Getting and Keeping Wisdom: A Treasure Retained in the Heart

He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul.—On getting and keeping wisdom: The way of obtaining this wisdom is to be sensible of our need of it; to trust in Him to whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge belong, for the communication of it; and to be diligent in the use of the means which He hath appointed, and will bless, for conveying it to us. We must not only get, but keep, this precious treasure, retaining it in our hearts, showing it forth in all our behaviour, and refusing to part with it on any account. The man who truly acquires wisdom demonstrates love for his own soul—not through selfish indulgence, but through the pursuit of what endures. George Lawson, D.D., reminds us that wisdom is not a passive acquisition but an active stewardship. The Almighty, the source of all sophia (wisdom), opens His treasury to those who recognize their spiritual poverty. Yet possession alone suffices not. The keeper of wisdom must guard it jealously, embedding it within the heart's core, manifesting it through every action and word. Such vigilance against worldly compromise becomes the truest self-love—investing one's eternal nature in the imperishable rather than the corruptible. This dual movement—earnest seeking and faithful keeping—marks the soul that loves itself according to Elohim's design.