Seek and You Shall Find

Good day to all! Let us turn to the Book of Proverbs, chapter 8. What did I speak about in the previous chapter? I spoke about a crucial matter: that a person without wisdom is surrounded by pitfalls, and no matter what they do, they will fall into them. Whether there is that woman or not, whether there is that man or not, it is all the same. That is just how you will live! A lack of wisdom is a very serious problem. How can one live without wisdom and understanding?

In Proverbs chapter 8, after reading it, I realized that it is all about wisdom, but the theme is not easily discernible. Eventually, I reluctantly settled on a theme: people should seek wisdom. Does this title fully capture the meaning of this chapter? It seems to fall somewhat short. I would like to start with the first point: those who seek shall find. In fact, wisdom and understanding are not far from you. Seeking wisdom is not as difficult as knowing the past and future for five hundred years, or even five thousand years.

Seeking wisdom, this way is not far from you. The wisdom in the Bible and the Way in the New Testament are actually talking about the same thing. People should seek wisdom, first knowing that seeking wisdom is not difficult. Those who seek shall find; it is a matter of attitude. Let me first declare that I always feel unqualified to speak on the topic of wisdom, but when it comes to seeking and finding, I am qualified! Why? Although I cannot claim to be very wise, I have a very good attitude within me, an attitude called humility. I know that I lack wisdom, so I come to seek it. This is a very basic attitude.

There are some people who, in the process of interaction, are impossible to minister to. Why can't we minister to them? Because they lack an attitude of learning and seeking, being self-righteous to an absurd extent. Usually, I tell my co-workers that we cannot minister to such people, we are not skilled enough, we can only hand them over to God. Why? Because the most important thing in leading people to seek wisdom is to have an attitude of seeking. We cannot minister to someone who does not have a seeking attitude. If someone is willing to minister, I must tell you that I cannot handle it, so I wish you good luck if you can. Even if you think they are a good person with good intentions, what does that prove?

Therefore, those who seek shall find. Seeking wisdom is not difficult; it has long awaited us. But what hinders us from obtaining wisdom and understanding is self-righteousness.

Does not wisdom cry out,and understanding raise her voice? On the heights beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud: “To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the children of man. (Proverbs 8:1-4)

Has anyone not walked through a crossroads? Everyone has! Our God stands at the crossroads, calling out at the entrance of the portals: “To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the children of man. Can you hear it? No! Because there are no seekers! I feel sorry for God. God calls out there every day, and yet the people below say they do not know. Ears cannot hear, eyes cannot see, and they know nothing. The Bible says:

God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. (Psalm 53:2)

If there were, God would have been found by you long ago. It is a matter of attitude. Do brothers and sisters know that being a person is a matter of attitude? A few days ago, I scolded a sister because she said she had questions but no place to ask them. But every time during Bible study, I ask everyone if they have any questions, and she says there is no place to ask. How can there be no place to ask? That is just how people are! It is like wisdom shouting there every day, but the eyes see but do not see, the ears hear but do not understand, and the heart is hardened. Being a person is a matter of attitude. How do you know there is no place to ask? Have you really tried to ask? Have you sought?

It is a very serious problem when people do not seek. It is not that I have any talent, or that God predestined me to be a certain way before I was born; these are not the key. I have done many experiments to prove that everyone’s IQ is fine. So where does the problem lie? It lies in our attitude! Many people like to make excuses, saying that they were not born to be that way! But do you know that God is waiting for you every day? And yet you repeatedly stand God up, day after day.

Usually, I do not get angry when teaching people, but things cannot continue like this, right? I am teaching him here, but he is just letting it go in one ear and out the other, not taking anything in. I have a lot of patience; it takes some skill to push me to my limit. God's way is not far from us; it is in our hearts and in our mouths. If one does not engage their heart and mind, and just speaks nonsense, it is no wonder they are foolish!

Have an Attitude of Seeking

What kind of attitude should we have when seeking? We should cultivate an attitude of earnestly seeking, seeking sincerely and urgently.

