"Therefore, O sons, listen to me, for blessed are those who keep my ways. Heed instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Blessed (Happy) is the man who listens to me (who listens carefully to what I have to say), watching daily at my gates..." (Prov. 8:32-34) The word 'blessed' in the word of God always means 'happy'. Wisdom has certain laws and if you follow those laws, you will really be happy. Why does this passage say "watching daily"? Because I cannot get all of God's wisdom in one lump sum. We can only acquire it daily. Jesus said in Matthew 6:34, sufficient unto one day is the evil that there is in one day. Every day we are going to encounter a certain quota of evil from people, from our circumstances, from the devil, and from the lusts in our flesh. And if I want to acquire wisdom, I have to take up the cross every day. Jesus said, "Let him deny himself and take up his cross daily," so that my daily quota of evil (instead of corrupting me and polluting me like it does the rest of humanity) turns into wisdom.

Do you know that diamonds are made from charcoal? It's the exact same substance as charcoal. It's carbon which has been put under the pressure of the earth for many centuries. The same substance which makes up charcoal also makes up a diamond. It's a question of converting that black, ugly charcoal into something that's precious and valuable. The parable there is that my daily quota of evil can be converted into God's wisdom and glory if I take up the cross daily. Happy is the man who listens and watches daily at Wisdom's gates, because wisdom can't be given to you all in one lump sum. Ephesians 5:15-16 speaks about wisdom: "Therefore, be careful how you walk, not as foolish men but as wise people, making the most of your time because every single day is evil." That's what it says here - every single day is evil. Therefore, make full use of this quota that comes to you each day. Don't miss one opportunity to die. If you miss one, you miss something of the glory of God. Take the quota that comes your way because God has determined it. He didn't determine it all of a sudden. The quota of evil that hit you today, although it may have been a surprise to you, it wasn't a surprise to God. That's the quota that was appointed to us before we were born so that we could acquire wisdom. 

There are very few who understand how to get wisdom because they don't understand the way of the cross. "Happy is the man who listens to me, who is watching daily at my gates, waiting at my doorposts." Just like an intern sitting outside the door of the managing director, waiting to hear. Be like that, waiting for wisdom each day. That should be our attitude right through the day: "Lord, give me wisdom today. That's all. I don't ask you to relieve me from suffering. I don't ask you to give me an easy way through life. Lord, give me wisdom. Help me to fulfill the plan you have purposed for me today."

How do you know God has blessed you? According to Prov. 8:35, it's when you have acquired God's wisdom. It's not when you got a promotion or a better job or anything of this earth. No. It's when you get wisdom. Then you have obtained favor from the Lord. When you have acquired God's patience, purity, peaceableness, and his willingness to yield, which are the qualities of wisdom (James 3:17).

In Proverbs 8:36 in the margin it says, "He who misses me injures himself." That means if you go through life and miss getting wisdom, then whatever we may have - even bible knowledge - we really wasted our life. We may have gotten a big job or were respectable members of some assembly, but we missed the main thing of life if we missed partaking of God's wisdom in our earthly course. If I've missed one day's portion of wisdom which God has appointed for me to acquire, I've lost it for eternity. I can never get it again. The wisdom that God wanted me to partake of yesterday, I cannot get it again. It's gone. God has appointed that I get a certain amount of wisdom each day, and if I don't get it, I've missed it. I've missed it for all eternity. I can get today's and I can get tomorrow’s, but I can't get yesterday's. God himself can't give it back to me. That's why it says we have to make the most of the time because the days are evil. Let me learn to convert that evil into wisdom every single day.