Wisdom vs. Knowledge

9/20/2011

Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.


Bible Verse of the Day: Proverbs 3:13-14 " Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding. For she is more profitable than silver, and yields better returns than gold."

We live in a world today where information is more readily available than at any other time in human history. The internet has opened the floodgates for us to gain knowledge quickly on almost any subject that we desire. One trip to Google and we can analyze. conceptualize,theorize, discuss and debate everything from science to the supernatural. Knowledge is good, but the Bible helps us to understand that there is a vast difference between knowledge ( having the facts ) and wisdom (applying those facts to life ). We may amass knowledge, but without wisdom our knowledge is useless. We must learn how to live out what we know. King Solomon was considered the wisest man who ever lived, and in the Book of Proverbs he laid out the importance of seeking and applying wisdom in our lives. In fact, he stated that gaining wisdom is not a suggestion, but a command. Proverbs 4:5 says " Get wisdom, get understanding. Do not forget my words or swerve from them." He continued in Proverbs 4:7 " Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it costs you every thing you have, get understanding." I am not the sharpest butter knife in the drawer, but he sure doesn't seem to be mincing his words or leaving a lot of gray area about how important this is in his eyes. So the natural question I ask is why is he so adamant about this topic of seeking and gaining wisdom and how can it practically apply to our lives? I believe that Solomon gives us the answers as we read through the Proverbs. If I was asked to summarize the benefits of wisdom in biblical terms it would be that it draws us closer to God, as He is the author of all wisdom. It helps us see things from a Godly perspective rather than a worldly perspective. In Proverbs 2:6 he says, " For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding." There are moral, physical and financial benefits to wisdom. It can guard our hearts from knowing painful remorse and allow our heads to rest comfortably on our pillows at night, free from the guilt of ill gotten treasures. Wisdom gives us warnings against certain snares the world sets for us, such as enticement and folly, that can lead to harmful consequences in our lives. So God's wisdom is really crucial to seek and apply in our lives because it provides a road map to " trust in the Lord with all your hearts an lean not on our own understanding; and in all our ways to acknowledge him and he will make our paths straight," as it says in Proverbs 3:5-6.

Solomon often compares wisdom's superiority to material things such as silver, gold and rubies. In today's Bible verse of the day he says that wisdom " is more profitable than silver, and yields better returns than gold." I find this practical and useful to keep in mind in today's world, where silver and gold are two of the hottest investment vehicles in the marketplace. Their prices are skyrocketing . The ironic thing is that what causes gold to do well is when there is a lot of fear present in the marketplace and people view it as a "safe haven investment" in times of turmoil. But there is no truer safe haven investment than in seeking God's wisdom. Wisdom can serve as our protector. It can help us make clear decisions when we come to forks in the road. It can alleviate our fear. There are many things to make us fearful in today's world. All we have to do is turn on the news or read the paper and it seems as if the world is spinning completely out of control. There is a global recession, ( or depression depending on who you ask ) there are wars and rumors of wars all over the earth, there is tension and gridlock in the world's political spectrum, social unrest and the list goes on and on. But in God's wisdom, there is comfort and peace and prosperity. God promises us that He is not some cosmic cloud, unable to communicate with us or to relate to human hearts and minds. He promises he is there for us, " I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me." Proverbs 8:17. He promises us that if we follow his wisdom, and try our best to live according to His will, that His blessings will follow us, " I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice, bestowing wealth on those who love me and making their treasuries full." Proverbs 8:21-22. "For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord." Proverbs 8:35. It is a very comforting thing to know that if we seek God's wisdom, we can find it, implement it in our lives and benefit from His guidance. As the scales begin to fall from our eyes and we begin to see things from God's perspective, our fears can be minimized and we can instead focus on being "filled with delight day after day rejoicing always in His presence." Proverbs 8:30