I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me. (Proverbs 8:17)

And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord, (Proverbs 8:32-35)

We must watch daily at the gates, determined to obtain it no matter what, never giving up until we obtain it! If we cannot block you this time, we will come again next time, and one day we will block you! When we were young, it was difficult to get things done, there were no rules, the leader was the rule, the rule was the leader. My parents could not get things done without a stamp, which was very frustrating. So my parents would block the leader at his doorstep in the cold winter morning. They finally managed to block him, and the leader said that everything was on him and sent my parents away. After a while, things still did not get done, so they had to block him again, and finally, things were done.

So you must constantly block him, and each time you freeze and shiver, finally moving the leader. When I saw my parents doing that, I thought of our attitude of seeking wisdom. Why should we have this attitude of earnestly seeking? Because God's treasures require such an attitude! Anyone with this attitude and determination is extraordinary! God knows at first glance that they are a treasure. God calls out at the crossroads every day, but people with the wrong attitude just cannot see it! If it were me, I would not be qualified to speak about wisdom, but I can wait daily at the gates, which is an extremely sincere attitude that moves heaven and earth and can cause cheers from angels in heaven. The angels will cheer for such people and be their cheerleaders!

Some of us want to sign up to be class leaders in the ministry, but after sending a message, they only reply after a few days, and they still say that they do not know. Can you do things with such an attitude? It does not matter if it is to me, but if you have this attitude towards God's work, it is troublesome. Why do you not have this attitude towards your customers? Treat your customers like God; it would be great if God were your customer! In fact, he treats God as his little servant. When you really give him a chance, he is very irresponsible, and sometimes you are embarrassed to fire him. We do not lack class leaders, let alone this kind of class leader, but we lack people with a seeking heart. Without a seeking heart, that is just how things will be done. When other co-workers ask me what to do with such a person, I can only say that is just how it is! Everyone understands this attitude, right?

I am also looking for treasures. Do not think that I am a garbage collector; garbage should be sent to a garbage disposal place. We cannot treat garbage as treasures! When you get a treasure, you have to maintain it well, holding it for fear of dropping it, and keeping it in your mouth for fear of it melting. Would anyone pick up a garbage bag and kiss it? No! But when you find a treasure, you kiss it, just like seeing your precious son or daughter. Why do you not use your seeking attitude towards your customers and work? If you have a careless attitude towards everything, then you should not be a Christian. If there is a Buddha statue called Careless, I think it would be great to put it on your head.

Seeking wisdom is a matter of attitude, and it is reflected in all aspects of our lives. If a person does not have an attitude of seeking, many things will happen, and you do not need to sympathize with them! If the leader of a country messes around, he will be destroyed one day! Just like during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the State of Qin destroyed the State of Chu, which was what they deserved! Was not the State of Chu just that kind of place? When Qin Shi Huang unified China, there were not many decent countries, was not that permitted by God? Because authority belongs to God.

We do not compare with others, we only compare who is rotten, so you do not need to feel unfairly treated if you are destroyed by others. There are also many Christians who pray for worldly affairs. Can God not manage them? I do not want to wade into that muddy water either, but when I see these Christians not doing what they should be doing and doing a bunch of things they should not be doing, it is actually a lack of wisdom. Seeking is an attitude. Where does this attitude come from? You must know that wisdom is more precious than anything else!

Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her. (Proverbs 8:10-11)

Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver. (Proverbs 8:18-19)

endowing with wealth those who love me and filling their treasuries. (Proverbs 8:21)

Why Have This Attitude

Why should we have an attitude of seeking? Because it is worthwhile! Many people know that gold prices have risen so they rush to buy it, stock prices have risen so they rush to buy it, oil prices have risen so they rush to buy it, but they do not know that the most important thing is wisdom and understanding. The Book of Proverbs says: Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver, endowing with wealth those who love me and filling their treasuries.

