to run, so the teacher directed him to a little blond kid who was so small that his feet dangled off the end of the chair. The 48ByearBold, freckledBfaced kid was named Eates, 1ill Eates. +e probably preferred his (ool "id shaken, not stirred. 1ill 9uickly sol&ed the problem. 2ater, when the school arranged free computer time in e,change for testing a company's computer, 1ill and his friends were out there on Daturdays and some weekday afternoons. In fact, 1ill was so hot after learning to program computers that he would often fake going to bed so that he could sneak out of his house and take a bus back to the computer. 'pp. 4;, J>,84) When his high s&hool administrators de&ided to s&hedule their &lasses !# &om$uter, the# let Gates $rogram the so(tware. A side !ene(it was that he was a!le s&hedule his &lasses with all the !est loo ing girls/ Cust another !ene(it o( wisdomH

22

$ON$LUSION
SMALL !ROUP DIS$USSION: WeFve said that thee are three inds o( learners in the world. 1) Sco11er* who sa# DCust see i( #ou &an tea&h me something " donFt now.E @) Pa**"(e L"*te/er* who la# !a& and learn onl# what the# need to $ass a test. 7) ;hen there are those rare, FE%0e o1 Yo&r SeatE W"*%o> SeeAer*, who sit, $en in hand, in hot $ursuit o( the 'ewels that most $eo$le miss. "n small grou$s, !rainstorm and list on a sheet o( $a$er the ha!its that #ou thin sets a$art a wisdom see er (rom the rest o( the &rowd. WhatFs di((erent a!out her attitude in s&hool or in &hur&h- ,ow does she res$ond to homewor - What are some things she does and doesnFt do with her (ree timeBow, (rom #our list, &ome u$ with a &ou$le o( attitudes or a&tions #ou want to ma e a $art o( #our own li(e, and write them in #our A&tion Points.

Shar&enin% Jour AH

Wh# use so man# stories- )e&ause Cesus, the 0aster ;ea&her, set the exam$le !# telling stories to ma e ,is $oints. When the &om$lainers grum!led a!out Cesus eating with sinners, ,e &ould have shot !a& , D,e#, God loves sinners. Got a $ro!lem with that-E 3ase &losed. )ut instead, ,e told three stories, one a!out a lost shee$, another a!out a lost &oin, and a third a!out a lost son. (9 . 1%:1=71) ?ver wonder wh#- Perha$s Cesus reasoned that a &om$elling stor# would stir the heart and sti& in the mind mu&h !etter than a sim$le statement. ,ow a!out $utting this $rin&i$le to a test- A &ou$le o( times during the series, review $ast wee s !# as ing +uestions li e, DWhat are some s$e&i(i& wa#s that )ill Gates sought wisdom- What a!out 5teven 5$iel!erg.E "( #ou told the stories well, " !et #ou will !e ama2ed at how mu&h the# have retained. 3om$are this to as ing i( the# remem!er #our outline (rom two wee s ago/

IN SEAR$H OF WISDOM WEEK V

PURPOSE: )< ;,? ?B> 8. ;,"5 9?558B, " WAB; 0< 5;M>?B;5 ;8 )? 08;"PA;?> ;8 58AO MP OB8W9?>G?, AB> OB8W 5?P?1A9 WA<5 ;8 >8 ";. NOTE TO TEA$HERS: Although " donFt have an# &reative, small grou$ a&tivies (or this session, "Fve in&luded some dis&ussion +uestions at the end o( ea&h $oint whi&h should stir u$ some good ideas, intera&tion, and !rain storming. ;hin through these +uestions well, and revise them with the !a& ground and needs o( #our own students in mind. THE WISDOM $HALLEN!E : "tFs time to +uote the verses (rom the $ast (our wee s. (9et them +uote to ea&h other.) .or next wee , ee$ reviewing the old verses and add Pro(. +: 7. Who has something interesting to share that #ou read in Prover!s last wee -

23

INTRODU$TION
Bo matter how mu&h o( an air head some $eo$le thin the# are, the# $ro!a!l# have no idea o( the intelle&tual $otential God has given them. 9etFs $ut it this wa#H ILLUSTRATION! @ithin this building today we ha&e some of by far the most ad&anced computers e&er constructed. 1ut I'm not talking about anything with a manBmade Intel chip inside. I'm talking about the brain that Eod has gi&en each of us. A&en if you think your brain is the slowest in the group, I want you to follow me on this. Dlowly look around the room 'go ahead, look around) and reali*e how your brain is processing hundreds and thousands of bits of information at lightningBspeed: colors, shapes, si*es, sounds, smells, sensations of hot, cold, anger, e,hilaration. "t the same time that youFre obser&ing all this, your brain tells your arm just how much muscle to e,ert so that the book you are holding doesn't either slip out of your hand or get tossed up into the air, and e,actly how many breaths you need per minute to take in the optimum amount of o,ygen. %ou donFt ha&e to concentrate on how many times per minute your eyes need to blink in order to keep it from drying out. %our brain does it automatically, at the same time that itFs processing hundreds of other tasks. -ow take a reflecti&e look at the people sitting around you. If you go back at all with some of these, you can instantly recall memories of how that person dresses, places you ha&e been with them, and your e&aluation of what kind of person he or she is. Incredible. +a&e you e&er considered what an incredible gift Eod ga&e you when he constructed your brain# %our brain O yes, )our brain B is made up of between 45 billion and 455 billion neurons which communicate with each other by almost instantaneous electrical and chemical messages. "nd although weighing in at only about 8 pounds, it has the capacity of storing more information that all the libraries in the world. '"The 1rain," by estak) %ears ago some scientists estimated that to build a computer with the capabilities and circuitry of the human brain, they would need a building the si*e of the .entagon to house it. 'The .entagon has fi&e floors plus a basement, and co&ers JH acres of ground.) +oward +endricks once asked a brain surgeon if he had e&er seen a brain that was ma,ed out. "-ot e&en slightly used," the brilliant surgeon replied. 5o even those o( #ou who sus$e&t #our !rain was $i& ed u$ on s$e&ial at )ig 9ots have an in&redi!le &a$a&it# that #ouFre $ro!a!l# s&ar&el# using. )ut how #ou develo$ that !rain will determine to a large extent how well #ou su&&eed in li(e. And again, "'m not 'ust s$ea ing a!out "I or !e&oming an DAE student. 5ome $eo$le !ree2e through their s&hool wor , !ut !om! in their relationshi$s. We want to gras$ wisdom in all areas o( li(e. "n this series, weFre learning wa#s that God wants #ou to use #our !rain to a&hieve wisdom. 9etFs as God (or illumination.

P1A<
9ast wee we saw that to !e&ome wise, we must soa u$ nowledge li e a s$onge soa s u$ water. As 5olomon $ut it, 4The hear of he discernin% acEuires (no*led%eF he ears of he *ise see( i ou 14 2Pro(. 5: 7: And we dis&ussed several wa#s to get it. "Fve listed them u$ here on the overhead (!la& !oard). )ut itFs one thing to get nowledge, and o(ten +uite another to keep it. 9etFs go to GodFs Word to (ind some wa#s to retain what we learn.

B. Wa'* to Kee# It (Prov. 7:1A &r. Pr. @:1A 7:7A 7:18A 6:6,%,@1A G:@1A ::7A Ps. 114:11,1G)

24 1. $o..ect It (?&&lesiastes 1@:4A &r. 7:18,@1A 6:6,17A 9 . 1:7) 0No onl) *as he Teacher *ise, $u also he im&ar ed (no*led%e o he &eo&le1 5e &ondered and searched ou and se in order man) &ro+er$s12
5ome $eo$le have $oor memories, !ut &om$ensate !# (iguring out a wor a!le retrieval s#stem, mu&h li e 5olomon setting in order his &olle&ted wisdom in Prover!s. ILLUSTRATION: S e+en S&iel$er% couldnFt act in his school plays, because, no matter how much he tried, he couldnFt memori*e the parts. 1ut he kept up with his story ideas in a notebook, so that, for e,ample, when he produced A.T., he could pull from ideas had been written down years before. ILLUSTRATION! Mar) 6a) has been called "merica's foremost woman entrepreneur, a superBsuccess at selling beauty products. Dhe has collected some of her best ideas by carrying a small tape recorder with her to record her thoughts as they come to her. '1ottom 2ine, p. 45, Gec. 4<, '3<) ILLUSTRATION: Dtar @ars creator #eor%e Lucas knows how to collect wisdom. $ne day he was searching for a mo&ie reel which was located in ow J, section GBJ. (an anyone guess what came to 2ucasF mind# The assistant called out section BJBGBJ. Dounded like a catchy name, so 2ucas wrote it down and later used it to name the short, spunky robot of Dtar @ars. DIS8USSION! In our youth meetings, weFre learning to collect wisdom through taking notes. +a&e any of you disco&ered a way to file away or keep these lessons# '.ut in notebook, or file in a cabinet...) Go you ha&e any ways that you collect ideas#

1.

Re>"/% Yo&r*e.1 o1 It 2II T"> ,: +a, II Pet. : ,, 36 3: ,,:

?x. 1G:71((.A "" Pet. 1:1@=1%A 7:1,@)

(&r.

06ee& remindin% hem of hese hin%s,I12

5ome things are so im$ortant that #ou need a wa# to &onstantl# remind #oursel( to thin a!out it. ILLUSTRATION! " minister of youth and his brother in !ichigan searched for a way to remind the youth group to ask themsel&es, 0Wha Would 7esus DoB2 before they acted 'taken from the no&el, In +is Dteps.) They considered writing the phrase on a bracelet, but reali*ed it contained too many letters to be practical. Do, they shortened it to the initials, WW7D, and put them on a nylon wrist band. It made 9uite a hit, especially after (-- reported on the phenomenon, leading one company to sell 4< million of the nylon wrist bands in 4HH> alone. 1ut did it make a difference in peopleFs li&es# For many it was probably just a fad. 1ut one 47B yearBold student said that for him, 0It helps me think before I do something stupid./ The bracelet ser&ed him as a great reminder. ILLUSTRATION! "en'amin Fran(lin, because of the influence of a preacher, used to begin each morning by asking, 0@hat good shall I do this day#/ and concluded each e&ening, at ten oFclock, by asking, 0@hat good ha&e I done today#/

DIS8USSION! 5ome 3hristians $ut es$e&iall# meaning(ul verses u$ in their !edroom, or on their mirror, so that the# will see them ever# da#. ,ave #ou or #our $arents (ound wa#s to ee$ im$ortant $rin&i$les in (ront o( #ou-

25

, 3. Me>or"?e It 2Mt. +: < :

07esus ans*ered, i is *ri enI12 7esus ans*ered him, 0I is also *ri enI12 07esus said o him, 0A*a) from me, Sa an? For i is *ri enI12
ILLUSTRATION: Dome things are too important to simply keep on file or in a book. For e,ample, when Datan tempted Iesus, our 2ord wielded the Dword of the Dpirit against him. "fter meeting each of DatanFs challenges with 9uotes from the powerful @ord of Eod, Datan conceded defeat and took a hike. %ou see, being alone in the wilderness, Iesus couldnFt ask his parents for ad&ice or run by the local synagogue to roll out a scroll. "t some point in +is life, +e had stored away these &erses in +is mind and this &ictory was a big payoff. %ou see, a black belt in karate wonFt intimidate a demon. Dchwar*enegger might as well be built like Eumby or .okey as far as the powers of darkness are concerned. Dpiritual battles are won with spiritual weapons. 1ut when some youth find themsel&es face to face with a demonic temptation, the only words theyFll ha&e memori*ed will be from the latest Dpice EirlsF (G. DIS8USSION! Dome of you ha&e been memori*ing Dcripture for the past few weeks. Go any of you ha&e some memory tricks that help you memori*e more effecti&ely# +ere are some techni9ues you can use in school or anywhere: 4) Lis en and read a en i+el). !ake sure you hear it in the first place. (ut out all distractions. J) Rela e he unfamiliar *i h he familiar 8) ma(e in eres in% &ic ures or s ories 7) ma(e u& acros ics for lis s1 <) Ma(e u& a son% ;) S ar earl) in he *ee( so )ou can re+ie* re%ularl)1 And !# the wa#, has it o&&urred to #ou that i( #ou &ontinue memori2ing merel# a verse $er wee , thatFs %G verses $er #ear, %G0 in 10 #ears, and an astounding @800 verses in %0 #ears- All that wisdom, 'ust (rom a verse a wee .

