Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.
	Proverbs 2:3-5
To know God and to understand Him requires a certain amount of effort and work. Solomon likens the process to a miner searching for gold, silver, and precious stones. If you dig in and get serious about your pursuit of wisdom, wisdom will be yours. But it doesn’t come easily. There’s a price to pay for wisdom: digging in the Word day after day. In 1 Timothy 5:17, we read that we are to labor in the Word. The Greek word Paul used for “labor” means “to work to the point of perspiration.” Why do we have to labor? Why do we have to mine for wisdom like gold? Because what I mine is mine. That is, what I learn through the grace of God as I dig in and wrestle with a text becomes His Word spoken to me personally. And what is mined stays in the mind. I never forget it. The story is told of a young man who came to Socrates and said, “Give me understanding, wisdom, and knowledge.” Socrates said one sentence: “Follow me.” As the young man followed the great philosopher, Socrates walked through the city until he came to the edge of the ocean. He walked out waist-deep in the ocean, grabbed the young man by the neck, and thrust him beneath the water. Finally, the young man fought his way up for some air and gasped, “Master, what are you doing?” Socrates said, “When you want knowledge and wisdom and understanding as badly as you wanted that breath of air, that’s when you begin the journey.” Solomon is saying the same thing. When you really want to dig in and commit yourself to that process, it will be yours. Labor in the Word, gang. Moisten this Book with the sweat of your brow. And God will meet you in that place and reward you greatly with hidden treasures, with real gems. jon courson