Brothers and sisters, do not be mistaken! When I ask you to do ministry and homework, you say you do not have time, which only shows that you have time to be foolish people and no time to be wise people, so I can only wish you good luck! Why is it so difficult for people to understand God's way? Why do they not know that it is a treasure? It is not that these people have not experienced God; they have experienced more than I have, but why do they not have an attitude of seeking? They put business, work, family, customers, cooking, or running on the playground in important positions, but they put God and wisdom in the most unimportant position! What does it mean to not have time? Not having time means having time to do other things, but not having time to do this! It just means that you do not think it is important.

There is a sister who is not a very smart person, although she was the top student in her area when she took the university entrance exam, which is still impressive. But no matter how impressive she is, her salary just does not increase! Later, she listened to my advice and jumped out to start looking for another job, and as a result, her salary increased three times! Do you have time to increase your salary three times, or to increase our business three times, or to increase profits three times? I am surprised, why do not people know that God's words are more precious than fine gold, gold, choice silver, and wealth? That is why I often recite Deuteronomy 28. I encourage everyone to memorize it if they have the opportunity. Why seek this way and have this attitude? Because it is worthwhile! Someone asked: Who is my son in the Book of Proverbs? My son is you and me! It is so good to be a child of God!

Learning is a matter of attitude, but some people say that they are illiterate. Although they are illiterate now, they can start learning to read. I once ministered to a 70-year-old woman who had never attended school and did not know a single word, but later she could read the entire Bible. Once when she was hospitalized, I visited and prayed for her, and she took out a thick stack of hundreds of pages of paper, densely copied with the Bible. Although it was written crookedly, she knew all the words.

She told me that she had written all of these, and I was very moved at the time. What she did was enough to shame those who could read to death. When I saw her son, I felt that her son should find a pit to bury himself. Let us look at ourselves, do we have such an attitude of seeking? In fact, we should seek like this old woman! Why? Because the rewards of seeking are extremely rich! But some people often say, can this be eaten as food?

We should give our God a thumbs up. If you want to become smart and wise, you must have such an attitude, and this attitude is based on you knowing that this is the most precious thing in life. Whoever sins against this wisdom injures himself; all who hate it love death. If you lack such an attitude, I can only wish you good luck.

Kings reign through me, and princes decree justice. Through me princes govern, and all nobles who rule on earth. (Proverbs 8:15-16)

Even princes and kings need wisdom. Don't you think you need it even more? Of course, there are foolish kings who lead their countries to ruin. Therefore, everyone should know to thank God for giving our country good leaders. The people can live in peace and prosperity, and the country is well-managed because of the leaders' governance. As ordinary citizens, just listen carefully and don't always be dissatisfied. If you were to manage things, it might be much worse. Don't be like an ignorant old farmer who knows nothing but boasting. We should thank God for having such good public order now. I don't like nitpicking or complaining. I just like to encourage the brothers and sisters in the church to believe in the Lord well and be good citizens. Therefore, we must fear the Lord.

To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. (Proverbs 8:13)

What Does Wisdom Look Like?

Wisdom is the way we believe in, and the way is Jesus Christ whom we believe in today.

“The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old; I was formed long ages ago, at the very beginning, when the world came to be. When there were no watery depths, I was given birth, when there were no springs overflowing with water; before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was given birth, before he made the world or its fields or any of the dust of the earth. (Proverbs 8:22-26)

I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep, when he set a boundary for the sea so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth. Then I was constantly at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind. (Proverbs 8:27-31)

What exactly does wisdom look like? How did God say, Let there be, and it was so? He commanded, and it stood firm (Psalm 33:9)? It was because wisdom was there as an engineer. Wisdom is not something abstract but a real person, which shows that wisdom is an attribute of God. What does Jesus Christ, whom we believe in, do in God's presence? He is an engineer in God's presence, accomplishing things. I really like describing what something looks like, which is the language engineers like to use. For example, when writing a software program, I like to say what the software looks like. If we build a house, what does the house look like? If you stir-fry a dish, what does the dish look like? What something looks like is a very profound thing. The wisdom we are talking about is not sitting in the park and chattering; the wisdom we are talking about is doing practical things.

