Get Wiser
I assume that if you are a Christian, then you want to be wise, and that if you could, you want to be more wise at the end of this year than you are now. This wouldn’t become a competition because wisdom is not a zero-sum pursuit; everyone could get wiser.
You should pray for wisdom. Paul regularly asked God to give wisdom (e.g., Colossians 1:9 bibrefcolossians1 bibrefcolossians1v9), and that shouldn’t surprise us because Solomon, who had more wisdom than any other human-only man, explicitly said that God gives wisdom.
For the LORD gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
(Proverbs 2:6 bibrefproverbs2 bibrefproverbs2v6)
But that was at the end of a lot of effort. “Receive my words,” “treasure up my commandments,” “[make] your ear attentive,” “[incline] your heart,” “call out for insight,” “raise your voice for understanding,” “if you seek it like silver,” “search for it as for hidden treasures” (Proverbs 2:1-4 bibrefproverbs2 bibrefproverbs2v1 bibrefproverbs2v2 bibrefproverbs2v3 bibrefproverbs2v4), then you will be in position to receive it from the LORD.
I hadn’t noticed the following until a few days ago. After all those verbs of effort and focus, Solomon says, “then you will understand the fear of the LORD” (Proverbs 2:5 bibrefproverbs2 bibrefproverbs2v5). And, of course, the fear of the LORD is where wisdom starts (Proverbs 1:7 bibrefproverbs1 bibrefproverbs1v7).
The fear of the LORD is a response that we have to Him, but that awe, that reverence, that lens through which we see what is wise, comes from the fear of the LORD that is His revelation. That’s part of the reasion that Scripture is called “the fear of the LORD” in Psalm 19:9 bibrefpsalms19 bibrefpsalms19v9.
So in order to be more wise you must read the fear of the LORD and worship in the fear of the LORD. Get wiser.