REVIEW
-ow that weF&e got all these ways to grow in knowledge 'from last week and this week) on the board in front of us, letFs practice what we learned in II Tim. J:47 and remind ourselves of what weF&e learned. @eFll do it this way. IFm gonna tell you the story of a fascinating guy who li&ed out this 0sponge up knowledge/ principle. 1ut as I talk, keep your eye on these principles and raise your hand to stop me when you see one of the principles in action.
Thomas Edison was probably the greatest in&entor who e&er li&ed. %ou may only know him as in&entor of the light bulb, but he also in&ented the phonograph, mimeograph machine, and paraffin paper for wrapping candies. +e also perfected or made usable such in&entions as motion pictures, the telephone, the electric train, and the electric generator. 1ut thatFs just 3 of an astounding 4,5H8 in&entions he patented during his lifetime. "stonishingly, he a&eraged in&enting something e&ery 45 to 4J days of his adult life? 'Cncommon Friends, p. 4H) " +ar&ard grad, right# @rong. Guring his @ mon hs of school, >ByearBold Adison e,asperated his teacher with his incessant 9uestions. In his teacherFs mind, an ideal student sat 9uietly and mindlessly memori*ed his lectures. Adison was about last in his class, and his teacher told the school super&isor

that Adison was addled. $&erhearing the comment, he ran home and told his mom, who, enraged, promptly pulled him out of the school, taught him how to read, and allowed him to ask his 9uestions and e,plore on his own.

26

+e had already begun to e,periment by the age of ;, when he watched a goose sitting on her eggs and saw them hatch. Doon, he disappeared, and his frantic parents found him sitting in a handBmade nest filled with eggs, trying to hatch them. "nd he ne&er stopped e,perimenting. +e would ask, 0/@hat makes birds fly#/ 0@hy does water put out a fire#/ @hen no one could answer his 9uestions, he e,perimented, sometimes getting into trouble. Cpon learning that gasBfilled balloons would float, he persuaded a friend that he could fly if he took a triple dose of Deidlit* powders, thus filling his stomach with gas. The unfortunate boy may ha&e felt like he was floating, but his body stayed securely laid out on the ground, until his pain eased up.

H"* %a% e/co&ra0e% h"* rea%"/0 )' #a'"/0 h"> 1or each )ooA he >a*tere%. At 8 'ear* he rea% a $he>"*tr' )ooA that 1a*c"/ate% h">. He tr"e% e(er' e@#er">e/t h">*e.1, a/% e(e/t&a..' co..ecte% o(er BB )ott.e* o1 che>"ca.* 1or h"* e@#er">e/t*, .a)e."/0 the> GPo"*o/H to Aee# #eo#.e o&t, *o that he co&.% co/t"/&e to e@#er">e/t.
1y 4J years of age he had read books like EibbonFs Gecline and Fall of the oman Ampire. I suppose his mom stopped teaching him around that time, since he took a job selling newspapers and snacks on a train. The daily ; hour layo&er in Getroit ga&e him time to read &oraciously at the library, where he set out to read the entire library, subject by subject. 'ThereFs an old saying that goes, 0Eood things come to them that wait./ 1ut Adison would later say, 0Eood things come to those who hustle while they wait./) @ith his earnings, he bought apparatus for his e,periments, and set them up in a baggage car so he could e,periment on board. This worked out fine until a bump in the rail caused a stick of phosphorus to fall to the floor, burst into flames, and set the baggage car on fire. The conductor threw him and his chemicals off the train.

So E%"*o/ .ear/e% a /e= tra%e a* a te.e0ra#h o#erator. B&t he =a*/Et co/te/t to *">#.' tra/*cr")e >e**a0e*. He *t&%"e% the #r"/c"#.e* )' =h"ch e.ectr"c"t' >a%e te.e0ra#h' #o**").e, a/% co/*ta/t.' e@#er">e/te% to >aAe the te.e0ra#h =orA )etter. He .o(e% .ear/"/0. O1te/, he =o&.% #.a' IoAe* o/ h"* 1e..o=<o#erator*, ."Ae the t">e he ra/ a *>a.. (o.ta0e o1 e.ectr"c"t' thro&0h the =a*h<=ater o1 the >e/E* )athroo>. He c&t a ho.e "/to the ce"."/0 *o that he co&.% =atch the 1&/. Yo& *ee, )acA the/, #eo#.e =ere/Et &*e% to )e"/0 aro&/% e.ectr"c"t'. A >a/ =o&.% to&ch the =ater, rece"(e a *hocA, a/% the/ Io"/ the cro=% aro&/% the =ater to >ar(e. at the a*to&/%"/0 J&a."t' o1 the =ater. O/ a/other occa*"o/, =he/ roache* a/% rat* "/1e*te% the te.e0ra#h o11"ce, he co//ecte% t=o >eta. #.ate* to a )atter', "/*&.at"/0 the> 1ro> o/e a/other, a/% #.ace% the> to =here a/' &/1ort&/ate (ar>"/t that *te##e% o/ )oth #.ate* at o/ce =o&.% co>#.ete the c"rc&"t a/% ">>e%"ate.' 0o to >eet "t* MaAer. At ,, 'ear*, he =a.Ae% "/to Ne= YorA $"t' )roAe a/% h&/0r', =a"t"/0 1or a te.e0ra#h Io) to o#e/ &#. B&t "/ that *a>e 'ear he =e/t 1ro> ra0* to r"che* =he/ *o>eo/e )o&0ht h"* #ate/t* 1or ">#ro(e>e/t* o/ the *tocA t"cAer 1or K+B,BBB.BB. He *#e/t the >o/e' *ett"/0 &# a *ho# ="th a##arat&* to co/t"/&e h"* "/(e/t"o/*, a/% the re*t "* h"*tor'. $o/trar' to *o>e #eo#.eE* "%ea o1 E%"*o/E* "/(e/t"o/*, he =a*/Et I&*t a #at"e/t t"/Aerer =ho e(e/t&a..' 0ot .&cA'. He =o&.% thoro&0h.' *t&%' the #r"/c"#.e* )eh"/% a/ "/(e/t"o/, a/% the =orA that ha% )ee/ #re("o&*.' %o/e, )e1ore choo*"/0 h"* co&r*e. The/, he =o&.% #er1or> cea*e.e** e@#er">e/t*. For e@a>#.e, "/ "/(e/t"/0 a 1".a>e/t 1or the "/ca/%e*ce/t )&.), he

27 te*te% o(er 4,BBB *#ec"e* o1 #.a/t* )e1ore he 1o&/% o/e that =o&.% .a*t .o/0 e/o&0h. A1ter 8,BBB 1a".e% e@#er">e/t* o/ the *tora0e )atter', *&ch a* =e /o= &*e "/ car*, *o>eo/e e@#re**e% the"r re0ret* at h"* ha("/0 /o re*&.t*. GRe*&.t*CH E%"*o/ re#."e%, GWh', >a/, I ha(e 0otte/ a .ot o1 re*&.t*C I ha(e 1o&/% *e(era. tho&*a/% th"/0* that =o/Lt =orA.H 2#. ,, : It =o&.% taAe >ore tha/ B,BBB e@#er">e/t* )e1ore he ach"e(e% h"* 1"r*t #o*"t"(e re*&.t, a/% +B,BBB >ore, =orA"/0 %a' a/% /"0ht 1or *e(era. 'ear*, to #er1ect "t. No= 'o& ca/ *ee =h' E%"*o/ re#."e%, =he/ h"* =orA =a* attr")&te% to 0e/"&*, G!e/"&* "* o/e #erce/t "/*#"rat"o/ a/% /"/et'</"/e #erce/t #er*#"rat"o/.H E%"*o/ a.*o #&t h"* re>arAa).e >e>or' to 0oo% &*e. At o/e t">e, he %"% a thoro&0h "/*#ect"o/ o1 h"* ce>e/t >".., ="tho&t taA"/0 a/' /ote*. A1ter taA"/0 a tra"/ ho>e, he *#e/t the /"0ht a/% /e@t >or/"/0 =r"t"/0 %o=/ a ."*t o1 a)o&t 4BB *#ec"1"c "te>*, 1ro> >e>or'. 2##. 8,, 83: Do/Et 'o& I&*t hate *o>eo/e =ho ca/ %o thatM B&t he %"%/Et a.=a'* tr&*t h"* >e>or'. He Ae#t care1&..' =r"tte/ recor%* o1 e@#er">e/t*, /&>)ere% "/ co/*ec&t"(e or%er 1ro> to B,BBB, )e1ore *tart"/0 o(er ="th a /e= *er"e*. B&t E%"*o/ /ot o/.' *#e/t t">e *t&%'"/0 a/% e@#er">e/t"/0. He *#e/t t">e th"/A"/0. O/ce, o/e o1 h"* e/0"/eer* *&)>"tte% three #o**").e %e*"0/* o1 a >ach"/e, =h"ch I )e."e(e =a* to )e &*e% 1or h"* ce>e/t #.a/t. Whe/ the %e*"0/* =ere reIecte%, the e/0"/eer re>arAe% to E%"*o/ that "t =a* a *ha>e, *"/ce the*e =ere the o/.' three #o**").e =a'* o1 *o.("/0 the #ro).e>. E%"*o/ *a"% /oth"/0, )&t ret&r/e% t=o %a'* .ater, .a'"/0 h"* o=/ 68 s et&hes o/ %e*A, a0a"/ ="tho&t a =or%. O/e o1 the +5 "%ea* =a* ">#.e>e/te%. I/ h"* .atter 'ear*, E%"*o/ =a* A/o=/ to 0o 1"*h"/0 /ear h"* F.or"%a re*"%e/ce, )&t ="tho&t a/' )a"t o/ h"* ."/e. Yo& *ee, he =a*/Et o&t to catch 1"*h. He I&*t =a/te% &/%"*t&r)e% th"/A t">e. I/ that area o1 the co&/tr', "t =a* co/*"%ere% r&%e to %"*t&r) a >a/ =h".e he =a* 1"*h"/0. I/ th"* =a', /e"ther >a/ /or 1"*h )othere% h">. E%"*o/ *a"% that there =a* /o .">"t to ho= 1ar >o*t >e/ =o&.% 0o to a(o"% the rea. .a)or o1 th"/A"/0. 2U/co>>o/ Fr"e/%*, #. 5: A /e= "/(e/t"o/ e(er' B to , %a'*. $a/ 'o& ">a0"/eM So =hat =a* h"* *ecretM Accor%"/0 to E%"*o/, GHar% =orA, )a*e% o/ har% th"/A"/0.H
'Facts taken from The 1oysF 2ife of Adison, 4H44, +arper and 1rothers, CD., @illiam !. !eadowcroft and (harles +enry !eadowcroft. Cncommon Friends, by Iames -ewson, 4H3>, +arcourt 1race Iano&ich, .ublishers, $rlando, Florida. "lso, @orld 1ook Ancyclopedia.)

8ON8LUSION
"s Dolomon told us, 4The hear of he discernin% acEuires (no*led%eF he ears of he *ise see( i ou 14 De&eral weeks ago, we saw the rewards that knowledge and wisdom bring. ItFs not just for whi* kids. ItFs not just for those in the best schools. Eod wants us all to be wise. 1ut the choice is up to us. @hat will it be, a life of foolishness and regrets, or a life of wisdom and rewards# 2etFs ask Eod for the moti&ation to stand against the crowd, and become sponges for wisdom and knowledge. 2etFs take a moment to silently ask Eod for the power we need to become a wisdom seeker.

