Wisdom Biblical Character Curriculum by Institute in Basic Life Principles

WISDOM

Wisdom is seeing and responding to life’s situations from God’s frame of reference.

Wisdom in Scripture The Character of God

understanding heart so that he could be a good leader in Israel. (See I Kings 3:12, 28.) God wants to give us wisdom so that we can help others.

•  God is the source of all wisdom. (See Daniel 2:23.)

Wisdom is more caught than taught. Whom do we know who makes good decisions? These are the people we want to be with. We can learn from them how to handle different situations. (See Proverbs 13:20.) It is even possible to learn from wise people of the past by reading the true stories of their lives.

•  We see God’s wisdom in His creation. (See Proverbs 3:19.) •  Jesus is our Example of growing in wisdom. (See Luke 2:52.) •  God reveals His wisdom through the weak and gains greater glory as a result. (See I Corinthians 1:27–31.)

Wisdom comes from meditating on God’s Word. We cannot achieve wisdom by human reasoning. Wisdom is the result of filtering information through the grid of God’s Word. For example, if we tend to argue, meditating on Philippians 2:3 (which says, “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves”) would help us change our attitudes. As we memorize and meditate on God’s Word we will learn how to respond wisely to life’s situations. (See Psalm 119:98–99.)

•  The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom. (See I Corinthians 12:8.)

Picture of Wisdom “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock” (Matthew 7:24). Jesus describes those who hear and obey His words as wise. Like a house built on a rock, they will stand firm through the storms of life.

Wisdom in My Life

Key Concepts

•  Deuteronomy 4:4–6—What makes a great nation?

Knowledge and wisdom are not the same. Knowledge is comprehending information. Wisdom is knowing how to rightly use the information. One example is in how we use math. A wise person uses his math skills for good, such as calculating how to triple a recipe for company. It would not be wise to use your knowledge of math to calculate how to cheat someone. Be careful to use your knowledge wisely to please the Lord. (See Proverbs 15:2.)

•  Proverbs 1:5, 11:30—What are two things a wise man does? •  Proverbs 8:11—How valuable is wisdom? •  Proverbs 9:8—What would cause me to love rebuke?

Wisdom works with knowledge to help others. When we understand why people act as they do, we are able to share wise counsel that may help them with their deeper needs. God was pleased to give King Solomon a wise and

•  Ephesians 1:15–17—Do I pray for God to bless others with wisdom? •  James 1:5—What should you do when you don’t know what to do? 1

•  Psalm 111:10—Do I have the fear of the Lord? Am I aware that God is watching and evaluating everything I say and do?

WISDOM

Wisdom is seeing and responding to life’s situations from God’s frame of reference.

Memory Verse PROVERBS 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”

Memory Verse Game: Clap-the-Word Have everyone say the verse together three times. Next, select a child to step out of the room while the remaining children agree on a word they will clap instead of saying when quoting the verse. The child comes back into the room. He listens as the others quote the verse, and he tries to guess which word they clapped instead of saying it aloud. Select another person to step out of the room and repeat the game until all the children have had a chance to guess.

Have the children write about a time they applied this verse in their lives. For example, “No one was watching and I was about to take something that wasn’t mine. I remembered this verse about the fear of the Lord and remembered that God is watching me. This verse gave me wisdom to know that I should not take it, so I left it there and walked away.”

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Doers of the Word

WISDOM Wisdom is seeing and responding to life’s situations from God’s frame of reference.

Wisdom

in the Life of Young Timothy

Read II Timothy 1:1–5 and 3:14–17 as a family and answer the following questions: 1. H ow do these verses describe the friendship between Paul and Timothy? “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, to Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord” (II Timothy 1:1–2). Who are your close friends?

through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (II Timothy 3:15). Do you verify that the teaching you receive is consistent with God’s Word?

2. H ow many generations in Timothy’s family had sincere faith? “When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also” (II Timothy 1:5). What Godly attributes of your parents or grandparents do you wisely want to develop in your life?

6. W hat words of wisdom did the Apostle Paul give to young Timothy? “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (I Timothy 4:12). How can you apply the wisdom of this advice?

3. W hen growing up in an evil world, what is a wise thing to do? “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them” (II Timothy 3:14). How do you respond to Godly counsel and instruction given to you?

7. W hat wisdom did Paul tell Timothy he would learn in studying Scripture? “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (II Timothy 3:16). How have you seen God’s Word do these things in your life?

4. W hat was Timothy taught as a child that gave him wisdom? “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation 3

5. H ow might Timothy’s mother have felt to see her son wisely choose to walk in faith? “The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him. Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice” (Proverbs 23:24– 25). What decisions have you made that have delighted, or disappointed, your parents and your heavenly Father?

WISDOM

Three Generations Study God’s Word “Which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice . . . And that from a child thou [Timothy] hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation . . . in Christ Jesus.” —II TIMOTHY 1:5, 3:15 4

Wisdom is seeing and responding to life’s situations from God’s frame of reference.

WISDOM

Wisdom is seeing and responding to life’s situations from God’s frame of reference.