Why do I encourage everyone to do proper things, to be good citizens, not to idle around talking nonsense, not to be a burden on society, but to be an asset to society? I especially hate those who are idle all day long, accomplish nothing, and only listen to my sermons. If you really become a sermon-listening expert, it's too upsetting. We who believe in the Lord must become people who take action and do things, cooking like cooks, doing housework like housekeepers. Don't become sermon-listening experts who constantly say that they love to listen to my sermons. I don't like to hear these words. I prefer you to be like Jesus, with a wise appearance, doing things very cleverly.

If you tell me that you do a good job with housework, that your husband always praises you, and that the church has trained you well, I will be very comforted. If you can't do anything well and only wear headphones to play on your phone or listen to sermons every day, then it's over. Doing this day after day, you will have finished listening to the sermons, but you will also be finished as a person.

Therefore, we must know what wisdom looks like: wisdom is an engineer who does practical things. We need to change our attitude, we need to be able to speak well, we need to have that heart, and we need to have the ability to do things. This is the image of wisdom. If you say you are very wise, then show it. Some people's hands and mouths are particularly clumsy, so we must learn to speak well and learn to do things.

For when he spoke, the world began; at his command all things appeared. (Psalm 33:9)

Human chromosomes are a wonderful creation. Humans have 46 chromosomes, half from the mother and half from the father. Because during pregnancy, each sperm and egg have 23 chromosomes, the child born also has 46 chromosomes. It's truly amazing! As long as there are genes and 46 chromosomes, it determines what the person will look like approximately. This is a very magical code that contains many complex problems in mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry, and other fields. So, isn't a person a very magical creation? It's truly a wonderful engineering work! If artificial intelligence is a robot created by humans, then we humans are God's divine artificial intelligence. The creation of humans is simply too wonderful. Humans can learn, preach, and lead everyone in studying the Bible. Then they can listen to Bible studies, and after listening, they can understand. It's so amazing! This is our God!

We must have the appearance of Jesus Christ, not just empty talk. We are God's miraculous creation, and we have God's image on us, so we must take action and do things. Take action and do practical things, not destructive things. Doing destructive things doesn't count. We must do creative things, and people have God's creative abilities. If you don't, you must earnestly seek wisdom. When wisdom is added to you, you will definitely be a person who is very capable of taking action.

In my past ministry, I have found that there is a type of person whose brain is not particularly sharp. These people usually have a very obvious characteristic: their hands are fleshy and limp. Their fingers are very thin, without any strength. If you also have this situation, start changing. Why? Because you do too little! You do too few things with your hands. You must do things until your hands have strength when grasping something. Later, I discovered that people need to have the abilities of an engineer. Some people can't even change a light bulb at home and can't do any work.

Therefore, our brothers and sisters must start training their practical abilities, even if it's cooking or washing clothes, doing anything is fine. No matter what you do, figure things out. That is God's image, that is the image of wisdom. Later, I summarized a few things: wisdom is very good at speaking, and wisdom is very good at taking action and doing things. You must speak nicely, speak with taste, make people feel that you have knowledge, speak with reason, and be able to edify others. If you can do things very well, that is the appearance of wisdom.

Listen, for I have trustworthy things to say; I open my lips to speak what is right. My mouth speaks what is true, for my lips detest wickedness. All the words of my mouth are just; none of them are crooked or perverse. To the discerning all of them are right; they are upright to those who possess knowledge. (Proverbs 8:6-9)

God's words are very straightforward: You must be good at speaking and good at taking action and doing things. If you can do housework very well, you will also feel proud at home. If you can't do anything, and your hands are as clumsy, you must start changing. I must deal with those among us who have these bad habits. Do you think you can learn anything by just listening to sermons? Actually, the most important thing is to do things well.

If you are a software engineer, be a top-notch software engineer; if you are a lawyer, be a top-notch lawyer; if you are an accountant, be a top-notch accountant; if you are an engineer, be a top-notch engineer; if you are a housewife, be a top-notch housewife. This has nothing to do with whether your husband is good or not. Even if your husband is not good, you can still have wisdom. If you can't manage yourself, you can also invite your pastor to manage you. What does wisdom look like? Wisdom looks like this.