P1A<

28

IN SEAR$H OF WISDOM WEEK VI

PURPOSE: )< ;,? ?B> 8. ;,"5 9?558B, " WAB; 0< 5;M>?B;5 ;8 9?A1B >"53?1B0?B; 5O"995. PREPARATION: ;oward the !eginning o( #our $re$aration wee , &all some o( #our students and as them to !ring in (along with #oursel() maga2ine advertisements (or video &li$s o( &ommer&ials, or written summaries o( radio or ;P &ommer&ials) that $ro'e&t su!tle lies a!out $rodu&ts. ?xam$les: 1) &igarette ads $ro'e&ting manliness, @) a !eer &ommer&ial suggesting that drin ing their !eer attra&ts girls, or 7) a $rodu&t !ringing (riends, good times and ha$$iness. )ring some o( #our own as well. THE WISDOM $HALLEN!E : "tFs time to +uote this wee Fs verse and a (ew $ast ones. (9et them +uote to ea&h other.) .or next wee , ee$ reviewing the old verses and add P*. 8:85< BB. Who has something interesting to share that #ou read in Prover!s last wee - Peo$leFs memories wor in di((erent wa#s. What memor# te&hni+ues are wor ing (or some o( #ou that #ou would re&ommend others tr#-

INTRODU$TION
A$TIVITY: ;o !egin this lesson we need to tell some D>um! )londeE 'o es or D1ival Mniversit#E 'o es. "Fll start with a &ou$le to get the !all rolling. H

Do, why the jokes# This series is designed to cure us of whate&er problem these unfortunate fools ha&e. 01ut,/ you might object. 0-obody could be as dumb as the people in those jokes./ $h really# .eople make decisions like that e&ery day. "nd some of them are respected e,perts in their fields. +ad you li&ed in a pre&ious generation, here are some items that you might ha&e belie&ed, had you trusted in the authorities of the time. '%ou may want to put these on an o&erhead for more impact. Cnco&er one at a time.)
;he widel# read .opular !echanics maga2ine a&&uratel# $redi&ted in 1464: N$o>#&ter* "/ the 1&t&re >a' =e"0h /o >ore tha/ .7 to/*.N 1ight, Po$ular 0e&hani&s. " thin la$to$s have &ome in slightl# under the 1.% ton (igure. "n 14%:, the editor in &harge o( !usiness !oo s (or Prenti&e ,all $u!lishers said, NI ha(e tra(e.e% the .e/0th a/% )rea%th o1 th"* co&/tr' a/% ta.Ae% ="th the )e*t #eo#.e, a/% I ca/ a**&re 'o& that %ata #roce**"/0 "* a 1a% that =o/Lt .a*t o&t the 'ear.N 3an #ou sa#, D&om$uter revolution-E "( #ou lived in 14%: and wanted an ex$ertFs o$inion on &igarettes, wh# not trust >r. "an 0a&>onald, a mem!er o( the highl# distinguished 3ali(ornia 3an&er 3ommission, who was +uoted !# CD -ews and @orld eport as sa#ing, GA #acA a %a' Aee#* .&/0 ca/cer a=a'.N ($. 101, The (omplete Euide To "lternati&e (ancer Therapies.) "n 1844, the &ommissioner o( the M.5. 8((i&e o( Patents $ro$osed &losing the agen&# !e&ause, in his own words, NE(er'th"/0 that ca/ )e "/(e/te% ha* )ee/ "/(e/te%.N

29
And what a!out earl# thoughts a!out the use(ulness o( air$lanes- 0are&hal .erdinand .o&h, $ro(essor o( strateg# at ?&ole 5u$erieure de Guerre, (latl# stated, NA"r#.a/e* are "/tere*t"/0 to'* )&t o1 /o >"."tar' (a.&e.N And donFt leave it to the ex$erts to de&ide whi&h movies will (l#. 5u&&ess(ul a&tor Gar# 3oo$er turned down the leading role in DGone With ;he Wind,E one o( the most $o$ular movies o( all time. ,e &on(identl# stated, NIL> I&*t 0.a% "tL.. )e $.arA !a).e =hoL* 1a.."/0 o/ h"* 1ace a/% /ot !ar' $oo#er.N "n 146G >arr#l .. Nanu& , then head o( @0th 3entur#=.ox 5tudios, said that the te.e("*"o/ N=o/Lt )e a).e to ho.% o/to a/' >arAet "t ca#t&re* a1ter the 1"r*t *"@ >o/th*. Peo#.e =".. *oo/ 0et t"re% o1 *tar"/0 at a #.'=oo% )o@ e(er' /"0ht.N >e&&a 1e&ording 3o. ought to have a $rett# good handle on what grou$s are destined (or greatness. )ut when the# heard one grou$ o( gu#s $er(orm, the# res$onded, NWe %o/Lt ."Ae the"r *o&/%, a/% 0&"tar >&*"c "* o/ the =a' o&t.N ;he#Fd later regret the de&ision. ;he# had 'ust turned down D;he )eatles.E

(.or over 700 $ages o( su&h *ex$ert advise,* see The A,perts Dpeak: The Gefiniti&e (ompendium of "uthoritati&e !isinformation, !# 3hristo$her 3er( and Pi&tor Bavas #, 1486.) And i( these ex$erts o( the $ast were so (ar o(( !ase, what does that sa# a!out our $resent ex$erts- (;he# are (alli!le too.) And (i(t# #ears (rom now, some o( #ou &ould write a !oo a!out the idioti& $redi&tions and ideas that toda#Fs !rightest leaders are $romoting. 5o how &an we ee$ (rom (alling (or toda#Fs lies and !lundersWe have toH

VI.

LEARN TO DIS$ERN TRUTH FROM ERROR

2etFs all 9uote together our memory &erse one more time: 4A sim&le man $elie+es an) hin%, $u a &ruden man %i+es hou%h o his s e&s14;Pro+1 -K!-D<
5o, the sim$le $erson hears an advertisement stating, D;wo out o( ever# three dentists re&ommend (&hoose a !rand) tooth$asteE and never sto$s to as , DBow " wonder how man# dentists were surve#ed- 3ould it have !een onl# three, and two o( those wor ed (or that tooth$aste &om$an#-E <ou see, $eo$le &an twist surve#s and s&ienti(i& studies to ma e them (it whatever the# are $ushing. ;hatFs wh# the wise man si(ts ever#thing he hears through his +uestioning mind !e(ore he a&&e$ts it. 5o how &an we learn to dis&ern truth (rom error and ee$ (rom !eing ta en in !# the million dollar advertisements that !om!ard us ever# da#- 9etFs get some ideas (rom an a&tivit#: A$TIVITY: 0Liar, Liar12 "n the movie !# the same name, Cim 3are# $la#ed a &om$ulsive liar who ex$erien&ed a magi&al da# where he &ould onl# s$ea the truth. "n this a&tivit#, "Fll &on(ront #ou with s&ams and hal( truths, !ut give #ou the o$$ortunit# to as +uestions whi&h " have to answer honestl#. ;his will give us an o$$ortunit# to ta e 5olomonFs &hallenge to not !elieve ever#thing we hear. 9isten &are(ull# to ea&h s&enario, and as me the hard +uestions to !ring out the truth.

S$ENARIO O : The Metr"c Hoa@

A (ew #ears ago a 4th grade s&ien&e tea&her in ;oledo, 8hio told his students that the M5A was swit&hing to a metri& time s#stem. 5tudents &ould send their wat&hes and &alendars to the state &a$ital to !e &onverted. 3lo& s would have 10 hours o( 100 minutes. ?a&h #ear would have 10 months. Cul# and August would !e dro$$ed and students with !irthda#s then would have them &an&elled, redu&ing the summer va&ation to @0 da#s. (.rom news$a$er sour&e)

30

Bow, imagine that #ouFre in the &lass. What +uestions &ould #ou as to see i( the tea&her is shooting straight with #ou- ("( the# (ail to thin o( these +uestions, mention: Where &an " read more on this- What is the name o( the government agen&#- ,e#, i( ea&h da# had 10 hours o( 100 minutes ea&h, then ea&h da# would have 1,000 minutes instead o( G0x@6S1660 minutes. A(ter a (ew da#s, we would !e going to s&hool at night instead o( during the da#/) "nterested in how the a&tual &lass res$onded- ;he tea&her 'ust wanted to tea&h his students to thin (or themselves. 5o mid wee , the tea&her admitted that he was (i!!ing. )ut not !e(ore some $arents had &alled in to as when the metri& time would !egin/ Bot even one student o!'e&ted or as ed +uestions. Bo one sat down with a $en&il and (igured out that it &ouldn't wor .

53?BA1"8 Q@: D;he AdvertiserE

" salesman at the market tries to sell you some fruit juice with the following sales pitch: 0Iuicy Iuice contains 455: fruit juice, has no artificial sweeteners, and was recently &oted the number one fruit juice for nutrition and taste by three out of four students and nutritionists./ If he would gi&e you straight answers, what 9uestions could you ask# 'If they fail to come up with these, mention them: 4 O 1y 0&ontains 455: natural fruit juice,/ do you actually mean that 0contained in your drink is a small portion of 455: fruit juice#/ UyesV +ow much of the total product is really fruit juice# U45:V J O %ou said it has no artificial sweeteners, but does it contain other artificial substances# U%es. "rtificial colors and preser&ati&es.V 8 O +ow many people were sur&eyed# U7 peopleV 7 O Gid they ha&e any connection with the juice company# UThree of them were employees.V < B @hy did the fourth person &ote against the product# U+e was an unbiased nutritionist who said that Iuicy Iuice contained so much sugar in it that it should be banned to the candy section of the store.V S8ENARIOS L@, LK, I -ow letFs put our critical minds to work on the commercials and ads that usually bombard us so fast that we donFt ha&e time to think about them. 'Cse the ads that were brought in for this section. 2et them gi&e their general e&aluation as to the appeal of each ad. %ou may want to follow with 9uestions like: 0@hat does the ad use to grab your attention# De,# 1eauty# !usic#/ Goes it appeal to your reason# UDuch as, 9uoting facts and studies.V If so, what 9uestions would you like to ask about the facts# Is the appeal based on something that has nothing to do with the product Ugirls will like you, life will be fun, your worries will be o&er, etc.V

$ON$LUSION
5o, while sim$le $eo$le !elieve ever#thing the# hear, the wise si(t what the# hear through their &riti&al minds. )ut o(ten, even our !est reasoning isnFt enough. ILLUSTRATION! I hear e,perts train bankers to detect counterfeit money by thoroughly ac9uainting them

with the real money. They master what authentic money feels like, how the fine detail looks, etc. 1ecause the more they know the look and feel of the real thing, the more likely they are to spot a forgery when it comes along. Do, the best way to spot lies and inaccuracies is to familiari*e oursel&es with the truth. "nd the best place to find it, in its most undiluted form, is in EodFs holy @ord.

31

1ut weFll tackle this theme ne,t week. For now, consider two action points:
1) 3ontinue with D;he Wisdom 3hallenge.E ;his (amiliari2es #ou with the real thing. @) ;his wee , thin &riti&all# a!out the ;P &ommer&ials, !ill!oards, and maga2ine ads #ou see. .or letFs sa# the verse together: 4A sim&le man $elie+es an) hin%, $u a &ruden man %i+es hou%h o his s e&s14;Pro+1 -K!-D<

PRAJ

IN SEAR$H OF WISDOM WEEK VII

PURPOSE: B' the e/% o1 th"* *e**"o/, I =a/t >' *t&%e/t* to *eeA ="*%o> )' ">>er*"/0 the>*e.(e* "/ !o%E* Wor%, a/% a*A"/0 H"> 1or ="*%o>. THE WISDOM $HALLEN!E: "tFs time to +uote the verses (rom the $ast (ew wee s. (9et them +uote to ea&h other.) .or next wee , ee$ reviewing the old verses and add 9a>e* :7. Who has something interesting to share that #ou read in Prover!s last wee -

INTRODU$TION
"n &ase #ou havenFt noti&ed, we're growing u$ in the middle o( a nowledge revolution. 0ore in(ormation has !een $rodu&ed in the $ast 70 #ears than in the $revious %000. Bow the amount o( in(ormation availa!le in the worldFs li!raries and &om$uters dou!les ever# % to 8 #ears. ( eaderFs Gigest, Cul# F8%, and 0i&hael C. 0&3arth#, !astering the Information "ge, (rom ta$e series) <et, in the midst o( the nowledge revolution, we seem to have a wisdom de(i&it. "tFs li e $eo$le &anFt distinguish the truth (rom the lies, the wa& # (rom the wise. .or exam$le,

ILLUSTRATION: "n 0ar&h, 144:, 74 $eo$le &ommitted mass sui&ide. ;he# were all mem!ers o( a Bew Age &ult &alled D,eavenFs Gate,E whi&h taught that $eo$le &ould rise to a D9evel )e#ond ,umanE !# riding a s$a&eshi$ into the heavens. DWhat a senseless traged#-E most $eo$le would sa#. D"( onl# the# had !een edu&ated enough to now !etter.E )ut thatFs the &at&h. 5ome o( them were edu&ated. 9a>onna was a su&&ess(ul 7:=#ear=old &om$uter $rogramming whi2 and outstanding violinist. 0argaret was so !rilliant that she graduated (rom the Mniversit# o( 3ali(ornia at )er ele# in three #ears with a tri$le ma'or in math, German and &om$uter s&ien&e. (M5A ;8>A<, 0ar&h 71, 144:, $. @A)
As we said last wee , sometimes itFs not enough to !e smart and edu&ated. Who remem!ers what we said a!out how !an ers are trained to s$ot &ounter(eit mone#- "( these $eo$le had nown GodFs truth, the# &ould have s$otted the lie. "( #ou arenFt grounded in GodFs Word, #our !oatFs adri(t without a sail, and #ou &ould

end u$ an#where. ;hatFs wh# weFre dis&ussing where God (its into our sear&h (or wisdom.

32

VI.

