The War on Wisdom Sample

Have you ever been on a plane, and noticed the airline’s lifestyle magazine in the seat pocket in front of you? As you pick it up and thumb your way through its glossy pages of well-groomed models wearing haute couture, standing on lavish yachts headed to exotic places, you find yourself being drawn into its well curated scenes, saying to yourself “If only I had this life, then I would be truly happy.”

In a world where so much around us is designed to make us dissatisfied with our lives, doubt our value, or hunger for bigger-better-more, it is so easy to find ourselves chasing the wrong dreams or desires, believing we genuinely need certain things to be content.

Proverbs reminds us of the dangers of dropping our gaze from wisdom – from the Lord - and focusing on the things of this earth. The warning is stated again in 1 John 2:16 “For everything in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.”

Satan wants our focus to be on achieving the perfect image, the coveted lifestyle, the ultimate status. God wants our focus to be on the quality of our hearts and the condition of our souls. Our fulfilment in life comes from setting our eyes on the goodness and the beauty of our All-Sufficient One, fixing our eyes on Christ.