Many of my posts discuss how to become wise or mature or something to that effect. And it’s certainly true that wisdom (or maturity) comes with rich rewards. The following passage touches on a few of them.
“Blessed are those who find wisdom,
those who gain understanding,
for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.
She is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.
Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.
Her ways are pleasant ways,
and all her paths are peace.
She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her;
those who hold her fast will be blessed” Proverbs 3: 14-18.
Paul Willingly Gave up the Rewards of Wisdom
Although it’s true that wisdom will give you a good life, Paul the apostle (and many Christians down through the ages) willingly gave up the rewards of wisdom and became fools for Christ (1st Corinthians 4:10). Being wise means you do what’s in your best interest and what will promote your well-being. But, we can see that Paul clearly did not do this. An explicit example is Acts 20:23:
“I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me”.
He lived in a way that was contrary to wisdom. In other words, many of his choices for the cause of the gospel were not in his best interest. They didn’t promote his well-being from a human perspective.
We see from the above passage (and others) that wisdom produces long life, honor, wealth and a peaceful, pleasant life. The apostle Paul was no doubt wise and could’ve had all these things. In fact, before becoming a Christian he probably did.
Exchanging Wisdom for the Kingdom of Heaven
But he gave up long life by being martyred for his faith.
He gave up the honor of his peers during his lifetime.
He gave up wealth to become a missionary and supported himself as a tent-maker.
And he certainly gave up a peaceful, pleasant life for a life of persecution and pressure and struggle.
I believe this is what he meant when he said he was a fool for Christ.
But in exchange he was a vessel of God’s glory!
He brought the gospel to the Gentile world. . .
Performed many signs and wonders. . .
Has been instrumental down through the millennia in bringing Christ to a lost and dying world.
He could’ve inherited the earth because of his wisdom. But in exchange he chose to inherit the kingdom of God instead.
I think the way it should often work for Christians is we go from being foolish to wise and back to foolish again. Not everyone starts out as a fool, but many do (1st Corinthians 1:26). The difference though between the fool we start out as and the fool we become is an actual fool doesn’t give up his blessings willingly. They are taken from him because of his poor choices.
A Fool for Christ Willingly Gives up His Reward
A fool for Christ, on the other hand willingly gives up his blessings for Christ, just as Jesus did for the Father. Jesus could’ve had a good life, humanly speaking. He had perfect wisdom and never sinned. He could’ve had everything that this life has to offer.
But He willingly gave it all up for the sake of others. We should do the same.
The prosperity gospel doesn’t have it all wrong. It is correct in that doing things God’s way absolutely does bring earthly blessings. The problem is that it doesn’t go full circle and give it up for the sake of Christ and the gospel. It is true as far as it goes. It just doesn’t go far enough.
We Aren’t Forced to Lay Down Our Reward
We aren’t forced to lay down our rewards of wisdom. As Christians we aren’t forced to do anything. Everything we do should be a voluntary expression of love and gratitude for what He has done for us. Both in the flesh in His substitutionary death for us and in the Spirit in enabling us to become wise.
It should also be remembered that even when we do lay down our rewards of wisdom, there are still some blessings that we get to keep like healthy relationships and good health (generally speaking). And it could be argued that these are the greatest blessings of all.
How many of the rewards of wisdom we give up will not look the same for everyone. Some have more love and gratitude toward Christ than others. And this will be reflected in how much we give. To read a recent blog post, click here: Naked and Unashamed: The Mark of Health .
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