IMMERSE YOURSELF IN !ODLS WORD

2etFs turn to 44H:H3B455, your memory &erse from last week, and look at it more closely. 4Jour commands ma(e me *iser han m) enemies, for he) are e+er *i h me1 I ha+e more insi%h han all m) eachers, for I medi a e on )our s a u es1 I ha+e more unders andin% han he elders, for I o$e) )our &rece& s14 ;Ps1 --M!MCN-AA cr1 II Tim1 @!-O, Deu 1 K!O,P<
INTERA$TION: What are the three things the Psalmist does with GodFs Word- ( ee$s it with him, meditates on it, o!e#s it) 5o, this gu# didnFt $ut his )i!le down a(ter &hur&h and $i& it !a& u$ the next 5unda# !e(ore &hur&h. ,e lived with that !oo , read it, meditated on its truth, and o!e#ed it. ;hat ta es some time. >o #ou thin itFs worth the e((ort- A&&ording to these verses, what was the $a#o(( (or him- (,e !e&ame wiser than his enemies, gained more insight than his tea&hers, and a&+uired more understanding than the elders.) >o #ou want that ind o( wisdom- <ouFve got to ta e this !oo seriousl#. ILLUSTRATION: C.D. president 1ill (linton had enough political wisdom to attain the mos &o*erful office in he *orld. 1ut his lack of biblical wisdom and obedience led him, following his moral failure, to become perhaps he mos em$arrassed &erson in he *orld. 9ots o( $eo$le would !e satis(ied with having the wisdom to master so&&er li e 1onaldo, or theoreti&al $h#si&s li e ?instein. And sure, the !ene(its in this li(e are enormous. )ut i( these gu#s (ail to $rioriti2e GodFs Word, the# will !e &lueless a!out li(eFs most im$ortant issues, li e DWh# am " here-E and DWhere am " going-E DWhatFs im$ortant and whatFs trivial-E DWhat &an " do now to ensure not onl# a good em&oral li(e, !ut a good e ernal li(e-

Pre$aration: ;o ensure that #ou get some res$onse, &all some o( #our stronger #outh at the !eginning o( the wee and let them now #ou will !e as ing these two +uestions, so that the# will have some time to $re$are some ideas. )# letting #outh share, #ou !uild their &on(iden&e, allow them to develo$ their gi(ts, $lus motivate wea er students !# letting them now that some o( their (ellow students are into Cesus.

DIS$USSION: >uring this series weFve !een tr#ing to start the ha!it o( dail# )i!le reading and meditation. "( #ou ta e nothing else out o( this series ex&e$t (or this invalua!le ha!it, #ou will go (ar. 5o letFs get $ra&ti&al. ,ow &an we get motivated to s$end regular time in GodFs Word- And how &an we get the most out o( it- " now that some o( #ou have made a ha!it o( s$ending $ersonal time in GodFs Word (or some time now. 5o hel$ me out here.

33
3ould some o( #ou share with us the )e/e1"t* #ouFve re&eived (rom $ersonal )i!le stud#- (Whatever the# donFt share, #ou as leader &an mention a(terwords: e.g. dire&tion (or li(e, ma es the da# go !etter, ee$s $ro!lems in $ers$e&tive, hel$s me to now God, tea&hes me how to live li(e, et&.) Bext, letFs hear some h"/t* that have made $ersonal )i!le stud# easier (or #ou- ("( the# miss, #ou &ould add: use a reada!le version, have a $lan (not 'ust o$en )i!le), donFt !egin in Genesis, tr# to &ome out with a thought (or the da#, sometimes use a good devotional guide Ksuggest oneL, have a regular time and $la&e.)

5o, do #ou want to !e wiser than #our enemies, have more insight than #our tea&hers, more understanding than #our elders- >o #ou want to not onl# now a trade, !ut to now God- ;o not onl# !e a!le to get a 'o!, !ut to get a li(e- ,ereFs a great act"o/ #o"/t (or some o( #ou: 5$end time in GodFs Word ea&h da#, so that #ou &an learn ,is will, o!e# it, and &ontinue #our $ursuit o( wisdom.

IP. ASK !OD FOR WISDOM

)ut sometimes #ou &anFt get the wisdom #ou need (rom either !oo s, wise &ounsel, or even the )i!le. ,ere are a &ou$le o( exam$les: ILLUSTRATION! The missionaries to "frica knew that the political situation was heating up, but until now, all of them had chosen to remain in the troubled country to minister as long as they could. 1ut today their prayers led them all to the same, distinct warning: 0ItFs time to lea&e./ "lthough located miles apart, they had all indi&idually, without consulting one another, been similarly impressed by the Dpirit to lea&e. They packed light, lea&ing most of their belongings behind, and headed to the airport. Their impressions were confirmed when they found that this departure would be the last chance to flee the country. 'From chapel message at (olumbia International Cni&ersity) ILLUSTRATION! " young !alaysian (hristian knew the dangers of being bold in his faith, but the news of Iesus was too good to keep to himself. +eFd just trust Eod to care for him. $ne day, as he undertook a journey by bicycle, he felt distinctly impressed to change roads and take another route. +e obeyed the 2ordFs prompting and didnFt know until later that another person tra&eling by bicycle on the same day, tra&eled down the first road and was murdered. '+eard from the !alaysian (hristian at (olumbia International Cni&ersity) ;he wisest $erson in the world &ouldnFt have (oreseen the need (or the A(ri&an missionaries to de$art at that s$e&i(i& time, or (or the 0ala#sian 3hristian to ta e another $ath that da#. And listen, no matter how &lever #ou are, #ou &an never now (or sure what that &ute girl or gu# #ou li e is going to !e li e @0 #ears (rom now. ;hatFs wh# we need dire&t a&&ess to God through $ra#er. 9etFs turn to Cames 1:% and see how God $ut itH

4If an) of )ou lac(s *isdom, he should as( #od, *ho %i+es %enerousl) o all *i hou findin% faul , and i *ill $e %i+en o him14 ;7ms1 -!D< 5o God, whose mind &ontains all the wisdom there ever was and ever will !e, tells us that we &an &ome to ,im when we need wisdom. 5ometimes, ,e ma# tell us that we need to exer&ise the !rains ,e gave us and do some see ing. )ut however he &hooses to answer the $ra#er, ,e $romises to answer. "n the same wa# that a !an stores mone# (or us and lets us draw (rom it with &he& s, so God stores a vast !an o( wisdom (or us, whi&h we draw (rom with $ra#er &he& s.
ILLUSTRATION! 1ill Eates' mind is so absorbed with the world of computers that he often o&erlooks the details of life, like his gas gauge and his wallet. In the middle of the night in the middle of winter, Eates ran

out of gas on a freeway somewhere near !icrosoft's head9uarters. +e coasted off the side of the road, walked back to a amada Inn and re9uested a room. 1ut when they asked for his IG and a deposit, he couldn't find his wallet. "nd no matter how hard he tried to con&ince the desk clerk that he was 1ill Eates, worked down the street at !icrosoft, and that an assistant would pay in the morning, the skeptical clerk stood her ground. Dhe had probably heard similar lines before. -o money# -o room. .robably some bum off the street. Do that night, the leader of a company that would make around 455 million dollars that year, took a lonely walk to his office in the cold. 'Eates, p.J<J,J;<) %ou see, it didn't matter how much money he had in the bank if he couldn't access it.

34

5o GodFs telling us that weFve got a wisdom a&&ount in heaven. )ut i( we (ail to a&&ess it with $ra#er, we might never get the wisdom we need. ILLUSTRATION! 1enjamin Franklin reali*ed this. easoning that Eod must be the source of all wisdom, he made it a point to pray daily for EodFs wisdom. '"utobiog., p. H;) ILLUSTRATION! "nd donFt just pray for the big things. +a&e you seen the -ew "ge bumper stickers that say, 0Lisuali*e @orld .eace./ @ell later I saw another one that said, 0Forget @orld .eace. Lisuali*e Csing %our Turn Dignal?/ " good reminder that we need help, not just with big matters, but also with the daily, routine matters.

What a!out #ou- "s $ra#er !e&oming almost automati&, li e !reathing to #ou- >o #ou tal to ,im as a (riend, wherever #ou are, whatever #ouFre doing- >o #ou $ra# (or wisdom as #ou stud#, $ra# (or the wisdom to mend (amil# relationshi$s, and the $atien&e to endure an overa&tive !rother or sister-

35 Note to Lea%er*: 0ost 3hristian grou$s do their grou$ $ra#er the same wa#, #ear a(ter #ear. )ut sin&e the )i!le never restri&ted us to those methods, " thin itFs valua!le to ex$ose our #outh to man# di((erent wa#s o( $ra#ing. 5ometimes a (resh &hange &an ex$and #outhFs ideas o( $ra#er, and energi2e their $ersonal $ra#er lives. "Fve (ound &onversational $ra#er es$e&iall# e((e&tive (or extended grou$ $ra#er, su&h as all night $ra#er meetings. $a&t"o/*: : Th"* act"("t' "*/Et a##ro#r"ate 1or a.. 0ro&#*. A s$irituall# lu ewarm grou$ would #awn through it. A grou$ o( non= 3hristians in an evangelisti& meeting would !e understanda!l# &lueless. )ut some grou$s will sur$rise #ou. >onFt sin against the s$irituall# alive #outh !# ex&lusivel# a$$ealing to the s$irituall# dead. ,: Do/Et 1orce A"%* "/to #ra'"/0 or rea%"/0 *cr"#t&re o&t .o&%. 5ome ids are extremel# sh#. 8thers are sel( &ons&ious o( their reading or s$ea ing a!ilit#. "n (a&t s$ea ing in $u!li& is listed !# man# as their worst (ear. 5o do unto others as #ou would have them do unto #ou. "( ids thin the# might !e randoml# &alled u$on to read or s$ea aloud, some wonFt &ome !a& .
$ON$LUDIN! A$TIVITY: G$o/(er*at"o/a. Pra'erH is a wa# o( ma ing grou$ $ra#er more natural, li e a &onversation. 0a#!e #ouFve never $ra#ed in a grou$ !e(ore !e&ause #ou thin #ouFve got to sa# things a &ertain wa#, or use s$e&ial language. )ut with &onversational $ra#er, #ou 'ust &arr# on a &onversation the wa# #ou would with an# small grou$ o( $eo$le. ,ereFs how itFs done: Whe/ 'o& #ra', tr' to .">"t 'o&r*e.1 to o/e *&)Iect. 8ther $eo$le might want to $ra# a!out that thought as well. ;hin a!out it. "n regular &onversation, we donFt s$out o(( ever#thing on our mind,

and then let the other $erson ta e his turn. "nstead, we tal a!out something, then let others intera&t a!out it i( the# want to. Yo& %o/Et ha(e to #ra' a .o/0 #ra'er. As others $ra#, #ouFll thin o( something #ou want to add. Cust add it into the &onversation at that $oint. Pra' o/e at a t">e. ;his wa# #ou &an $ra# silentl# along with otherFs $ra#ers, agreeing with them. Do/Et th"/A 'o& ha(e to &*e *#ec"a. B").e .a/0&a0e. )elieve me, God &an understand the wa# #ou s$ea . Do/Et )e a1ra"% o1 *".e/ce. " en&ourage #ou to all tr# to $ra# some out loud. )ut i( #ouFve got a sh# grou$, some &an $ra# silentl# while others $ra# out loud.

36

2etFs spend some time in prayer, and IFll gi&e you some topics to pray about as we go along. '2et them pray for one topic before gi&ing them the ne,t. ") @isdom in family matters. 1) @isdom related to school. () @isdom concerning the future.)

8ON8LUSION
5ome o( the $eo$le in the D,eavenFs GateE &ult were smart and had a su$erior edu&ation. )ut all that learning wasnFt enough to ee$ them (rom (alling (or a lie that ended in mass sui&ide. We &anFt negle&t see ing God through ,is Word and through $ra#er. 8nl# then &an we !e&ome trul# wise. 9etFs $ra#.

PRAYER

IN SEAR$H OF WISDOM WEEK VIII

PURPOSE: BY THE END OF THIS SESSION, I WANT MY STUDENTS TO DEVELOP A RESPE$T FOR !OD. WISDOM $HALLEN!E: "tFs time to +uote the verses (rom the $ast six wee s. (9et them +uote to ea&h other.) .or next wee , ee$ reviewing the old verses and add P*. : B. Who has something interesting to share that #ou read in Prover!s last wee -

INTRODU$TION
I/tro%&ctor' Act"("t' 2O <O; =ere *e/t to >e 1ro> a/ "/ter/et *o&rce:: WeFre almost (inished with our series on wisdom, so " thought we should have a test to see how mu&h wisdom weFve soa ed u$ over the $ast wee s. "Fll give #ou the +uestions one at a time on the overhead, and &all on several o( #ou to tr# to answer. (;his should $rodu&e some tension in #our students, until the# see how stu$id the +uestions are, whi&h ho$e(ull# will result in a good time. ;o ma e it more (un, ma e sure to hoo$ and holler when the# answer &orre&tl#.)

