If
any of you lack wisdom, let
him
ask of God, that giveth to all men
liberally,
and upbraideth not; and it
shall
be given him.
James
1:5
In
my younger years, I often looked at people with gray hair and
wrinkles viewing them as being very wise. Surely their long years of
life contributed to their great knowledge. I think we look at people
who have worked hard in the education arena, who have come out with a
master's degree or even a PhD as being the wisest of men and women.
However, the older I get, the more I recognize that people who are
highly educated or who appear to be very intelligent, may have very
little in the way of wisdom. We live in a day when wisdom is direly
needed.
There
is wisdom as the world sees wisdom that amounts to experience of
life, general knowledge or even common horse sense. Doctors not only
have great knowledge in their field but have an added discretion in
how to apply that medical knowledge for patients and their various
conditions. Just because a person is a teacher does not mean she has
wisdom as God views wisdom. No one is elevated to the status of wise
in our day like those who hold public office. I am constantly amazed
as I see politicians interviewed on TV. Whether on the local, state
or national level, many speak with great pomp as if wise beyond all
others. They may have a certain level of the worlds knowledge but at
times, I have to wonder even about that.
Some
of the most intelligent people in the world would find their kind of
wisdom in the following statements:
- Forgive a person only if they apologize to you.
- Love a person only if they love you.
- Take care of #1...self
- God won't send a good person to Hell
- Sometimes you have to do wrong in order to do right
- The older I get, the wiser I become
- Bad things just don't happen to good people
- Someone hurts me, I will hurt them back
- Wealthy people are the wisest, not people in need
All
of the above can be refuted by looking up information from the Word
of God. The world has it's own guidelines regarding wisdom.
The
real, godly, spiritual wisdom you and I must be concerned about is
the wisdom spoken of in Scripture. This wisdom is not based on the
things and achievements of this earth. This wisdom is of God. It is
the wisdom whereby we learn to appropriate knowledge and apply
spiritual emphasis to that knowledge. In every area of our
knowledge, we must apply the things of God. That's the only wisdom
that counts. There is not an area of our lives exempt from the
application of wisdom. Whether it is one's marriage, child rearing,
career, serving God in various ways and even in more areas, wisdom is
so necessary.
So
how do you and I get this wisdom?
- Spiritual wisdom is made available to the born again Christian. It is not available to an unsaved person. Proverbs 1:7 states: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” The unsaved person has no fear of the Lord, thus no wisdom as God would define wisdom.
- Spiritual wisdom is extended to each Christian by and through the Holy Spirit. The majority of our wisdom comes from the Scriptures. It is the Holy Spirit Who teaches us and interprets for us the Word of God.
- Placing God first place in one's life is a prerequisite for receiving God's wisdom.
- Walking in obedience to God makes one wise.
- Being a student of God's word makes a Christian wise.
- Ask God for it. We don't just need wisdom for major decisions but we need it in the ordinary times of life, in all of the little things.
One
of the great examples of one seeking wisdom was King Solomon. God
spoke to him in a dream at the beginning of his reign and gave
Solomon a choice. God told Solomon that he could have anything he
wanted. Every time I read this story, I wonder if God came to me
with the same offer, and really caught me off guard, how would I
reply? Solomon's answer was a surprise I think even to the most
casual reader. Solomon's answer was one word...wisdom.
One
can almost feel God's enthusiasm and pleasure with Solomons answer.
Solomon could have asked for long life, victory in battle, all the
riches his heart could desire but asked for wisdom. Unfortunately in
later years, Solomon didn't draw on that wisdom as he should and
could have but God was pleased in those beginning days. He not only
gave Solomon unlimited wisdom but added all of those other things
that were probably Solomon's desire. In Solomon's latter years, he
looked back as he wrote the book of Ecclesiastes regarding the folly
of having anything he ever wanted. His life didn't go in the
direction he had thought it would. Although bestowed with the
greatest of wisdom, he certainly didn't make the best use of it.
Having all those wives is a testimony to his not appropriating wisely
the wisdom he had been given.
This
wisdom we should desire is not something we use in showing others
what great Christians we are. God's wisdom should be very humbling
that we use “wisely” to be of benefit in our lives and the lives
of others. It must be used in a way that brings honor and glory to
the One who is all knowing, the Source of all wisdom.
Dear
Father...keep me wise as I deal with the every day things of life. I
want Your wisdom, not the wisdom the world has to offer. I also want
Your wisdom so that You will receive all honor and glory. When You
bless me with Your wisdom, may I use it as I ought. I thank You as
well for Your love in my life. Amen
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