Ecclesiastes 7:10–12 (NKJV)
Do not say,
“Why were the former days better than these?”
For you do not inquire wisely concerning this.
Wisdom is good with an inheritance,
And profitable to those who see the sun.
For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense,
But the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it.
 
Sometimes we catch ourselves saying, “Things were so much better back in the day.” But Ecclesiastes reminds us—don’t long for the good old days. There’s a reason you’re in this season of your life, and God can still use you no matter what that reason may be.

It may seem like you’ve taken two steps forward and five steps back, but God never moves backward—He always moves forward. Every experience, every dollar earned or lost, every bit of wisdom you’ve gained—it all adds up to purpose.

Money might open doors, but wisdom will keep you from walking through the wrong one or sowing (giving) in the wrong place. Proverbs 16:16 tells us that wisdom is better than gold. Let that sink in for a minute!

I’ve actually thought before, If I just had enough money, that would fix everything! But that couldn’t be further from the truth. God gave King Solomon “very great wisdom and understanding, and knowledge as vast as the sands of the seashore!” (1 Kings 4:29 NLT). He was the wisest and richest man who ever lived—all because he simply asked God for wisdom. King Solomon was more concerned about the wisdom to judge righteously than about riches and luxury.

Wouldn’t you love to sit with the wisest and richest man of all time and glean from him? People brought him great gifts—exotic animals, fine oils, gold, silver, and much more—just to pull on his wisdom. Yet today, we can simply open our Bibles and read King Solomon’s instruction.

In the book of Proverbs, Solomon wrote: “Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7 NKJV).

That might lead you to ask, “How do I get wisdom?” Can you guess who’s ready to walk you through those steps? The same One who gave wisdom to King Solomon!

James 1:5–8 (TPT) says:
“And if anyone longs to be wise, ask God for wisdom and He will give it! He won’t see your lack of wisdom as an opportunity to scold you over your failures, but He will overwhelm your failures with His generous grace. Just make sure you ask empowered by confident faith without doubting that you will receive. For the ambivalent person believes one minute and doubts the next. Being undecided makes you become like the rough seas driven and tossed by the wind. You’re up one minute and tossed down the next. When you are half-hearted and wavering, it leaves you unstable. Can you really expect to receive anything from the Lord when you’re in that condition?”

Maybe you’ve messed up, been tossed up, and wound up belly up—but it’s not over for you. You see, wisdom doesn’t just guide your decisions—it guards your resources. Money alone can buy you an opportunity, but wisdom shows you where and when to sow.

Wisdom turns giving into kingdom investment, not loss. And when God’s wisdom outweighs your wallet, you’ll find that every seed sown in faith grows into something money could never buy.