"The Attributes of Wise People"

Scripture: "Let the wise listen and add to their learning … -" -Proverbs 1:5, NIV

When you think of a person, whether if they are a part of your family or part of your friends' circle, each of them have a set of attributes that makes them their own, unique individual. For example, if I was to describe my wife, her attributes would include hard-working, kindhearted, giving, nurturing, vocal, and a few other things. These attributes make her the woman that she is and the woman that I love, respect, and admire. Throughout life, you are going to or have met people who have attributes that are negative and thus, you do not want to hang around them. The big thing we desire in life is to hang around people with positive attributes and not negative ones. One of the greatest type of people we should hang around are wise people. How do we know a wise person in person? Today's text provides us with some insight on the attributes of wise people.

Today's text is located in the book of Proverbs. The author of this book was the great and wise King Solomon, son of King David. In the book of 2 Samuel, God told David that the next king of Israel, after him, would be responsible for the building of the Temple where people could come and worship God. This task fell on Solomon, who assumed the task with no problem and in a little to no time, the Temple was completed. Also, during his reign, Solomon was blessed by God to receive anything he desired and Solomon desired wisdom. What greater man to discuss the attributes of wise people than King Solomon himself! Within his Proverbs, Solomon imparted his wisdom through sayings and proverbs that would benefit us as we continue to make our respective Christian journeys.

Within the fifth verse of the introductory chapter of Proverbs, Solomon addresses the attributes of wise people. The text begins by saying, "Let the wise listen and add to their learning". Profound statement, right? On yesterday, my wife and I had a great gathering with two other married couples where the brothers are ministers at my church. During our gathering, one of the things my brothers noticed about me was the fact that through the conversation, I said the least and they were like, "Lindsay, you are a quiet brother and do not have much to say". I told them that I am quiet because there is no need to always say something. You speak when necessary and more importantly, the less I talk, the more I am listening, and the wiser I become about a person or subject. If you think about the human body, God gave us two ears and one mouth and it's twice as important to listen than it is to talk! Ladies and gentlemen, whether you are in a relationship, a marriage, or relationship with the Father, you must know when to talk and when the listen and if you take time to listen, then it displays a bit of wisdom!

Not only do the wise listen, but they add to their learning. Just as I mentioned a moment ago, when you are listening to someone talk about a particular subject or issue, you obtain a greater perspective on it. As you obtain a greater perspective on it, you learn more about it. The one thing about adding something to your knowledge base or tool belt, if something was to happen within a given area, you are more aware of it than you were previously. You have a greater opportunity to focus your energy and attack it head on. That's why it is key, brothers and sisters, because God is looking for us to add to our learning trees because we are going to use our learning to help others, help ourselves, and continue on with this good fight of faith!

In closing, it's important to identify wise people from not-so-wise people. You can identify these types of people through their attributes and the way they carry themselves. Solomon provided us some insight on how to identify wise people. He gave us the attribute of listening and the attribute of learning. Identify the wise people within your circle or become a wise person for your circle. At the end of the day, God is going to need your wisdom and so will someone else!