Craft Instructions Timothy's Scroll Introduction Read to the children: “This month we are asking the Lord to give us wisdom. What a privilege to respond to the work He is doing to change us into the image of His Son! In Bible days, people wrote in scrolls to preserve a written record of what they wanted to remember or send to others. Today we are going to make a scroll and write words of wisdom inside like young Timothy may have done. God is pleased when we learn from wise people and ask Him for wisdom.”

Supplies Two cardboard paper towel rolls per child (or other cylindrical objects such as markers, pencils, or taper candles), paper, pens, yarn or ribbon, and tape.

Instructions

Read to the children: “Ask your parents and grandparents for words of advice and write them in your scroll. You can also add nuggets of wisdom from God’s Word. This is a reminder to listen to counsel and receive wisdom on how to live.”

Give each child a sheet of paper and two paper towel rolls. Instruct them to tape the paper towel rolls onto each short edge of the paper. Roll the paper towel rolls together so they meet in the middle and tie a piece of yarn around the whole thing.

WISDOM

Wisdom is seeing and responding to life’s situations from God’s frame of reference.

Activity Page Learning from God’s Creation One way God gives us wisdom is through the observation of the animals He created. Read Proverbs 30:24–28. Draw a line to match the animal on the left with the wise action it would take on the right.

Stays together with others

Works with its hands

Prepares food ahead of time

Builds sturdy homes

HYMN HISTORY

Wisdom is seeing and responding to life’s situations from God’s frame of reference.

“I Want a Principle Within” The following excerpt from the journal of Charles Wesley testifies that he was a man who looked to the Lord for wisdom as he traveled across Great Britain preaching the Word of God. “June 24, 1739. I found near ten thousand sinners waiting for the word, in Moorfields. . . . At Newington, the Rector, Mr. Motte, desired me to preach. My text was, ‘All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely,’ etc. I walked on to the Commons and cried to multitudes upon multitudes, ‘Repent ye, and believe the Gospel.’ The Lord was my strength, and my mouth, and my wisdom.”

Charles Wesley (1707–1788)

Wesley traveled and preached for about 18 years but his hymn writing continued for the remainder of his life. Often he would write on horseback. This was the case one day in the 1780’s. Henry Moore tells the story as follows: “When [Charles Wesley] was nearly eighty he rode a little horse, gray with age. . . . Even in the height of summer he was dressed in winter clothes. As he jogged leisurely along, he jotted down any thought that struck him. He kept a card in his pocket for this purpose, on which he wrote his hymn in shorthand. Not infrequently he had come to our house in City Road, and, having left the pony in the garden in front, he would enter, crying out, ‘Pen and ink! Pen and ink!’ These being supplied he wrote the hymn he had been composing.”

“I want a principle within Of watchful, godly fear, A sensibility of sin, A pain to feel it near. Help me the first approach to feel Of pride or wrong desire, To catch the wandering of my will, And quench the kindling fire.” But this is not the only hymn Charles Wesley wrote. It is incredible how many hymns he penned. You probably have heard some of them, such as: “And Can it Be That I Should Gain?,” “Christ the Lord is Risen Today,” “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing,” and “Rejoice, the Lord is King.” These are only five of the 6,000 or more hymns that he wrote in

Writing hymns was a huge part of Wesley’s life. These hymns sprung from his close walk with God. They are filled with insight, wisdom, and practical exhortation for daily life. A wonderful example is “I Want a Principle Within”:

HYMN HISTORY

“I Want a Principle Within” | page 2

his lifetime! If you were to look through Wesley’s 63 books of poetry, “I Want a Principle Within” would be found in Volume #34. This volume alone contains 455 hymns. It was written in 1749 under the original title of “A Tender Conscience Desired.” “From Thee that I no more may stray, No more Thy goodness grieve, Grant me the filial awe, I pray, The tender conscience give. Quick as the apple of an eye, O God, my conscience make; Awake my soul when sin is nigh, And keep it still awake.” This prolific hymn writer had grown up in a home where there was a serious awareness of God’s presence despite the rampant ungodliness of the culture. His mother, Susanna Wesley, wisely based the training of her children on Godly principles. The Wesley family stood out, and their stance made them unpopular among many. In Epworth, where they ministered for forty years, the villagers crippled their dog, stabbed their cows, burned their crops, threatened to harm their children, set fire to their home several times, and were indirectly responsible for the death of one of their children. These intense persecutions would have discouraged most people, but the Wesleys remained steadfastly faithful to their God, responding with love to the hatred. This wise response through the crucible of trials produced children who grew to influence the world for righteousness. “Almighty God of truth and love, To me Thy power impart; The burden from my soul remove, The hardness from my heart. O may the least omission pain My reawakened soul, And drive me to that blood again, Which makes the wounded whole.”

Bibliography: • H eroes of Faith Series—Susanna Wesley, Institute in Basic Life Principles, Oak Brook, IL, 1993, pp. 1–18. • Morgan, Robert J., Then Sings My Soul Book 2, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, TN, 2004, pp. 37, 43. • Petersen, Randy, Be Still My Soul, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, IL, 2014, p. 107.

We will all fail at times and not see this world, temptation, and situations through God’s eyes. May the realization of our lack of wisdom drive us back to Christ’s cleansing blood and motivate us to ask Him for His wisdom so that He can use us to make a Godly impact in our day.

WISDOM

Wisdom is seeing and responding to life’s situations from God’s frame of reference.