Called To Be Wise

 James 1:5

5 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.


One day when I was younger, actually not that young, I was in my twenties, my father asked me if I knew the difference between knowledge and wisdom.  I must confess, I was at a loss of words.  I gave a definition but it was messed up and contradictory.  My dad taught me a valuable lesson then that I have found out in my life is not taught much today.


My dad used a saying that he still uses today.  “Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit.  Wisdom is not putting it in fruit salad.”  


Knowledge is when we know the facts.  Wisdom is practically applying the knowledge that we have.  God seeks for us to be wise.  So much so that basically the whole book of Proverbs is an instruction book on wisdom.   We have the knowledge we need.  We have the Bible to help guide us and we have the Holy Spirit to instruct us on what we should or should not do.  Wisdom though is the application of those things.  


When asked why they don’t share the gospel more, many Christians will say that they do not know enough about the Bible to share.  The truth of the matter is that they do know.  They knew enough to bow the knee to Jesus Christ and place their faith and hope in Him as the Savior of the world.  That’s all the knowledge you will ever need.  The wisdom you should seek is how to apply that knowledge on a daily basis.  


James 1:5, our theme verse today gives us a great promise from God.  If we lack wisdom, we simply need to ask God for it and He will give it to us.  


Now, God may give us wisdom in many different ways.  God may give us wisdom though His Word.  God may give us wisdom through the advice of a trusted friend.  God may even give us wisdom by going through a tough time in our life.  If we ask for wisdom from God we must trust that He will give it to us and He will give it to us the best way that He chooses.  The next time that you are going through a tough time in your life, ask yourself, “What is God teaching me through this?”


Job 12:12 speaks to this.  


Job 12:12

12 Wisdom is with aged men, And with length of days, understanding.


The book of Job attests that life itself will give us understanding.  The experiences we have in our life will teach us valuable lessons.  That’s why it is so important that we as Christians share our life experiences with each other.  We are not meant to be solitary creatures but we should be sharing our experiences with each other so that we can grow in wisdom from these experiences.


Ephesians 5:15-16 (HCSB)

15 Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise— 16 making the most of the time, because the days are evil.


We are called directly here in Ephesians to be wise because our time here on Earth is very limited and God seeks for us to make the most of it.


What are some wise ways to spend this life?  Sharing Jesus with those we love.  Worshipping God with those we love.  Enjoying the time with our family and friends.  As the latin saying is, “Carpe Diem”, seize the day.


If you want to search more for what the Bible says about wisdom, you must simply read the book of Proverbs.


Let me give you my own piece of wisdom….


October is tomorrow.  Read one chapter of Proverbs for each day in October.  In fact, we will change our devotional theme for October to that book alone.  There are 31 chapters so in 31 days we will have completed the wisdom instruction that we read in the book of Proverbs.  


I pray that you will enjoy our time on this journey.

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