We all have options.

When it comes to the question of what is the wise thing to do, you obviously don’t have to ask it. And even if you do, you don’t have to do the wise thing. But before you opt out on wisdom, you need to know what you are inadvertently opting into.

If you turn your back on wisdom, you are turning toward something else. You owe it to yourself to know what the options are.

King Solomon tells us there are four kinds of people. We all fit into one of the four categories that he mentions in Proverbs. Our choices are simple. First, Solomon tells us there are the “simple.”

The reason they are simple is not because they are anti-wisdom. They are just too young to know any better. They may be naïve or even clueless. But it’s not their fault. They just lack experience.

Then Solomon talks about the “fool.” The difference between the simple person and the foolish person is that the fool knows the difference between right and wrong, but he just doesn’t care and chooses to do the wrong thing anyway.

He may even know the consequences of doing wrong, but he doesn’t care.

The cure for the simple person is time, maturity and growth. The cure for the fool is tragedy. A fool has to learn the hard way. You can’t teach a fool. He thinks he already has everything figured out on his own. Fools typically don’t just hurt themselves. Eventually, they will hurt others, and it is usually the people closest to them. Their foolishness has blinded them to their selfishness (see Proverbs 13:20).

Solomon then talks about the “mocker,” who is like the fool on steroids. Like the fool, they know the difference between right and wrong, but he just doesn’t care, either. But they take it to the next level. Not only does he not care, he is the one who is going to scoff and make fun of those who do care. He will ridicule those who do what is right.

Finally, there are the “wise.” The wise seek understanding. The wise know they don’t know, and they are willing to listen to people who do know. The wise are open to growth because they are learning, they want to get better and they want to be more and more like Jesus Christ.

Which one are you? The simple? The fool? The mocker? The wise? Wisdom is calling out to you. How will you respond? (See Proverbs 1:20-33 and James 1:5)

You can read Steve Greene’s blog at pastorgreene.wordpress.com or you can email him at [email protected].