“The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom”
Daily Reading: Genesis 4, Psalm 4, Matthew 4, Proverbs 4
“The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.”
Proverbs 4:7
This can be a funny verse to read the first time you stumble across it. At initial glance it can come across as someone saying, “The first step to being healthy is to be healthy.”
And yet, if you continue on, and really dig into the passage, it is one of the more profound verses in the Bible. The verse continues on, “Though it cost all you have, get understanding.”
We live in a world today that has taught us to want it all, and want it now.
Proverbs tells us to first pursue wisdom, even at the expense of other things.
One of the people I mentor at work, Pedro, does this better than almost anyone I have ever met. Early on in his career Pedro made a decision that is completely counter to the way our culture tells us to think. He shared with me early on that his mindset was: “My 20’s are going to be all about learning. I want to be in an environment where I can consistently be learning and growing, above everything else.”
Pedro has been an absolute sponge the entire time we have worked together, sought out opportunities to grow personally within the company even if they never came with a promotion or increased compensation, and is constantly looking for ways to level up his skillset and knowledge base.
The result of focusing on developing his knowledge and skillset instead of chasing promotions, is that Pedro now finds himself, five years later, running an entire division of our company in his 20’s, well before the vast majority of people would ever be even considered for that role.
It didn’t happen overnight.
He turned down recruiters several times over that five year stretch, because Pedro always felt like he still had more to learn and was in the best position to do it where he was already, even if he could have potentially made more money elsewhere at that time.
A shining example in the business world of patience and seeking knowledge first.
However, in my time in the business world, for every Pedro, there are 20 people that have the opposite mindset. 6 months into a job, most people in today’s world are no longer worried about “How can I grow personally? Where do I need to improve my skillset and knowledge base?” and more worried about, “What is my career track? How quickly am I looking at being promoted to the next role?”
It is the culture we live in. We want it all, and we want it now.
We love shortcuts, fast timelines, and instant gratification.
The Bible tells us to slow down and first seek wisdom.
And the most important wisdom we need to seek after is in God’s word.
Yesterday we dove into the cunning traps the enemy loves to set for us. Today, we see Jesus face this exact test in Matthew 4:1-11.
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
The Devil came with twisted scripture. He came with isolated verses out of context in an attempt to trip Jesus up. If Jesus had not been rooted in the full wisdom of scripture, it would have been easy to think, “The Devil has a point…”
This happens all of the time in today’s world. There are so many voices that will pluck individual verses out of context to fit their motives. There are so many public figures that will use Christianity as a tool to advance their own agendas, when the vast majority of what they stand for runs counter to the gospel of Christ.
It is critical we seek wisdom. It is paramount that we stay rooted in God’s word.
“The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.”
This year, what would it look like to truly live that out?
Daily Reflection & Dialogue
Where in your life would you like to slow down enough to seek wisdom in 2026?
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