I’ll bet everyone reading this devotional can name at least one person who is intelligent but lacks common sense. Or to say it another way—they lack wisdom. “Intelligence” is very generally defined as the process of gathering information. We are ALL born with intelligence. However…
It’s what we do with “intelligence” that determines whether we are wise.
I’ll use a simple example. I went to law school and learned substantive law but…very little practical knowledge about what to do with it. After law school, I hung out my shingle without having ever practiced law. [Some said this was a crazy move—but I was too ignorant to understand why.] When one of my first clients retained me, I had no idea how to use the substantive law I had learned in order to produce the result my client wanted. What would I file? How would I file it? What happens next? I knew the law, but I didn’t know how to make it useful. So what did I do? I asked for help and split the fee with an experienced attorney who could help me.
The Bible says:
“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
God wants to give us wisdom. He has given us the tools to gather intelligence…eyes, ears, a brain, etc. However, intelligence can be used in many ways that are not wise or wonderful. It can be used to kill, to steal, to destroy. It can even be wasted. Or—it can produce wisdom which leads to glorious and eternal accomplishments.
If we want to be wise, we must be humble enough to ask for help. This is true with human relationships and it’s especially true—with God. No one knows more about EVERYTHING than God does! When we love God, we desire His presence so much that we gladly forfeit our pride to keep Him close. We desire HIM in all areas of our lives.
The secret and hidden wisdom of God is imparted to those who love Him.
“We speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.”
I Corinthians 2:6-11
When our heart is humble, God turns our knowledge into wisdom.
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