"Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding." Pr 3:13

NIV

The wise old adage goes, "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime." Sometimes what people need more than your money is your wisdom. By taking the time to share with them the insights and wisdom you have learned through your life's experiences, you're investing in their future. What a gift!

But that means you must never stop learning.

Sometimes we stop learning because we become complacent. We believe we have grown enough, or we want only to make the most of what we already have in terms of skill and knowledge. That's when we start to plateau and then decline. We lose our innovative spirit. We begin to think about being efficient instead of breaking new ground. We cut costs instead of investing in growth. Our vision becomes very limited. And instead of playing to win, we start playing not to lose. We all love doing what we're good at, but being good at something requires us to keep our skills sharp. Less skill leads to less enthusiasm and eventually to discontent. If we reach this stage, we start looking behind us because that's where our best days are.

We think about the good old days, the glory days. At that point, we're only a few short steps from obsolescence. Nobody wants to learn from a has-been. If you want to give until you have given all you have, you must keep growing until you can grow no more.

"Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding."

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"I pray that the faith you share will make you understand every blessing we have in Christ." Phm 1:6 ERV

If you're struggling with self-worth, the answer is knowing what you have and who you are "in Christ." Paul writes, "I pray that... you understand every blessing we have in Christ." Here are some practical steps you can take to increase your sense of confidence and self-worth: (1) Don't speak negatively about yourself. Instead of focusing on your weaknesses and flaws, start acknowledging and verbalizing every good thing you "have in Christ." Peter writes: "By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him...he has given us great and precious promises. These. promises... enable you to share his divine nature" (2Pe

1:3-4 NLT). (2) Avoid comparing yourself to others. One day Peter pointed to John and asked, "Lord, what about him?" (Jn 21:21

NIV). Jesus corrected him by saying, "What is that to you? You must follow me" (v. 22 NIV).

Instead of comparing yourself with others, work on being conformed to the character qualities of Christ. (3) Let God determine your worth. As His redeemed child, God sees you clothed in the righteousness of Christ;

therefore, you are always loved and accepted by Him (See 2Co 5:21). (4) Keep your flaws in perspective. It's okay to see where you need to improve, but make sure you appreciate your progress. (5) Discover the true source of confidence. If you place your confidence in God, you can't help but have a healthy attitude. So, do your best and leave the results to Him.

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"Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. Ge 12:1 NKJV

The two parts to God's "go" are going from and going to. Ur, Abram's home, was considered the place to be. Setting out for ancient Mesopotamia, all the trading wealth from around the Mediterranean had to travel through Ur. It was a place of immense affluence, trade, education, and technology.

One author writes, "The first written legal code that began civilization was there in Ur." So, it would have been a hard place to leave-especially if you were going to Canaan.

Canaan was unsophisticated, unrefined, and underdeveloped. No one who had enough money to live in Ur, the great center of civilization, would move to Canaan. Here is the point: You must trust God with your future when the path He has called you to take doesn't look like the obvious one. But if you're willing to go, you will discover that God has blessings in mind you never dreamed of. He told Abram, "I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (vv. 2-3 NKJV). The reward God gives you will always be greater than any sacrifice He calls you to make. Has God called you to go, but you want to stay? Is He telling you to stay, but you want to go? Here is the score: If you obey God, you will never regret it. And that's a guarantee!

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