Proverbs 18:2 "A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.'
If there is something I need to get better about it's trying to gain an understanding of [insert worthwhile subject here] rather than just giving my thoughts and opinions about everything under the sun. I think we kind of have this way of just putting things out there without regard for where they are going and what they will ultimately mean to someone. This is especially true for the internet age where your opinion getting in front of the masses is just a few clicks away. In short order, we can all verify without a doubt that we are idiots without purpose or aim.
By our very nature, Jeremiah 17:9 (ie, the heart is desperately wicked) puts us behind the "flesh 8 ball" so to speak and in the Jeremiah context, it has the idea that this wickedness is "without cure". It touches on the theological concept of "total depravity". However when we further define "without cure" it has the idea that "within ourselves" we are without fail, in deep trouble. The kind of trouble that only Jesus Christ can deliver us from, and as odd as it might sound, that is exactly what we needed. If we could get from A to B without Jesus Christ most would just do that, and clearly most attempt to. Depending on what A is and what B is some will even seemingly get there. You can't get to heaven and abide with God if you do not have Jesus Christ (John 3:16). However you can successfully battle "understanding" without Jesus Christ. You have the ability to hide under the cloak of stupidity and foolishness for as long as you like. The worthwhile things though. The treasures we store up in heaven. Those require walking with Jesus Christ and one vital tool to come to a point of really grasping that is embracing a delight in understanding.
As you chase after wisdom you can gain understanding and then in turn have the things that come out of your mouth or from your keyboard impart that understanding to people without it (Psalm 119:130). Even the most "right" person out there most likely says a lot of dumb things on any given day. What we can do to battle that is to seek understanding rather than battling understanding itself.
Application - Even something as simple as being slow to anger or having a "cool spirit" demonstrates a great level of understanding. That in and of itself is a Godly way of handling things, but we don't want this pursuit of understanding to come out of thin air or even worse, be our own understanding. We want to lean on the Word of God for these concepts and ways of looking at things. If you are saying or doing something, you always want to ask yourself if God is in it. Can you go to scripture and back it up? Does what you are about to say or do hold value? In some cases like if you are a man like me and are super opinionated about movies, then there may be little ultimate value in that, but the application here has more to do with how we speak to others on a personal or socially declarative level.
Are we repeating the words of fools? Are we the fool? Or are we presenting a clear understanding with our words and actions? This is the struggle for the Christian in a world that can't shut up. In Christ, you have everything you need. Get comfortable with that, because the world has less and less to offer.
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