by Eric Holter on March 5, 2006
“…that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument.” Colossians 2:2b-4
The world goes after gold. But the gold a Christian seeks is the wisdom and knowledge of God. I should go hard after such wisdom. Sadly, it is the tendency of my flesh to undervalue the wisdom and knowledge of God, and overvalue things that are easier to be had. No wonder the book which is so chock-full of wisdom begins with repeated exhortations to heed wisdom’s call and resist the tendency toward naiveté and simplicity. Neglect and complacency are the enemies of wisdom and understanding. To take my ease and be satisfied with my current understanding is a death knell for my soul. Rather I am called to a pursuit, a search, a quest for the wisdom and knowledge of God. To give up on this hunt is to heed the call of fools, which ends up in destruction. But to pursue wisdom and explore out its depths is to inherit treasures far beyond any earthly find.
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by Eric Holter on February 20, 2005
I enjoy reading. I especially love books that unleash my imagination and inspire ideas. The puritan Richard Baxter once wrote: “It is not the reading of many books which is necessary to make one wise, but the well-reading of a few, could they be sure to have the best.” Books like Selling the Invisible by Harry Beckwith make my list of the few best business books that should be read often, and read well. But I reviewed that book in a previous newsletter. This month I’m reaching way back. While the books being reviewed in this newsletter are certainly available at your local Barnes and Noble or Borders, you won’t find them in the business section. You’ll have to head over to the religion aisle for these – they are the book of Proverbs and the book of Ecclesiastes.
The first chapter of Ecclesiastes states that “there is nothing new under the sun.” I read business and marketing books for new ideas and perspectives, but while new ways of looking at business realities can be helpful, the realities themselves are always the same. This fundamental truth is reinforced for me when I discover great business wisdom contained in these ancient books. The insights in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes top anything I’ve ever read off the business best seller lists.
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by Eric Holter on February 10, 2005
“My son, eat honey, for it is good,
Yes, the honey from the comb is sweet to your taste;
Know that wisdom is thus for your soul;
If you find it, then there will be a future,
And your hope will not be cut off.”
Proverbs 24:13
This year my wife discovered and introduced me to at a terrific show on the Food Network called “Good Eats” It’s a cooking show. It’s informative and instructional like other cooking shows but it is so much better because its host, Alton Brown, provides extremely interesting historical and scientific information about the process of cooking. On top of that, the show is very entertaining, fun, silly, and captivating.
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by Eric Holter on January 5, 2005
“A sated man loathes honey,
But to a famished man any bitter thing is sweet.”
Proverbs 27:7
Proverbs 16:16 declares, “How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver.” If getting wisdom is better than getting gold, I can rejoice when God gives me hunger. Anyone who is hungry longs to eat and dreams of abundance. I think the desire for abundance is built into being human. Sometimes God actually give us abundance, but usually more hunger comes along with it. In this sense I am always going to be in a state of hunger. This is okay, because the abundance God intendeds for me, is with Him in heaven.
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by Eric Holter on December 5, 2004
“‘A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?’ says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name. But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’”
Malachi 1:6
O Lord, how easy it is for me to sin and dishonor you, despising your name. Thank you for this warning from Malachi. It reveals how my heart tends toward despising your name. Help me to take heed and remember the two tendencies that quantify what it means to despise your name. Help me to hold onto this knowledge, because just as the priests asked incredulously “how have we despised your name?” I fear that I may also be blind not realizing when my heart drifts and I begin to despise you, my wondrous and awesome God.
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by Eric Holter on November 5, 2004
“For the waywardness of the naive shall kill them,
And the complacency of fools shall destroy them.”
Proverbs 1:32
Why should I pursue the knowledge of God? Why should I listen carefully to the instruction of the Lord? Why should I wrestle with proverbs and the riddles of wisdom? Because I will die if I don’t.
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