The Results of Gaining Wisdom

In fact, the results of gaining wisdom are very obvious:

My fruit is better than fine gold; what I yield surpasses choice silver. (Proverbs 8:19)

If you are a wise person, your output must be very high. If your output is not high, you should ask yourself if you have wisdom. You don't need to be concerned about face, because once you are concerned about face, you will become foolish. For enduring wealth and righteousness are in God, in wisdom. Enduring wealth does not mean that it comes and goes, because sometimes you lose more than you earn. Even if you earn a lot, but you lose even more, it's useless.

to enrich those who love me and fill their treasuries. (Proverbs 8:21)

The result of gaining wisdom is that you can insist on walking the path of justice and fairness. You must insist on walking the path of righteousness and the path of fairness; don't deceive people; if you are a businessman, don't be a crooked merchant, just be a fair and just merchant; if you are a government official, don't be a corrupt official, just be a fair and just official. This is not easy, it's very difficult. During the era of Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, buying and selling official positions became a popular thing. It was very difficult for a righteous person to become an official. If a person passed the imperial examination, became a recommended candidate, they had to give those selling official positions a lot of silver and also receive bribes from their subordinates. As a result, many capable people decided not to become officials even after passing the examination, so the Han Dynasty eventually perished. But this cannot be blamed on Cao Cao or Dong Zhuo; it was just that the time had come for it to perish. That rotten appearance was intolerable to Heaven and Earth even if it didn't perish!

If a person wishes to live out righteousness, they must have wisdom, and without wisdom, they cannot do it. It is very difficult to be a righteous official! Therefore, our brothers and sisters must know: To be able to gain enduring wealth and live out God's righteousness depends entirely on wisdom, and this is the result of gaining wisdom. Because God controls the world, God controls your boss. Even if your boss is an emperor, even if your superior is a terrible corrupt official, God can still control them. If He sees that you are good, He won't make trouble for you, so just do your job well. Brothers and sisters must know: the results of gaining wisdom are extraordinary! First, you are a person who can do things. Second, you are a person who knows how to treat people. Then you can act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with your God, and at the same time, you will have enduring wealth, receive riches and treasuries, and never lack anything. You don't need to rely on being a corrupt official or a crooked merchant; you can still obtain these things.

Summary

Among us are brothers and sisters whom I have served in the past and am still serving now. A few days ago, I asked them how their financial situation was. Before, they were very busy, but they were busy losing money. Thank God, now their financial situation has greatly improved. Why do people not need wisdom? Why are people unwilling to offer themselves to God? Why are people unwilling to seek with this attitude? Maybe you can't do it, but I don't blame you. But if you agree with what I say, you can definitely do it.

In the past, I was just an ordinary believer in the church. My group leader led a Bible study group, and they did a terrible job. It's not that I think he was terrible now, but I thought he was terrible at the time, but I never missed a single session, not because he spoke well or badly, but because I feared my God. For decades, I have never missed a Sunday service. I am not asking you to be like me; I am asking you to have the same attitude because it is useless to do it reluctantly. It's not that I don't have other things to do; I just put other things down. Of course, I have this condition, working a simple job with holidays. I always go to worship my God first and then do other things. This is my attitude. Why? Because God is my treasure.

Among those who are doing ministry in our midst, if your class leader or ministry leader no longer cares whether you submit your assignments, you know what I am going to do. Even if you don't submit your assignments for two months, I don't care. You can do whatever you want. You don't need to come to learn; you need to come to teach me. You need to be my teacher. Wouldn't it be good if I took your class? Because your foundation is even more solid than mine. Many people live out their lives looking like a tragedy, but they still think they are great. Brothers and sisters, let's work hard, get our attitude right, and know that the rewards of gaining wisdom are extremely rich! People should seek wisdom! May glory be to our God!

May God bless everyone!