37
1. A%(a/ce% Math: 9isten &are(ull#. Paul has three a$$les. ,ow man# a$$les does Paul have@. A/c"e/t H"*tor': 8rall# dis&uss the an&ient )a!#lonian ?m$ire with $arti&ular re(eren&e to ar&hite&ture, literature, law and so&ial &onditions. 8r, give the (irst name o( George )ush. (George) 7. Re."0"o/: ,ow man# &ommandments were written on a stone (or 0oses6. Soc"a. St&%"e*: What are the $eo$le o( Ameri&aFs (ar north &alled- A) Westerners )) 5outherners 3) Bortherners %. E/0."*h S#e.."/0: 5$ell )ush, 3arter and 3linton. (,ave the names written on the overhead.) )ush: 3arter: 3linton:

;. "ri ish 5is or): Di, kings of Angland ha&e been called Eeorge, the last one being Eeorge the Di,th. (an you name the pre&ious fi&e#
:. Ph'*"c*: 3an #ou ex$lain ?insteinFs theor# o( relativit#- A) #es )) no 8. Pract"ca.: Along the theme o( DduhE +uestions, let me as one more. )oth o( the (ollowing men have died and are ex$erien&ing their eternal reward or $unishment. ;oda#, whi&h would #ou rather !e- A: Ho=ar% H&0he*, whose !usiness wisdom allowed him to !e&ome one o( the wealthiest man o( his da#, !ut so thoroughl# ignored God and ,is wa#s that an#one who got &lose to him learned to thoroughl# des$ise him8r, B: 9oh/ We*.e', who gave awa# most o( the mone# he didnFt need to live on, and used his energ# and wisdom to tou&h as man# lives (or 3hrist as he &ould in his generation-

%ou see, all these are 0duh/ 9uestions. The answers are ob&ious. 1ut the way people li&e, we can tell that many are missing the last 9uestion. %et itFs the most important. ThatFs why our ne,t signpost on the road to wisdom is so important that Eod places it first. 2etFs pray before we beginP PRAJER -ow turn to .salm 444:45 to find the ne,t signpost. IQ1 #IVE 5IM SOME RESPE8T P*. : B - Whe/ G1earH "* &*e% "/ re1ere/ce to !o%, the e>#ha*"* "* o/ a=e or re(ere/ce. 2TWOT: Le&#o.% *ee* Gthe )e0"//"/0H a* >ea/"/0 Gthe ch"e1 th"/0,H Gthe e**e/ce,H Gthe 1o&/%at"o/,H Gthe ?e/"thH o1 ="*%o>.

38 NThe 1ear o1 the LORD "* the )e0"//"/0 o1 ="*%o>6 a.. =ho 1o..o= h"* #rece#t* ha(e 0oo% &/%er*ta/%"/0. To him $elon%s e ernal &raise14 ;Ps1 ---!-A, cr1 Pr1 -!PF M!-A<
ILLUSTRATION! 0The beginning of wisdom./ +as it e&er occurred to you that when you're taking a trip, the first turn is probably the most important# If you take a wrong turn once you get close to your destination, you can simply turn back around and you're still close. 1ut if you begin on a main road going -orth instead of Douth, you can end up in the wrong country 9uick. Do when Eod speaks of 0the beginning of wisdom,/ +e seems to be saying, 0If you miss e&erything else about wisdom, donFt miss this. +ere is where you start./

Do according to this &erse, what is the beginning of wisdom# '0The fear of the 2$ G/) To fear means to be in awe of +im or ha&e a re&erence for +im. @hy do you think thatFs so important# ILLUSTRATION: 3omedian Ro%/e' Da/0er1"e.% has !uilt his &omi& image on the $hrase, D" &anFt get no res$e&t.E )ut it seems to me that itFs God who gets no res$e&t out o( mu&h o( this "RAINSTORM! 2etFs get into small groups and brainstorm two items: L- 3 Wha are *a)s ha &eo&le sho* disres&ec for #odB 'They will hopefully come up with some like cursing in EodFs name, not reading +is @ord, ignoring +is commands, neglecting +is church). L. N Wh) should *e res&ec #odB '+opefully, theyFll come up with ideas like: +eFs big. +e holds our eternity in +is hands. +e will judge us one day.) generation. -ow letFs look at Acclesiastes 4J:48,47, the conclusion of a book where the wisest man on earth has been reflecting on the meaning of life. @ho will read it for us# GNo= a.. ha* )ee/ hear%6 here "* the co/c.&*"o/ o1 the >atter: Fear !o% a/% Aee# h"* co>>a/%>e/t*, 1or th"* "* the =ho.e %&t' o1 >a/. For !o% =".. )r"/0 e(er' %ee% "/to I&%0>e/t, "/c.&%"/0 e(er' h"%%e/ th"/0, =hether "t "* 0oo% or e("..H 2$r. Pr. 3:;,5: I suppose the highest moti&e for ser&ing Eod is out of lo&e and gratefulness for all +e has done for us. 1ut if youFre not close enough to Eod to ser&e him out of lo&e and gratefulness, then fear is not a bad place to start.

39 %et, many people picture Eod as a laid back old man in the sky, a celestial jolly good fellow with a long white beard who rocks back and forth in +is rocking chair, chuckling to himself at our rebellion and sighing, 0@ell, boys will be boys./
Ecc1 -.!-@,-K O Gthe =ho.e %&t' o1 >a/H is literally, 0for this is the whole of the man./ The phrase is used elsewhere in Acc. as an idiom for 0e&ery man./ '8:486 <:H) 'Aaton) Thus, others translate Dthe dut# o( all men,E or D!e&ause this a$$lies to ever# $ersonE '-"D1) Neil interprets: 0It is a great thought that is thereby e,pressed, &i*., the reduction of the Israelitish law to its common human essence./ Ge(er' %ee% "/to I&%0>e/tH is taken by some to be our future judgment following death 'so Aaton, Neil, T1(), but is also argued to refer to judgment in this life '1N(). +owe&er we take the meaning in this passage, both aspects of judgment are well attested throughout the 1ible. Ac s D!-N-- 3 In &s. 8, GheartH was understood to mean 0the centre of life, corresponds most to our will or purpose./ ' ackham) EH1 .A!P O (ould be either translated as taking +is name G"/ (a"/,H referring to any 0profane or idle utterance/ or translated as G*=ear 1a.*e.'.H 'T1() 1ut e&en the commentators I read who take the latter translation think that it also prohibits the former. 0To take the name of Eod in &ain is to use it with any idle, fri&olous, blasphemous or insincere intent.

ILLUSTRATION: )ut he#, did #ou hear a!out the (ellow and his wi(e who sold a $ersonal !elonging, e$t $art o( the mone# (or themselves, gave the rest to the &hur&h, !ut told the &hur&h that the# were giving it all- 5ounds li e nothing more than a little (i! to get $eo$le to li e them more. )ut did #ou hear what ha$$ened to them- 5oon a(ter the# told the (i!, the# !oth (ell dead within three hours o( ea&h other. ,ave a hard time !elieving that stor#- "tFs in #our )i!les in A&ts &ha$ter %. ;he gu#Fs name was Ananias and his wi(e, 5a$$hira. And verse 11 &on&ludes the stor# with, G!reat 1ear *e"?e% the =ho.e ch&rch a/% a.. =ho hear% a)o&t the*e e(e/t*.H "nd with good cause. %ou see, e&en though Eod doesnFt strike down e&eryone who shakes his fist in +is face, both (hristians and nonB(hristians will reap what they sow in one way or another 'Eal. ;:>). Do weFre cra*y if we play around with Eod. 1ut people do it all the time. ItFs hard to imagine anything more foolish than cursing in EodFs

40 name, or using +is name lightly. ItFs the third of the Ten (ommandments, right up there with killing, stealing, and adultery, important enough for Eod to write with +is finger in stone: 0%ou shall not misuse the name of the 2$ G your Eod, for the 2$ G will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses +is name./ 'A,. J5:>) Do why do it# ItFs not like it brings some great benefit that people canFt stand to miss out on. Think about it. If you steal something you want, at least you get a short term thrill out of it before youFre judged. 1ut taking EodFs name in &ain gets you nothing but judgment. Do why do it# ItFs mind boggling that otherwise rational people, who would ne&er ridicule 0The Terminator/ if he were in hearing distance, throw EodFs name around without the slightest thought of what theyFre saying. Do letFs wise up and show Eod some respect.
)ut ta e a se&ond loo at the ?&&lesiastes $assage. We donFt (ear and (ollow ,im 'ust !e&ause ,e might 2a$ us. What did verse 17 sa#- (Dfor his is he *hole du ) of man2) "n other words, thatFs what we were $ut here to do. ILLUSTRATION! +a&e you e&er finished an assigned project in !ath class, only to look around and disco&er that e&eryone else is still working# %ouFre thinking, 0I ne+er finish first./ "nd as you casually glance at the nearby desktops, your worst fears are confirmed. -obody else is working on the page you worked on. " sinking feeling o&erwhelms you as you reali*e that for entire class period, youF&e been working on the wrong page. +ow many ha&e e&er had this happen to you# Go you remember the feeling#

.erhaps itFs the same sinking feeling, only intensified many times, that many of the worldFs greatest successes will e,perience when they meet Eod on judgment day. "t that time Eod will e,pose, not only what theyF&e done, but also their moti&es. "nd many people will reali*e that for their entire li&es, they knocked themsel&es out to complete the wrong page.
"( Gates has Cesus in his heart, loves EodFs Word more than !icrosoft Word, and leads the &om$uter industr# as a servi&e to God to !ene(it man ind, his li(e ma es sense in the light o( eternit#. )ut i( he ignores God, $ursuing nowledge and su&&ess (or his own glor#, then he is on the wrong $age. As Cesus $ut it, he gained the world, !ut (or(eited his soul. (9 . 4:@%) And on his last da# on earth, he might hear a still, small voi&e telling him the words o( 9u e 1@:@0,@1, 0Jou fool? This +er) ni%h )our life *ill $e demanded from )ou1 Then *ho *ill %e *ha )ou ha+e &re&ared for )ourselfB This is ho* i *ill $e for an)one *ho s ores u& hin%s for himself $u is no rich o*ard #od12

LA. ,:,B,, J 0rich o*ard #od2 &ould mean 1) Dri&h with treasure laid u$ with GodE re(erring to s$iritual ri&hes (so ?G;), or &ould re(er to @) using literal earthl# ri&hes to glori(# God rather than glori(# sel(.

41

VI.

RE$EIVE HIS SON

$o.. ,:3 J Paul was &on&erned that the 3olossians might (all into a (alse tea&hing that sought s$iritual wisdom through $hiloso$h#, human traditions and the $rin&i$les o( the world (@:8A1G=@7). ;o &orre&t this, he $oints them to Cesus, who has all the s$iritual wisdom and nowledge there is. 5o wh# go an#where else (or s$iritual wisdom- ;hus this $assage is s$ea ing o( o!taining s$iritual wisdom, not the nowledge to $ass a )iolog# test or the s ill to $la# the trum$et. Ro>. 5:8 J GI1H S Di(, as is the (a&tE (?G;), Dseeing thatE or Dsin&eE (3ran(ield). Bot meant to ex$ress dou!t.

We !egan this lesson with a series o( DduhE +uestions, those +uestions whose answers are o!vious to an# reasona!le $erson. Cesus as ed ,is own DduhE +uestion in 0ar 8:7G: GWhat 0oo% "* "t 1or a >a/ to 0a"/ the =ho.e =or.%, 'et 1or1e"t h"* *o&.MH 8!viousl#, in the light o( eternit#, itFs no good at all. "tFs a (oolish tradeo((. >onFt get so &aught u$ in girls, grades, mone# and su&&ess that #ou negle&t #our soul. And !esides, !# trusting in 3hrist to save #our soul, #ou get the ultimate in a wise 3ounselor to guide #ou here on earth J ,is 5$irit to dwell inside. ;he a$ostle Paul &lued the 3olossians into where the# &ould (ind all s$iritual wisdom: 0I8hris , in *hom are hidden all he reasures of *isdom and (no*led%e12 (3ol. @:7, &r. " 3or. 1:70,71) 5ome things in li(e #ou &an never (igure out with #our own wisdom, even i( #ou memori2ed the entire ?n&#&lo$edia )ritanni&a. ;hatFs wh# we need ,is 5$irit to tea&h us. "( #ouFve got Cesus, #ou get to draw on ,is wisdom. )ut i( #ou want ,is leading, #ouFve got to (irst !e&ome ,is &hild and have ,is 5$irit living within. (1om. 8:4,16A Cn. 1:1@A &r. " 3or. 1:@G=@:1GA Cn. 1G:17A 9 . 1@:11,1@A Cms. 7:1:)

$ON$LUSION
>o #ou want the 5$irit living within- >o #ou want to live (or things that will last, and not end u$ (a&ing God and reali2ing that (or all #our li(e #ou were on the wrong $age- ;hen letFs get on the right $age. F"r*t, >aAe *&re 'o& ha(e tr&*te% $hr"*t 1or 'o&r *a.(at"o/.

42
Getting saved means more than !elieving ,e exists. >emons are smart enough to !elieve that. And the# also have enough sense to (ear ,im. (5ee Cames @:4). )ut the#Fre not saved. <ou see, salvation doesnFt &ome until #ou move what #ou now a!out salvation that 10 in&hes (rom #our head to #our heart.

