Among the lessons that I have learned in life is to be careful about loaning my possessions to others—especially books and tools.  And by personal experience, I can add one more thing to that list:  videos.

Gale and I have a small collection of old television shows on DVD.  Among them is The Andy Griffith Show, a program I remember from my earliest days.  It always grabbed my attention when I saw Andy and Opie headed off with their fishing poles as the theme song was whistled in the background.  (For those of you who are familiar with that old program, the theme song might be becoming stuck in your head right now.)

One episode that I am particularly fond of is about Andy’s friend, Gomer Pyle, joining the marines and leaving his hometown of Mayberry to enter a world that was totally unfamiliar to him.  Without saying more, it is hilarious and I have watched it many times and have laughed every time. 

It was that favorite video that I loaned to a trusted friend who enjoys a good clean show as much as I do.  As I expected, in a few days he brought the video case back to the office and we discussed how hilarious the show was.  I put it with my belongings, then when I got home I took it out to put it away for future viewing, but before I did, I opened the case to check the contents.  To my dismay, there were no contents—the case was empty, the video wasn’t there.  When I told my friend about the absence of the movie, he searched for it.  But alas, the search came up empty.

As he continued to search for it, I expected that it would turn up eventually.  It was no big deal if it was not found, but through his persistent search he found it and returned it to me in good working order.  What a reminder that the things that we want to find are worth the effort to search for them!

In the Book of Proverbs, as the writer is expounding upon the value of Godly wisdom and knowledge, he provides guidance for us as he pens:  “And if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God” (Proverbs 2:4-5, New International Version).  I think one scholar was correct when he stated that “the core message of the book of Proverbs is this: “Do things God’s way, and you’ll be more successful in every sphere of life.  Ignore divine wisdom, and you will fail.””

Indeed, Godly wisdom is worth searching for as we dig into God’s Word for it and take time to allow the Spirit of God to speak to our hearts.

There is a reality show that I used to watch that was about people searching for gold in Alaska.  Their search was complex, costly, and dangerous.  After moving and processing multiplied tons of earth, the amount of gold extracted was only a minute amount.  Yet it was valuable enough to make all the effort and investment worth it to them.  Digging for Godly wisdom is worth far more than any hidden treasure; it is worth searching for, finding, and putting into practice daily. 

The knowledge of the ways of God is at its greatest value when it is put into practice.  One writer commented that “Wisdom occurs when knowledge produces obedience.” 

Search diligently for Godly wisdom, put it into practice, and then you will discover that it is worth far more than silver or gold.