WISDOM FOR ALL AGES

KNOWLEDGE is sometimes proud that it knows so much, while WISDOM is humble in the realization that it knows so little.

James 1:5 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.

KEY STATEMENT:  With spiritual wisdom we are able to walk through life’s difficulties with confidence and peace because we are able to view our problems from God’s point of view.

Wisdom is the ability to see God’s hand in human circumstances and to apply divine judgement to earthly situations.

KNOWLEDGE is the apprehension of truth in one’s mind, but WISDOM is the application of truth to one’s life.

TRUE WISDOM IS FROM GOD

Do you consider yourself a person of wisdom or one who acts unwisely?  The answer is determined, not by the opinion of others, but by what God’s Word tells us about wisdom.  All true wisdom comes from God.  From His Word we learn that God’s wisdom is the perfect understanding of all things.  He always acts in light of all the facts and in light of divine values.

God has access to all the facts.  His judgments are made wisely, and He never has to revise His estimation because of additional information.  He sees all things in their proper perspective. Therefore, He does not give anything a higher or lower value than it ought to have.

WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE

Some people may imagine that wisdom and knowledge are the same thing.  The Bible clearly distinguishes between the two, although they are sometimes linked together:

Job 28:12  But where shall wisdom be found? and where [is] the place of understanding?

Proverbs 4:5  Get wisdom, get understanding: forget [it] not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.

Proverbs 23:23  Buy the truth, and sell [it] not; [also] wisdom, and instruction, and understanding. ‘

BUT WISDOM IS ALWAYS MENTIONED FIRST!!!

KNOWLEDGE is information that may sometimes leave God out of the situation.  WISDOM is the insight that puts God in the center of all things.  It is possible to have knowledge without wisdom. Knowledge centers merely on the activity of the mind, while wisdom is right thinking resulting from a right attitude of mind and heart.

Knowledge is achieved by study, wisdom by meditation on what we have studied.  Great men are not always wise.  Knowledge is sometimes proud that it knows so much, while wisdom is humble in the realization that it knows so little.

PURSUE WISDOM

Because we all need wisdom, the pursuit of it should be one of the highest priorities of our lives.  Human reason is deficient because we cannot know all the facts as God does, nor do we know the will of God apart from spiritual wisdom.  What may appear to be right from the standpoint of human reason may not be right at all.

We need spiritual wisdom when:

       Considering our life’s vocation

       Making financial decisions

       Considering marriage

       Educating our children

       Fulfilling our political responsibilities

       Uniting with a church

A person who is spiritually wise is able to see what the physical eye cannot see and hear what the physical ear cannot hear.  Many think they are wise until circumstances arise that test their wisdom.  With spiritual wisdom we are able to walk through life’s difficulties with confidence and peace because we are able to view our problems from God’s point of view.  With His wisdom as our guide, we can face life’s most trying moments and know that He is working all things out for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28).

The Bible is clear as to the source of all true wisdom.  James says that God will give us wisdom if we ask Him for it.  The psalmist tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 11:10).  Fear or reverence for God is an acknowledgment of our dependence upon Him and recognition of His sovereign position as Lord of all life.

WHAT CHARACTERIZES GOD’S WISDOM?

How can we know when we have the wisdom of God?  We are told in James 3:17 that this wisdom is “pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy”.  If our wisdom has these qualities, then we know we have God’s wisdom.   If these are missing, then we are lacking true wisdom from God.

QUICK NOTE ON CHARACTER

God is more concerned about our Character than our Comfort. His goal is not to pamper us physically but to perfect us spiritually.

CHARACTER is the belief in an absolute system of right and wrong. Combined with the will to do what is right regardless of the cost. Attitude is a Composite of Our Habits: “Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, REAP A DESTINY.”

Never forget that Comfort is the feeling of any given moment; Character is for Eternity!

GET WISDOM

Ecclesiastes 7:19  Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty [men] which are in the city.

Isaiah 33:6  And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, [and] strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD [is] his treasure.

KNOWLEDGE is sometimes proud that it knows so much, while WISDOM is humble in the realization that it knows so little.

God speaks personally through the Bible, giving us access to His very heart and mind.

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

Psalms 19:14

Proverbs 3:5-6  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Words of Life, Words of Delight