The man who knows right from wrong and has good judgment and common sense is happier than the man who is immensely rich! For such wisdom is far more valuable than precious jewels. Nothing else compares with it. Wisdom gives: a long, good life, riches, honor, pleasure, peace. Wisdom is a tree of life to those who eat her fruit; happy is the man who keeps on eating it. [Proverbs 3:13-18 (TLB)]
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad. [Miles Kington]
I know a lot of knowledgeable people, educated and erudite, some of whom may even be MENSA members. I also know several wise people, many of whom are neither learned nor especially well-read. While they might never come close to passing MENSA’s membership requirements, I would much prefer their wise advice to that of someone who is merely book smart or scholarly.
Solomon, when asked by God what he wanted, recognized his own inadequacy and asked God for wisdom. Recently, our pastor asked us what we’d want if God gave us a similar offer. Since we were at Bible study, we knew the right answer and promptly responded “wisdom.” In actuality, however, given the opportunity, wisdom probably wouldn’t be our first response. More often than not, we would request something like riches, health, success or happiness.
When Solomon asked for wisdom, God gave him that along with riches, fame, and a long life. While there were no caveats with the first three gifts, there was with the fourth—to get that long life, Solomon had to remain obedient to the Lord. As Solomon’s actions proved, all the wisdom in the world is meaningless unless one uses it. Unfortunately, through the years, the wise king started to depend on his own knowledge rather than God’s wisdom; as a result, he never got those extra years God had promised.
Fortunately, if we want wisdom, we don’t have to wait for God to make us an offer like Solomon’s. He’s already given it to us. The Apostle James assures us that, if we need wisdom, all we need to do is ask and God will generously give it to us! Just as there was for Solomon, however, there is a condition to this offer. When we ask God for wisdom, we must believe in Him and trust that His way is best. We’d better be planning on being obedient to His direction and committed to what He says. His wisdom is not to be weighed as we might the advice of a friend or consultant nor is it to be considered in light of our personal preferences. When we ask, we must believe that God will answer and be willing to accept His answer unconditionally. Although Solomon’s wisdom came with riches and fame, we shouldn’t expect to get such an extravagant bonus with God’s gift of wisdom to us. Then again, maybe we will. After all, regardless of the amount, a truly wise man is more than satisfied with all the riches, fame and years with which he is blessed.
Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom. [Charles Spurgeon]
And if, in the process, any of you does not know how to meet any particular problem he has only to ask God—who gives generously to all men without making them feel foolish or guilty—and he may be quite sure that the necessary wisdom will be given him. But he must ask in sincere faith without secret doubts as to whether he really wants God’s help or not. The man who trusts God, but with inward reservations, is like a wave of the sea, carried forward by the wind one moment and driven back the next. That sort of man cannot hope to receive anything from God, and the life of a man of divided loyalty will reveal instability at every turn. [James 1:5-8 (MSG)]
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I admit to having left some church services feeling like I just “mailed it in” and that’s not the way to worship our wonderful glorious God. It’s been said that familiarity breeds contempt. In the case of familiar gospels, epistles, songs and liturgy, while familiarity may not breed contempt it may breed boredom. We’ve listened to the Benediction, Consecration or Absolution so often that we don’t even hear them and we’ve said the Lord’s Prayer, recited the Apostle’s Creed, or sung certain hymns so many times that the words exit our mouths without needing to pass through our hearts or minds.
Like many, I mistook the phrase, “just deserts” for “just desserts.” The phrase comes from a now obsolete meaning of the word “desert” which was something deserved or merited. However we spell or say it, we tend to take a certain amount of pleasure when our enemies, adversaries, and those people who manage to make our lives difficult or downright miserable get what they deserve. “Poetic justice,” we say while watching them reap the consequences of their actions. Bad attitudes, excess drama, inappropriate behavior, substandard performance, selfishness, pettiness, laziness and insubordination all have a way of catching up with people. It’s hard to have any sympathy for them when they end up in a world of hurt of their own making. Jesus doesn’t tell us we have to be sympathetic but He does say we have to love and pray for them! We don’t have to allow their poison to seep into our lives, make excuses for them, enable them, tolerate horrible behavior, or become embroiled in their drama, but we do have to love and pray!
My doorbell rang and, by the time I got to the door the FedEx man was walking away, having left a large box on the porch. As he backed out of the driveway, I shouted a thanks and brought in my latest order from Amazon.
I have a small wooden box on my desk—my “God box.” It’s where I literally give my concerns to God; right now there are three items in it. The first is a photograph of a little girl. It is my grand, a sweet child with three congenital heart defects—none of which is going to disappear and all of which promise more trouble in the future. She also has learning issues—none of which will dissipate and all of which will cause more difficulty as she progresses into higher grades. The second item is a medallion from a sobriety program. It represents several people I love who have battled alcoholism or addiction—a battle they will continue to fight daily for the rest of their lives. The third item is a laminated card on which is written Reinhold Niebuhr’s Serenity Prayer. That one is for me.
Walking through the farmer’s market in a nearby town, I was surprised to look over and see a bright red banner saying “Prayer Station.” Curious, I walked over and introduced myself. Manning the station were two members of a small local church. People are there every Saturday morning, summer and winter, fair weather or foul, giving friendly greetings to passers-by. If someone stops, they offer a listening ear and prayers, if so desired. Prayer stations like theirs actually started in 2001 when Youth with a Mission (YWAM) established them around New York City following the September 11th attacks.
Devotions of the Heart 