Fathered by God - Part 6: "Grow in Wisdom"

Centuries later, the wisdom of Solomon is still frequently discussed in and outside of church. He was the wisest and most blessed king of Israel, but where did his wisdom come from and how can we achieve it? This week, Pastor Jake discussed the exact same wisdom that Solomon had and how it is available to us. God wants to give us great wisdom, but it is important that we do our part. It is not enough that we just become obese in our knowledge; we must use that knowledge to receive His wisdom and live a life of wisdom. Key verses: Hebrews 5:12-14, 2 Chronicles 1:3-13, 1 Thess. 2:7-13 1. What does it mean to you to be obese spiritually? How can you exercise spiritual muscles to put the knowledge you take in into action? 2. What does it say about Solomon’s character that the first thing he did when he was going to become king was go before God with many sacrifices? Have you had major changes or responsibilities in your life that you approached with the same attitude? If not, how do you think the situation might have been different (or still could be) if you adopted Solomon’s attitude about his responsibilities and kingdom? 3. What kingdoms has God entrusted you with? Do you seek wisdom from Him in how to rule those kingdoms? Do you really have the attitude that you are stewarding those kingdoms or are there some that you still cling to as your own? 4. Solomon offered a thousand sacrifices before bringing his request to God. What does that say about how serious the sacrifice Jesus made is? Do you approach God with that same reverence and attitude of sacrifice? Have you taken for granted the freedom you have to come before the Father and ask for His great wisdom? 5. Do you agree that when you grow in knowledge, pride can begin to encroach on your spirit? How can you combat that? 6. What do you think is the importance of your motives when asking for wisdom? Without naming names, what are some wrong motives you have seen or have maybe had for asking God for wisdom? What are some things that you have really wanted when you have asked for wisdom? Are you wiling to trust that God will give you the wisdom you need even if it is not the wisdom you want? 7. Why can you trust God when he gives you his wisdom? Are there times in your past or have you seen His wisdom in others in ways that you know He is giving that wisdom from a place of love? 8. What is the importance of modeling wisdom (both doing it and seeing it) in your life? 9. Jake said, “when we don’t apply it, it stays at the level of knowledge and never moves to wisdom.” Do you agree with that statement? How have you kept knowledge from moving to wisdom in your own life? How can you make that shift towards following the great plan God has for your life?