The Way of Wisdom
- Apr 23, 2024
- 2 min read
"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
I have an overly simplified definition of wisdom, but it works for me:
Wisdom is knowing and doing what's best.
The question is: what is best? How can we know what is best? The truth is, each one of us has a limited perspective, and--if we're totally honest--selfish motives. Wisdom is NOT just doing what's best for yourself and hoping you don't hurt anyone in the process. Wisdom is doing what is ultimately best for everyone, including God, including others, and including yourself.
In order to be wise, we need to know and trust God more than we need to know everything.
Imagine a 4 or 5 year old child who wants to make his own decisions, but his parents know he's not ready. He doesn't know enough to understand what is best. Sometimes his parents might just tell him to obey, "because I said so." That's not because they don't want him to know, but because they know he's not ready to learn everything all at once.
Matthew 18:1-5 (NIV) "At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, 'Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: 'Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.'"
I love how GotQuestions.org explains this: "Emulating the faith of children, we should simply take God at His Word." (https://www.gotquestions.org/childlike-faith.html)
May you walk in wisdom this week.
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