"nd donFt tell me all the religious stuff youF&e done. 1ill Eates memori*ed the entire Dermon on the !ount when he was a child. ThatFs o&er 455 &erses? 1ut the .harisees memori*ed many &erses, and Iesus referred to them as 0sons of hell./ The 9uestion 1ill and you and e&eryone else will ha&e to answer one day is, 0@hat did you do with Iesus#/ Gid you recei&e him 'In. 4:4J) and trust +im for your sal&ation 'In. 8:4;), not depending on your own goodness to get you to hea&en 'Aph. J:3,H)#
(Give them an o$$ortunit# to $ra# with #ou.) Seco/%, ta e God seriousl#. 5ometimes even GodFs &hildren start ta ing ,im lightl#. 9i e Ananias and 5a$$hira, &hur&h !e&omes 'ust another $la&e to tr# to !e &ool. <ou ought to !e serving God out o( love and grate(ulness (or #our salvation, !ut i( #ouFre ignoring ,im, #ouFd !etter give God some res$e&t. 1emem!er, Dthe (ear o( the 981> is the !eginning o( wisdom.E >onFt ta e ,im lightl#.

$.o*e "/ Pra'er

I%ea: 5ing D8ur God is an Awesome God,E or another song on this theme.

IN SEAR$H OF WISDOM WEEK IP

PURPOSE: BY THE END OF THIS MESSA!E, I WANT MY STUDENTS TO AVOID THE DAN!ERS OF SELF<SUFFI$IEN$Y AND PRIDE. THE WISDOM $HALLEN!E: "tFs time to +uote the verses (rom the $ast six wee s. (9et them +uote to ea&h other.) .or next wee , ee$ reviewing the old verses and add Pro(.3:7,4. Who has something interesting to share that #ou read in Prover!s last wee -

VII.

BEWARE OF WISDOMES DAN!ERS

INTRODU$TION
Tonight we complete our nineBweek series on @isdom. 2ooking back, weF&e seen that nothing that you could ac9uire in this world e&en compares with the &alue of wisdom. @eF&e seen scripture after scripture where Eod has laid out for us the incredible &alue of wisdom, encouraged us to lo&e wisdom, and challenged us to run after wisdom as hard as people pursue sil&er and gold. "nd weF&e seen in life after life how wisdom has changed ordinary people into e,traordinary world changers. Do some of us ha&e become edgeBofByourBseat learners, who are beginning to soak up knowledge like a sponge soaks up water. 1ut if youF&e chosen the path of wisdom, *a ch ou . %ou heard me right, 0@atch out./ 01ut wait a minute./ you might argue, 0+ow could I possibly go wrong seeking wisdom#/ Tonight, I want to warn you about the dark side of wisdom, some pitfalls

43 that lie close to the path of wisdom which claim many li&es. "s hard as it is to imagine, with all of DolomonFs great wisdom, he blew it in his latter days. IFm not sure why, but IF&e got a hunch. "nd you donFt want to take that same fall. Do letFs pray. PRAJER Dome people seem to think that the sole answer to youthFs problems is: 0Eet a good education./ 1ut education alone isn't enough. 2et me tell you about a guy named Ted.
ILLUSTRATION! %ou'd think that Ted had a bright future. +e was so brilliant that he was able to skip two grades, graduate from +ar&ard Cni&ersity 'one of the top schools in the world), and win a pri*e for his doctoral thesis. Do it was no surprise that he landed a job teaching math at prestigious 1erkeley Cni&ersity. 1ut before you take him on as a role model of wisdom seeking, hear out the rest of the story. +e became famous in 4HH;, not as a !ath whi*, but when detecti&es disco&ered that he had been mailing pipe bombs to people o&er a period of 43 years, wounding J8 people and killing three. +is full name is Ted Nac*ynski, the infamous 0Cnabomber." '-ewsweek, "pril JJ, 4HH;, "1lood 1rother," by A&an Thomas, pp. J3ff.) ;he $oint- Onowledge isn't enough. <ou see, i( #ou edu&ate a thie(, #ou get an edu&ated thie(. ;he unedu&ated thie( $i& s $o& ets in town. ;he edu&ated one swindles #our mone# out o( the !an !# &lever !oo ee$ing and &om$uter tri& s. BRAINSTORM: We said that the sear&h (or wisdom has its dar side, its s$e&ial tem$tations that tri$ $eo$le u$. ;hin a!out it. What tem$tations do wise, nowledgea!le $eo$le (a&e more than others- (;he# ma# sa# $ride, sel(=su((i&ien&#, the tenden&# to loo down on others, using nowledge to swindle or &ontrol others, et&. ;r# to get some dis&ussion a!out ea&h area the# mention.)

9etFs loo at a &ou$le o( dangers that the )i!le warns us a!out.

44

A. 5?9.=5M.."3"?B3<
Pro(. 3:7,4 J 05ear 2N "n &ontem$orar# Ameri&an &ulture, the heart s#m!oli2es our emotions and (eelings, as distin&t (rom the mind. )ut in the an&ient ,e!rew &ulture, the heart more o(ten re$resented the intelle&t and will, although the emotions are sometimes re(erred to. ()O3,W)3) ;hus, @1( understands 0commit your inner self to Eod./ Toy ex$lains, 0with the whole con&iction and force of the mind, absolutely./ 0Lean2 W not Din&line,E !ut Dsu$$ort #oursel(E or Drel# u$on.E (Oidner) 0Ac(no*led%e2 S more than 'ust reali2e ,e exists. "n&ludes !eing aware o(, having (ellowshi$ with, having a $ersonal a&+uaintan&e with. (Oidner and ;o#) 0Ma(e )our &a hs s rai%h 2 J Although the OCP translated Ddire&t th# $aths,E the meaning seems to !e !roader. ;he same ,e!rew word was used in "sa. 60:7 o( &learing a highwa# in the desert. B)3 inter$rets Dma e $lain, &learing o!stru&tions.E "n modern times, $erha$s weFd sa# that ,e !ulldo2es the $ath !e(ore us.

4Trus in he LORD *i h all )our hear and lean no on )our o*n unders andin%F in all )our *a)s ac(no*led%e him, and he *ill ma(e )our &a hs s rai%h 14 ;Pro+1 @!D,OF cr1 @!P,C< ILLUSTRATION: Dome people get so smart that they think they can figure out life on their own. They think they can lean on their own understanding. 1ut genius "lbert Ainstein knew better. In a personal letter to Kueen Ali*abeth, he wrote that we ha&e 0just enough intelligence to be able to see clearly how utterly inade9uate that intelligence isP./ 'Dept., 4H8J letter, from "lbert Ainstein: The +uman Dide, ed. 1y +elen Gukas and 1anesh +offman, .rinceton Cni&. .ress, 4H>H) Bone o( us &an !e wise enough to save him or hersel(. And "'d rather !e a mental &ase with Cesus than a genius without God. WouldnFt #ou- ,ereFs another $it(all to ee$ #our e#e out (or.

). P1">?
>"53M55"8B: What are some things that we &ould never (igure out with our own wisdom- (Whi&h girl would !e !est (or me to marr#- ,ow &an " get to heaven- ,ow &an " learn right (rom wrong-)

GK/o=.e%0e #&11* &#, )&t .o(e )&".%* &#. The >a/ =ho th"/A* he A/o=* *o>eth"/0 %oe* /ot 'et A/o= a* he o&0ht to A/o=.H 'I (. 3:4,J6 cr. Ier. H:J8,J76 .r. 43:J6 I (or. 48:4B86 Ims 8:>6 48B43)

,ereFs something that 'ust might !e worse than !eing a (ool: attaining wisdom and getting $u((ed u$ a!out it. >onFt #ou get disgusted when $eo$le (eel the# have to to$ ever#thing #ou sa#- <ou $ro!a!l# now someone li e this. <ou ex&itedl# tell someone a!out #our wonder(ul s i tri$ to the ;atras, and she sa#s, D" thought the ;atraFs were great till " s ied the 5wiss Al$s.E <ou sa#, D" (inall# $assed that ,istor# exam/E And someone sa#s, D8h, thatFs nothing, " $assed it with no $ro!lem the (irst time around.E <ou sa#, " met the lead singer o( D;?A0E in )ratislava last wee /E And someone sa#s, D;hat reminds me o( the time " met 0i& Cagger in Pienna.E ;he# are so hung u$ on to$$ing ever#thing #ou sa# that the# &anFt 'ust re'oi&e with #ou in what #ou a&&om$lished. ILLUSTRATION! @isdom seeking can become a pride trip, a competition. $ne student at $hio Dtate Cni&ersity was so brilliant that she set out to read e&ery book in the schoolFs enormous library. 1ut competition and pride were two of her moti&ators. In order to top another guyFs grade point a&erage, she dated him and tried to keep him up late the night before important tests. 'Fortunately, the story has a happy ending. "s she was reading through the reference section of the library, she came to the 1ibles, read one, and got sa&ed?) 'From a professorFs personal testimony) >is&ussion: "n order to ee$ (rom (alling into $ride, letFs &ome u$ with some warning signs that &an ti$ us o(( that weFre (alling into $ride or sel( su((i&ien&#. WeFll do it !# !rainstorming how we s$ot these o!noxious +ualities in others. What are $ride(ul and sel(=su((i&ient $eo$le li e- (<ou might mention some o( the (ollowing to get them started. 8r mention some at the end that the# missed.) They refuse to take time to help a little brother with his homework, because their personal goals may suffer. 'Go you do this#) TheyFre constantly dropping big names of 0important/ people theyF&e met. '@hat about you#) They constantly talk about themsel&es and their accomplishments. They ha&e difficulty rejoicing with their brotherFs or sisterFs accomplishments, because it takes peopleFs eyes of their accomplishments. @hen they ace a test, they lea&e it on top of their books so e&eryone will see it. They get mad because their coaches and friends donFt seem to notice their great abilities.

45

,ere at the end, letFs re(le&t on where this series started. When 5olomon as ed (or wisdom ("" 3hron. 1::=17), do #ou remem!er why he wanted it- (Wait (or a res$onse.) Bot (or his own glor# or to win a histori& run on a game show li e Ceo$ard#, !ut in order that he &ould lead his $eo$le $ro$erl#. Wisdom &anFt !e some $ride tri$ (or us. 3he& #our motives. 9earn and grow wise so that #ou &an !etter hel$ others. "( $rideFs a $ro!lem o( #ours, here is an intidote that might hel$.

A/ A/t"%ote To Pr"%e
While some (ools are de&eived into thin ing the# now ever#thing, the trul# wise reali2e how little the# reall# now. ILLUSTRATION! Dome of us think that Sir Isaac Ne* on was just a guy who sat under a tree one day, felt

an apple fall on his head, and decided to name the force gra&ity. 1ut he was so much more. +e has been called "one of the greatest names in the history of human thought." "ma*ingly, he made major contributions to !athematics, .hysics, and "stronomy. This genius 'and some of you will hate him for this) in&ented calculus, showed us how the uni&erse is held together, and disco&ered the secrets of light and color. +is book, .rincipia !athematica, is considered one of the greatest single contributions in the history of science. "lbert Ainstein idoli*ed him and said that his own work would ha&e been impossible without -ewton's disco&eries.

46

-ow, if you had accomplished all that heady stuff, wouldn't it be pretty easy to get puffed up# 1ut some of you may not know that -ewton was also a de&oted student of theology and the 1ible. .erhaps because of this, rather than getting puffed up with pride, he saw his great intellectual accomplishments in perspecti&e. This is what he said of himself shortly before his death: "I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to ha&e been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and di&erting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undisco&ered before me." 'Isaac -ewton, p. 853, @orld 1ook Ancyclopedia, 4H>3) "t's hard to get $roud when #ou reali2e that #our greatest wisdom is (oolishness to God. Bo matter how mu&h wisdom #ou o!tain here on earth, &om$aring it to GodFs in(inite wisdom is li e &om$aring the wisest &him$an2ee on earth to ?instein.

