Learn and Grow to be Spiritually Rich

I am beginning to better appreciate what an apostle like James thought about the Proverbs. Today, after reading Proverbs 22, I went to James 1, and verses which were not as impactful the last time demanded my attention. OK, I’ll explain. And along the way, the "SO WHAT" is clear.

In Proverbs 22, among many other topics, the writer speaks of humility and its reward along with the fear of the Lord. He speaks of thorns, those trouble spots in life that hurt us when we are not careful, the grief we bring on ourselves, might be a better way to put it. If we guard ourselves, we will be far from those thorns. We have in our realm the ability to make choices, as well as the ability to deal with the associated repercussions.

And if I am to live in such a spiritual manner, I am also to teach my children likewise. I can’t train them to be perfect, yet I can train them to understand spiritual ways, to understand that choices matter and how to own them. Whether or not they practice them, as they grow up, they will remember these principles.

So is my spiritual lifestyle one which strives for purity of heart? Is my speech gracious? Or am I more likely to associate with a deceptive lifestyle of that of the adulteress, or perhaps the foolish, even those who oppress the poor. II will see a result of being spiritually full or empty, the writer refers to this as rich or poor.

How do we manage to do all these spiritual activities? LEARN and GROW! And why? So that our trust will be in the Lord. In verses 20 and 21, the writer states as much, explaining some reasoning behind the writing. We need to be able to correctly answer those with questions, moving beyond feelings, to get to the heart of matters.

Verse 24 begins a short list of personal associations we would be best to avoid: the angry, the hot-tempered, those who give pledges (promises that are never fulfilled), and who cheat to get even more (landowners would try to move boundary markers in the night to expand their land). If these are our associations, and correction and growth are never offered or challenged, (remember, we are to guard ourselves) we may end up spiritually poor. Rather, such individuals do need our encouragement, and they also need to grow. They need our help alongside them, and they need to own their choices and strive to increase their fear and trust of the Lord. Further, I must check my self against that list, and see where I need to improve and grow.

So I mentioned James, and I read him every day now. How would he parallel Proverbs 22 in his first chapter?

Endurance, patience, in short, be complete! If we lack wisdom, and much of the caution from the proverb speaks of gaining wisdom, then we are to ask of God. He gives generously, just as we are to be generous. He’ll show us how to get it done.

James speaks of the rich and poor in verse 9, and the comparison to the proverb is unmistakable. Where are our hearts? How do we seek to cope with our own struggles, and do we seriously seek to improve them, so they do not lead to more thorns in our metaphorical path of life?

If we truly seek and desire to grow, then James offers a simple reminder: “in humility, receive the word.” If we can get into and stay in His word, God offers wisdom, and abundantly so.