Do You Lack Wisdom?

By: Alan Riley


Of all the things that we might desire, the Bible clearly recommends one thing highly: wisdom.

An attempt to gain wisdom through a "short cut" was part of the reason for the original sin in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 3:6 says, "When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it."

The book of Proverbs was written by King Solomon, a man who God blessed with such wisdom that the whole world sought an audience with him to hear the wisdom that God put in his heart. (1 Kings 10:24). Virtually the entire book of Proverbs is a plea for us to embrace, to seek, and to ask God for wisdom.

Near the beginning of His earthly ministry, Jesus went to his hometown, and the people there were amazed at his miracles, yes, but also by the wisdom that God had given to Him. "Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?" (Matthew 13:54, NIV)

It's not that Jesus didn't have this wisdom as He was growing up - we know that even as a young boy, His wisdom and insight confounded the learned scholars in the Temple. I suspect that prior to the beginning of His ministry, Jesus quietly went about His work as a carpenter with His father, waiting for the time when all would know Who He was.

What is it about wisdom that makes it more desirable than silver or gold, more precious than any earthly possession? It is because with wisdom is the key to properly leveraging knowledge and experiences. During our lifetimes, we all have many experiences and we all learn things. Whether or not you apply those academic and life lessons to your present circumstances shows whether or not you possess wisdom.

Ever had someone about whom you said, "He's got a lot of book learning, but no common sense whatsoever"? That person lacked wisdom. They may have boundless amounts of knowledge stored in their brains, but without wisdom, they don't know how to apply that knowledge in a practical way to their daily lives.

A nutritionist who has a degree in knowing what they should eat, but who pigs out on junk food and weighs 400 pounds lacks wisdom. An oncologist who daily sees cancer ravage his patients yet smokes two packs of cigarettes a day lacks wisdom. A counselor who has versed in the principles of relationships, understands the importance of the family, and can give advice to others about their marriage, yet leaves his wife and kids for another woman lacks wisdom.

A person who is aware of their sinful condition, and understands the message of the Gospel, yet fails to give his or her life to Jesus Christ clearly lacks wisdom. Wisdom is that precious gift of insight and understanding from God that leads us to make wise choices in our lives. Samuel Taylor Coleridge said, "Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom."

Has your life been marked by poor choices?
Have you demonstrated time and time again that you do not have wisdom?

I have really good news for you. God is a God of second chances. Not to mention third and fourth and fifth...

If the Bible is true - and it is - and the words contained within it are reliable - and they are - then the beginning of wisdom for you is just a prayer away. James 1:5 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." It is never too late to begin walking in wisdom.

Scripture Of The Day: "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." - James 1:5 (NKJV)

Eliminate the Noise

Milan Ford

Does anyone remember the days when T.V. just went off? Although I'm not exactly sure when, I believe it used to happen right after midnight. You begged your parents to let you stay up just five more minutes to watch the end of that late-night movie, but then all of a sudden, there it was:

The waving American flag.
The Star-Spangled Banner.
That annoying mono-tone sound.
And then yes of course, those infamous color bars.

Ah, those were the days. For those you (like me) who tried staying up a little longer than you were supposed to, you may have discovered that nothing else came on till the morning. Throughout the night, all you would see were those color bars, accompanied with a dead silence.

My how things have changed.

With the emergence of cable television, XM radio stations, iPods, social media networks, and cellular phones that are admired more for their video and music playing ability, than their ability to effectively make or receive a call, it is nearly impossible for you and I to even imagine a world that silence can be effectively pursued. If even slightly appreciated.

Whether we may believe it or not, noise is now very much a part of our daily lives. Whether we are entering our homes, our cars, or even our churches, it is often the first thing we seek: Noise.

What is it about silence that we no longer appreciate? Why has it become so difficult for us to take just a few minutes out of our day...and pursue silence?

In 1 Kings 19:11-12v., God provides us with a great reason why silence may be something you and I (as believers) may no longer want to overlook:

Then He said, "Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord." And behold the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire...

...and after the fire a still small voice."

This passage of scripture is just amazing to me. Here we find God, who through an angel, provided a prophet by the name of Elijah, with some instructions as to where to meet Him. For those of you who may not be familiar with him, Elijah had had some pretty good on-the-job work experience on knowing how and where to find God in the past (see 1 Kings 17:2-4; 1 Kings 17:8-9; 1 Kings 18:36-38v).

Yet this time, God revealed himself to Elijah in a way he may have never expected. While standing on the mountain, God allowed a strong wind to pass by Elijah. But God, surprisingly, wasn't there.

Then God allowed Elijah to experience an earthquake. But God still wasn't there. God even allowed Elijah to witness a raging fire, and although God had used fire before with Elijah, God could not be found in the fire this time. And then it happened.

After the wind passed.
After the earthquake ceased.
And after the fire disappeared...there it was.
A still small voice.

It is amazing how many of us have difficulties spending time with God, yet fail to recognize one important element that remains absent throughout our pursuit of Him: Silence.

As believers, the noise we have surrounded our daily lives with is very much a distraction to achieving the type of intimacy and quality time with God that He so desires for us to have.

Time alone with God is imperative to our spiritual growth. And while I realize many of us already know this to be true, I wonder if you and I can consider something together on today:

Aside for the need of more silence and quality time with Him, are there any noises around you now that you simply can NO LONGER hear God speaking through?

Remember, fire was something Elijah had once found God in. But this time, He wasn't there.

Be sure to spend enough time alone with God to know when He has changed His methods of communication with you. This day, hunger after His voice.

Eliminate the noise.