I $or. 3: <3 J ;he 3orinthians were (ired u$ a!out s$iritual gi(ts (16:1@), !ut needed a motive &he& . ;heir o!'e&t should have !een, not s$e&ta&ular mani(estations o( the 5$irit, !ut the !uilding u$ o( others (16:@G) out o( love (&h. 17). 0Ton%ues2 S ;he gi(t o( tongues (see &ha$ters 1@ and 16), although some would !roaden it to in&lude elo+uent s$ee&h as well (so )O3). "n what wa# does a 0resoundin% %on% or a clan%in% c)m$al2 resem!le tongues without love3ommentators o((er several o$inions: 1) )oth are Dmomentaril# ele&tri(#ing,E !ut short lived. ()O3) @) Mnhel$(ul or senseless. (B)3,?G;) 7) >istur!ing or distra&ting ("33,B)3) 0I am no hin%2 R Dan a!solute 2eroE (1o!ertson)

47
<ou see, (rom eternit#Fs $ers$e&tive, #our attitude is vital. " donFt now what motivated ?dison to la!or da# and night to invent over 1000 wonders. )ut letFs imagine that he didnFt do it out o( love (or $eo$le. What i( he 'ust did it all to ma e a name (or himsel(- "( so, then loo at " 3orinthians 17:1=7 to (ind what all his wor is worth. (Bothing) - N If I s&ea( *i h he on%ues of men and of an%els, $u ha+e no lo+e, I am onl) a resoundin% %on% or a clan%in% c)m$al1 . N If I ha+e he %if of &ro&hec) and can fa hom all m)s eries and all (no*led%e, and if I ha+e a fai h ha can mo+e moun ains, $u ha+e no lo+e, I am no hin%1 @ 3 If I %i+e all I &ossess o he &oor and surrender m) $od) o he flames, $u ha+e no lo+e, I %ain no hin%1 "( $ride was his motive, then as we $ut it #esterda#, he was on the wrong $age. And what a!out #ou- >oes #our (ire (or wisdom and im$roving #oursel( &ome (rom #our need (or attention and #our ho$es to !e&ome ri&h and (amous- "( so, #ou are on a $ride tri$. <ou are on the wrong $age. )ut thereFs still time !e(ore the end o( &lass to get !a& on the right $age, and to as God to stri$ awa# #our $ride and re$la&e it with a heart o( love. "Fll give #ou a moment to ex$ress #our heart to God.

Pra' $ON$LUSION TO SERIES

Wisdom is (or ever#one, !ut onl# reveals itsel(, not to the &asual see er, !ut to the ones whose hearts !urn with a desire to learn how to su&&ess(ull# live li(e. We are gold diggers, and there are veins o( gold all around us. LooA aro&/% 'o&r*e.1 at ch&rch. As (amiliar and normal as these (a&es seem, these $eo$le ea&h &ontain a ri&h vein o( gold, and i( #ou add their li(es$ans together, might have 7,000 &umulative #ears o( ex$erien&e, whi&h i( an# o( #ou new how to mine it, &ould !e&ome wise !e#ond an#one's imagination. LooA %o=/ at that )ooA "/ 'o&r .a#. "t is a ri&h vein o( gold, 'ust waiting (or #ou to ta e it seriousl# and !egin digging out nuggets ea&h morning or night. LooA &#. With us toda# is a God, who is read# and willing to !egin giving (reel# o( ,is vast store o( wisdom, (or those who as with a sin&ere heart. ,a$$# >igging//

O(erhea%

I/ Search o1 W"*%o>

Lesson I De+elo& a Passion for Wisdom

I/tro%&ct"o/
0A 5i(e, a "o le, and a #enie2

48 I. A. B. !ET FIRED UP So.o>o/ La'* O&t a $ha..e/0e 2Pro(. 5: B, !o% La'* O&t the Be/e1"t* Hea.th a/% Lo/0 L"1e 2Pro(er)* +:,,: 0A Pac( a Da), or SPAA,AAA1AAB2 A&thor"t' 2Pro(. ;:,: 0Wh) 8hoose #eor%e Washin% onB2 Po=er 2Pro(. , :,,: 05o* Washin% on Won2 Sa1et' a/% Sec&r"t' 2Pro(. :33: Ho#e 2Pro(. ,+: +: Ha##"/e** 2Pro(. 3: 3: The Fa(or o1 !o% 2Pro(. 5:37,34: R"che*, Ho/or a/% Lo/0 L"1e 2Pro(. 3: 4: 0Wall S ree 7ournal Re&or s On 8hris ian "usinesses2 $. S&cce**1&. Peo#.e Pro(e It* Worth :

GB".. !ate* Lear/* $o>#&ter*H

0"en'amin Fran(lin See(s Wisdom2 0S e+en S&iel$er% Learns Filmma(in%2

A3;"8B P8"B;5
The Wisdom 8hallen%e! - 3 Read and Medi a e on a 8ha& er of Pro+er$s Each Da)1 . 3 Memori/e a Passa%e Each Wee(1 For neH *ee(! Pro+er$s C!-A,-08hoose m) ins ruc ion ins ead of sil+er, (no*led%e ra her han choice %old,

49 for *isdom is more &recious han ru$ies, and no hin% )ou desire can com&are *i h her12

50

51

"n 5ear&h 8( Wisdom (Wee "")

The W"*%o> $ha..e/0e: Pro(er)* 3:,B 05e *ho *al(s *i h he *ise %ro*s *ise, $u a com&anion of fools suffers harm12

INTRODU$TION
GA/ Ecce/tr"c U/c.e Lea(e* a Trea*&re Ma#H I1 A1 DARE TO "E DIFFERENT ") Wa chin% Jour Men al Die ;Pro+1 -D!-K< 0Some hin% a "illionaire Wouldn: "u)2 "1 ") Usin% Jour Time Wisel) ;E&h1 D!-D,-O< 0S&iel$er% #e :s The Las Lau%h2 05o* Fran(lin "ecame Wise Af er T*o Jears Of School2 81 Surround Jourself Wi h Wise Peo&le ;Pro+1 -@!.A< 0"ill #a es: Se+en h #rade Friends2 0"en'amin Fran(lin:s T7un o: 8lu$2 0Sch*ar /ene%%er:s 5i%h School "uddies2 0S&iel$er%:s Nei%h$orhood Friends2 07a$aar On Influence2

A$TION POINTS

52

"n 5ear&h 8( Wisdom ;Wee( III< INTRODU8TION

0SDDA1AA For Turnin% a Scre*2 IV1 #AT5ER WISE 8OUNSEL A1 Wha #od Sa)s ;Pro+1 -M!.AF -D!..< 05o* Millionaires Did I 2 "15o* We 8an Li+e I Jour Famil) 0Michael 7ordan #oes One On One Wi h "i% "ro her2 Jour Friends 0Rodne) Dan%erfield Perfec s 5is 5umor2 EH&er s 0Michael 7ordan Wa(es U& Earl)2 0S&iel$er% Assis s and As(s Gues ions2 A1 Jour 8hurch A 8hance To Do I

A8TIVITJ! 0#i+e Me Some Ad+ice2

A3;"8B P8"B;5

O(erhea%

53

"n 5ear&h 8( Wisdom

2WeeA IV:
THE WISDOM $HALLEN!E: Kee# rea%"/0 Pro(er)*. Me>or"?e Pro(er)* 5: 7: 0The hear of he discernin% acEuires (no*led%eF he ears of he *ise see( i ou 12 VI. SOAK UP KNOWLED!E

SA"t: GThe $.a**roo>H

A. . Wa'* To !et It Pa' Atte/t"o/DL"*te/ 2Pro(. ;:,+:

GTe% $o##e.. Lear/* To L"*te/H

,. a. ). !ather It 2Pro(. 5: 7: B' !ett"/0 !oo% A%("ce 2Pro(. 7:,,: B' A*A"/0 Q&e*t"o/* 0Joun% S&iel$er%! 7us 8uriouser and 8uriouser2 0Joun% Eins ein! Wh) 5is Teachers As(ed 5im To Lea+e2 c. B' E@#er">e/t"/0 0Who Learned The Lan%ua%eB2 0S&iel$er% Learns Direc in%2 %. B' Th"/A"/0 2II T">. ,:;a: 0I"M:s Mo o2 0Wh) "ill #a es Was Al*a)s La e2 0The Pro$lem Wi h Air 5ead Tele%ra&h O&era ors2 A8TIVITJ! 8an Jou Ou smar The Technical Whi/ 6idsB e. A/' Wh"ch Wa' Yo& $a/ 2Pro(. 5: 7: G!ate* S#o/0e* U# K/o=.e%0eH

A$TION POINTS

I/ Search O1 W"*%o>

54

WeeA V O(erhea%
T+A @IDG$! (+"22A-EA: Neep reading .ro&erbs. !emori*e Acc. 4J:H: DBot onl# was the ;ea&her wise, !ut also he im$arted nowledge to the $eo$le. ,e $ondered and sear&hed out and set in order man# $rover!s.E LI. Doak Cp Nnowledge '2ast @eek) ". 1. 4. @ays To Eet It '2ast @eek) @ays To Neep It (ollect It 'Acc. 4J:H) DWh# 5$iel!erg 3anFt A&tE D0ar# Oa# 3a$tures ,er "deasE DGeorge 9u&as Bames A 3hara&terE J. emind %ourself $f It 'II Tim. J:47a) DWhat Would Cesus >o-E D)en .ran lin )egins and ?nds ?a&h >a# With ;his ;houghtE 8. !emori*e It '!t. 7:4B44) DCesus Wields ,is 5wordE ALIA@: +$@ !"-% @IDG$! . I-(I.2AD ("- %$C D.$T#

"(TI$- .$I-TD

I/ Search O1 W"*%o>
WeeA 4 2O(erhea%:

55 The W"*%o> $ha..e/0e: Me>or"?e P*a.> 8:85< BB.

0Jour commands ma(e me *iser han m) enemies, for he) are e+er *i h me1 I ha+e more insi%h han all m) eachers, for I medi a e on )our s a u es1 I ha+e more unders andin% han he elders, for I o$e) )our &rece& s12 INTRODU$TION G!ot a/' F%&>) ).o/%eE IoAe*ME GThe E@#ert* S#eaAH VII. LEARN TO DIS$ERN TRUTH FROM ERROR A$TIVITY: GL"ar, L"arH S$ENARIO O : GThe Metr"c Hoa@H Yo&r J&e*t"o/*: S$ENARIO O,: GThe A%(ert"*erH G9&"c' 9&"ce co/ta"/* BBR 1r&"t I&"ce, ha* /o art"1"c"a. *=eete/er*, a/% =a* rece/t.' (ote% the /&>)er o/e 1r&"t I&"ce 1or /&tr"t"o/ a/% ta*te )' three o&t o1 1o&r *t&%e/t* a/% /&tr"t"o/"*t*.H S$ENARIOS O3,+S GYo&r A%* a/% $."#*H Yo&r J&e*t"o/*: A3;"8B P8"B;5

IN SEAR$H OF WISDOM WEEK VII

56 2O(erhea%:

INTRODU$TION
GThe Hea(e/E* !ate Tra0e%'H VIII. I>>er*e Yo&r*e.1 I/ !o%E* Wor% 2P*a.> 8:85< BB:

GFro> Mo*t Po=er1&. to Mo*t E>)arra**e%H Be/e1"t* O1 St&%'"/0 The B").e

Ho= To !et More O&t O1 The B").e

IP. A*A !o% For W"*%o> 29a>e* :7:

GE*ca#"/0 I/ The N"cA O1 T">eH

GTaAe A D"11ere/t Ro&te To%a'H GYo& M&*t Acce** Yo&r Acco&/tH

$ON$LUSION
G$o/(er*at"o/a. Pra'erH Act"o/ Po"/t*:

"n 5ear&h o( Wisdom Wee P""" 2O(erhea% Sheet:

57

W"*%o> Po# Te*t

. A%(a/ce% Math: Pa&. ha* three a##.e*. Ho= >a/' a##.e* %oe* Pa&. ha(eM ,. A/c"e/t H"*tor': Ora..' %"*c&** the a/c"e/t Ba)'.o/"a/ E>#"re ="th #art"c&.ar re1ere/ce to arch"tect&re, ."terat&re, .a= a/% *oc"a. co/%"t"o/*. Or, 0"(e the 1"r*t /a>e o1 !eor0e B&*h. 2H"/t: !eor0e: 3. Re."0"o/: Ho= >a/' co>>a/%>e/t* =ere =r"tte/ o/ a *to/e 1or Mo*e*M 2H"/t: ItE* >ore tha/ 8 )&t .e** tha/ So&ther/er* $: Norther/er* 7. E/0."*h S#e.."/0: S#e.. B&*h, $arter a/% $."/to/. B&*h: $arter: $."/to/: 4. Br"t"*h H"*tor': S"@ A"/0* o1 E/0.a/% ha(e )ee/ ca..e% !eor0e, the .a*t o/e )e"/0 !eor0e the S"@th. $a/ 'o& /a>e the #re("o&* 1"(eM ;. Ph'*"c*: $a/ 'o& e@#.a"/ E"/*te"/E* theor' o1 re.at"("t'M A: Ye* B: No : +. Soc"a. St&%"e*: What are the #eo#.e o1 A>er"caE* 1ar /orth ca..e%M A: We*ter/er* B:

IP. !"(e H"> So>e Re*#ect 2Ecc.e*"a*te* ,: 3: +:

0The Firs Turn On A Tri&2 0I 8an: #e No Res&ec 2 Bra"/*tor>C . ,. What are =a'* #eo#.e *ho= %"*re*#ect 1or !o%M Wh' *ho&.% =e re*#ect !o%M

D;heir 9ast .i!E

0Wor(in% On The Wron% Pa%e2

I/ Search o1 W"*%o> WeeA VIII (8verhead 5heet)

58

T. )eware o( WisdomFs >angers

0Educa ion Isn: Enou%h2 "rains orm? The Dar( Side Of Wisdom! Wha s&ecial em& a ions do (no*led%ea$le &eo&le faceB

A.

