Wisdom

What is wisdom? It might be reading the directions before you assemble that entertainment center or that new bicycle. It might also be asking directions when you discover that you are lost. It might also be when you realize that you should keep your mouth closed in a certain conversation. Wisdom is more than being smart. You can find people who are very smart who are not very wise. There are probably a lot of people who are smart but lacking in wisdom, who often find themselves in trouble. God speaks about wisdom many times in the Scripture but one of the most famous verses is found in the following verse. James 1:5 says, "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."

God reminds us that true wisdom is that which is going to come from Him. Wisdom will be that which follows Scriptural principles. It is also involved in the working out of those principles in your daily life. This means that the Scriptures will be practical to you. They will not just contain a lot of maxims that are stored away in your memory bank. They will be principles by which you can live your life. So, have you prayed to God for wisdom? If you have, you will soon find that He will give you many opportunities in which to practice the wisdom that He is giving you. You will find that your life will be criss crossed with other people. As these people get involved in your life, you will have opportunities to exercise your wisdom. There will be times in which you should speak and there will be times where you should keep silent. There will be times when you need to do nothing more than to listen, to console, to comfort, to pray. There will be other times when you will need to offer advice. The wisdom comes in knowing when you should take this or that course of action. Just remember that praying for wisdom will not make it work out in your life. You pray for it and God gives it to you, but you must work it out. You must choose when to do this or that. When Jesus worked with Nicodemus in John 3 and the Woman at the well in John 4, He worked with them in different ways. It is a good example of wisdom. One man wrote the following words,

"God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference."

Praise God for supplying you with the wisdom you need in this life.