Ever since the Seattle Pilots became the Milwaukee Brewers in 1970, I have been a fan. There have been more non-playoff years than playoff years, and so now that the Brewers have become the first team this year to win their division and reach the playoffs again, I am very happy.

For those of you who follow such things, you may know that because of a Chicago Cubs loss on Wednesday afternoon, the Brewers became Central Division champs before they played a game on Wednesday night. Ellen and I went to the game, and even though they didn’t have to win, it was still obvious that the players wanted to win (which they did). But for the remaining games of the regular season, they will have to decide if they will go all out to win every game, or do they rest some players to get them ready for the postseason. What’s the wisest thing to do?

That’s a question that all of us often ask. But how do we know? We’re bombarded with so much data, information, and opinions that it sometimes seems nearly impossible to sift through. Solomon reminds us in Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” We begin by seeking the Lord’s guidance and wisdom, learned through the Holy Spirit working through the teaching of the Word. God’s wisdom does not always coincide with what the world around us considers wise. For instance, most people would look at God’s plan of salvation including the Son of God dying on a cross and think that makes no sense. But God’s ways are not our ways.

Fortunately, as we seek His wisdom, He willingly grants it. And as it is given, the Holy Spirit leads us to apply the knowledge God has given us through His Word in every aspect of our lives. As we talk about that this weekend in the message, we pray that the Holy Spirit would open our ears to hear and our hearts to receive that our lives may display the wisdom of God as we walk humbly before Him in love, peace, and joy.