Se.1<S&11"c"e/c' 2Pro(. 3:7,4:

0A #enius 6no*s 5is Limi s2
Giscussion: @hat are some things you could ne&er figure out apart from Eod and +is @ord#

).

Pride (" 3orinthians 8:1,@)

GDat"/0 For !ra%e*H

"rains orm? 5o* can )ou s&o a &erson *i h a &ride &ro$lemB 05e In+en ed 8alculus, "u A+oided he "i% 5ead2

A$TION POINTS

St&%e/t Sheet*

I/ Search o1 W"*%o>

Lesson I

59

De+elo& a Passion for Wisdom

I/tro%&ct"o/
0A 5i(e, a "o le, and a UUUUUUUUUUU2 I. A. B. !ET FIRED UP So.o>o/ La'* O&t a $ha..e/0e 2Pro(. 5: B, !o% La'* O&t the Be/e1"t* TTTTTTTTTT a/% TTTTTTT L"1e 2Pro(er)* +:,,: 0A UUUUUUU a Da), or SPAA,AAA1AAB2 TTTTTTTTTTTT 2Pro(. ;:,: 0Wh) 8hoose #eor%e UUUUUUUUUUUB2 TTTTTTTTT 2Pro(. , :,,: 05o* Washin% on UUUUUUU2 TTTTTTTTT a/% TTTTTTTTTTT 2Pro(. :33: TTTTTTTTT 2Pro(. ,+: +: TTTTTTTTTTTTT 2Pro(. 3: 3: The TTTTTTTT o1 !o% 2Pro(. 5:37,34: TTTTTTTTTT, Ho/or a/% Lo/0 L"1e 2Pro(. 3: 4: 0Wall S ree 7ournal Re&or s On 8hris ian "usinesses2 $. S&cce**1&. TTTTTTTTT Pro(e It* Worth :

GB".. !ate* Lear/* $o>#&ter*H

0"en'amin Fran(lin See(s Wisdom2 0S e+en S&iel$er% Learns Filmma(in%2

A3;"8B P8"B;5
The Wisdom 8hallen%e!

60 - 3 Read and Medi a e on a 8ha& er of Pro+er$s Each Da)1 . 3 Memori/e a Passa%e Each Wee(1 For neH *ee(! Pro+er$s C!-A,-08hoose m) ins ruc ion ins ead of sil+er, (no*led%e ra her han choice %old, for *isdom is more &recious han ru$ies, and no hin% )ou desire can com&are *i h her12

"n 5ear&h 8( Wisdom (Wee "")

The W"*%o> $ha..e/0e: Pro(er)* 3:,B

61 05e *ho *al(s *i h he *ise %ro*s *ise, $u a com&anion of fools suffers harm12

INTRODU$TION
GA/ Ecce/tr"c U/c.e Lea(e* a TTTTTTTTTTT TTTTTTTTTH I1 A1 DARE TO "E UUUUUUUUUUUU ") Wa chin% Jour Men al UUUUUUU ;Pro+1 -D!-K< 0Some hin% a "illionaire Wouldn: "u)2 "1 ") Usin% Jour UUUUUUU Wisel) ;E&h1 D!-D,-O< 0S&iel$er% #e :s The Las Lau%h2 05o* Fran(lin "ecame Wise Af er T*o Jears Of School2 81 UUUUUUUUUUU Jourself Wi h Wise Peo&le ;Pro+1 -@!.A< 0"ill #a es: Se+en h #rade Friends2 0"en'amin Fran(lin:s T7un o: 8lu$2 0Sch*ar /ene%%er:s 5i%h School "uddies2 0S&iel$er%:s Nei%h$orhood Friends2 07a$aar On Influence2

A$TION POINTS

"n 5ear&h 8( Wisdom ;Wee( III<

62

INTRODU8TION
0SDDA1AA For Turnin% a Scre*2 IV1 #AT5ER WISE UUUUUUUUUUUUU A1 Wha #od UUUUUUUUUU ;Pro+1 -M!.AF -D!..< 05o* UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU Did I 2 "15o* We 8an Li+e I Jour UUUUUUUUUUUUU 0Michael 7ordan #oes One On One Wi h "i% "ro her2 Jour UUUUUUUUUUUU 0Rodne) Dan%erfield Perfec s 5is 5umor2 UUUUUUUUUUUU 0Michael 7ordan Wa(es U& Earl)2 0S&iel$er% Assis s and As(s Gues ions2 A1 Jour UUUUUUUUUUU A 8hance To Do I

A8TIVITJ! 0#i+e Me Some Ad+ice2

A3;"8B P8"B;5

"n 5ear&h 8( Wisdom

2WeeA IV:

St&%e/t Sheet
THE WISDOM $HALLEN!E: Kee# rea%"/0 Pro(er)*. Me>or"?e Pro(er)* 5: 7:

63
0The hear of he discernin% acEuires (no*led%eF he ears of he *ise see( i ou 12 VI. SOAK UP TTTTTTTTTTTTT

5 it: D;he 3lassroomE

A. . Wa'* To !et It Pa' TTTTTTTTTTTTDTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 2Pro(. ;:,+:

GTe% $o##e.. Lear/* To L"*te/H

,. a. ). TTTTTTTTTTTTT It 2Pro(. 5: 7: B' !ett"/0 !oo% TTTTTTTTTT 2Pro(. 7:,,: B' TTTTTTTTTTT TTTTTTTTTTTTTT 0Joun% S&iel$er%! 7us 8uriouser and 8uriouser2 0Joun% Eins ein! Wh) 5is Teachers As(ed 5im To Lea+e2 c. B' TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 0Who Learned The Lan%ua%eB2 0S&iel$er% Learns Direc in%2 %. B' TTTTTTTTTTTTTT 2II T">. ,:;a: 0I"M:s Mo o2 0Wh) "ill #a es Was Al*a)s La e2 0The Pro$lem Wi h Air 5ead Tele%ra&h O&era ors2 A8TIVITJ! 8an Jou Ou smar The Technical Whi/ 6idsB e. A/' Wh"ch TTTTTTTTT Yo& $a/ 2Pro(. 5: 7: G!ate* S#o/0e* U# K/o=.e%0eH

A$TION POINTS

I/ Search O1 W"*%o>
WeeA V St&%e/t Sheet

64 T+A @IDG$! (+"22A-EA: Neep reading .ro&erbs. !emori*e Acc. 4J:H: DBot onl# was the ;ea&her wise, !ut also he im$arted nowledge to the $eo$le. ,e $ondered and sear&hed out and set in order man# $rover!s.E LI. XXXXXXXX Cp Nnowledge '2ast @eek) ". 1. 4. @ays To XXXXXXXX It '2ast @eek) @ays To XXXXXXXX It XXXXXXXXXXXX It 'Acc. 4J:H) DWh# 5$iel!erg 3anFt A&tE D0ar# Oa# 3a$tures ,er "deasE DGeorge 9u&as Bames A 3hara&terE J. XXXXXXXXXXXX %ourself $f It 'II Tim. J:47a) DWhat Would Cesus >o-E D)en .ran lin )egins and ?nds ?a&h >a# With ;his ;houghtE 8. XXXXXXXXXXXXX It '!t. 7:4B44) DCesus Wields ,is 5wordE ALIA@: +$@ !"-% @IDG$! . I-(I.2AD ("- %$C D.$T#

"(TI$- .$I-TD

I/ Search O1 W"*%o>
WeeA 4 2O(erhea%:

The W"*%o> $ha..e/0e: Me>or"?e P*a.>

8:85< BB.

65 0Jour commands ma(e me *iser han m) enemies, for he) are e+er *i h me1 I ha+e more insi%h han all m) eachers, for I medi a e on )our s a u es1 I ha+e more unders andin% han he elders, for I o$e) )our &rece& s12 INTRODU$TION G!ot a/' F%&>) ).o/%eE IoAe*ME GThe E@#ert* S#eaAH VII. LEARN TO TTTTTTTTTTT TRUTH FROM ERROR A$TIVITY: GL"ar, L"arH S$ENARIO O : GThe TTTTTTTTTT Hoa@H Yo&r J&e*t"o/*: S$ENARIO O,: GThe A%(ert"*erH G9&"c' 9&"ce co/ta"/* BBR 1r&"t I&"ce, ha* /o art"1"c"a. *=eete/er*, a/% =a* rece/t.' (ote% the /&>)er o/e 1r&"t I&"ce 1or /&tr"t"o/ a/% ta*te )' three o&t o1 1o&r *t&%e/t* a/% /&tr"t"o/"*t*.H Yo&r J&e*t"o/*: S$ENARIOS O3,+S GYo&r A%* a/% $."#*H Yo&r J&e*t"o/*:

A3;"8B P8"B;5

IN SEAR$H OF WISDOM WEEK VII 2St&%e/t Sheet:

66

INTRODU$TION
GThe Hea(e/E* !ate Tra0e%'H VIII. I>>er*e Yo&r*e.1 I/ TTTTTTTT TTTTTTTTT 2P*a.> GFro> Mo*t Po=er1&. to Mo*t E>)arra**e%H Be/e1"t* O1 St&%'"/0 The B").e 8:85< BB:

Ho= To !et More O&t O1 The B").e

IP. A*A TTTTTTTT For W"*%o> 29a>e* :7:

GE*ca#"/0 I/ The N"cA O1 T">eH

GTaAe A D"11ere/t Ro&te To%a'H GYo& M&*t Acce** Yo&r Acco&/tH

$ON$LUSION
G$o/(er*at"o/a. Pra'erH Act"o/ Po"/t*:

I/ Search o1 W"*%o> WeeA VIII (5tudent 5heet)

67

W"*%o> Po# Te*t

. A%(a/ce% Math: Pa&. ha* three a##.e*. Ho= >a/' a##.e* %oe* Pa&. ha(eM ,. A/c"e/t H"*tor': Ora..' %"*c&** the a/c"e/t Ba)'.o/"a/ E>#"re ="th #art"c&.ar re1ere/ce to arch"tect&re, ."terat&re, .a= a/% *oc"a. co/%"t"o/*. Or, 0"(e the 1"r*t /a>e o1 !eor0e B&*h. 2H"/t: !eor0e: 3. Re."0"o/: Ho= >a/' co>>a/%>e/t* =ere =r"tte/ o/ a *to/e 1or Mo*e*M 2H"/t: ItE* >ore tha/ 8 )&t .e** tha/ So&ther/er* $: Norther/er* 7. E/0."*h S#e.."/0: S#e.. B&*h, $arter a/% $."/to/. B&*h: $arter: $."/to/: 4. Br"t"*h H"*tor': S"@ A"/0* o1 E/0.a/% ha(e )ee/ ca..e% !eor0e, the .a*t o/e )e"/0 !eor0e the S"@th. $a/ 'o& /a>e the #re("o&* 1"(eM ;. Ph'*"c*: $a/ 'o& e@#.a"/ E"/*te"/E* theor' o1 re.at"("t'M A: Ye* B: No : +. Soc"a. St&%"e*: What are the #eo#.e o1 A>er"caE* 1ar /orth ca..e%M A: We*ter/er* B:

"T. Give ,im 5ome UUUUUUUUUU (?&&lesiastes 1@:17,16)

GThe F"r*t TTTTTTTT O/ A Tr"#H

0I 8an: #e No UUUUUUUUU2
Bra"/*tor>C . ,. What are =a'* #eo#.e *ho= %"*re*#ect 1or !o%M Wh' *ho&.% =e re*#ect !o%M

D;heir 9ast UUUUUE

0Wor(in% On The UUUUUUU UUUUUUUU2

I/ Search o1 W"*%o> WeeA VIII (8verhead 5heet)

68

T. )eware o( WisdomFs UUUUUUUUUU

0Educa ion Isn: Enou%h2 "rains orm? The Dar( Side Of Wisdom! Wha s&ecial em& a ions do (no*led%ea$le &eo&le faceB

A.

Se.1<TTTTTTTTTTTT 2Pro(. 3:7,4:

0A #enius 6no*s 5is UUUUUUUUUUU2

Giscussion: @hat are some things you could ne&er figure out apart from Eod and +is @ord#

D. Pr"%e 2I $or"/th"a/* 5: ,,:

GDat"/0 For TTTTTTTTTTTH

"rains orm? 5o* can )ou s&o a &erson *i h a &ride &ro$lemB 05e In+en ed 8alculus, "u A+oided he UUUUU UUUUUU2

A$TION POINTS