I am a person who has finished a bachelor’s degree. My wife has her master’s degree. Does that make any of us smarter than the person who only has a high school diploma? Could be. Does that mean we have more wisdom? No, she does not. I have seen many people in this world who have a lot of book knowledge, but very little wisdom. We are in a world where the higher your title, the more people you can give advice to. You qualified because you spent years in the classroom and got a part.
When we graduate, we sometimes have big heads and become wise in our own eyes. We must understand what wisdom really is. Wisdom is having good judgment, deep understanding, and insight. Wisdom takes the experiences of life and incorporates them into the knowledge we have gained. Wisdom tells us what to do with the knowledge we have. What is the use of having knowledge if we do not know what to do with the knowledge we have? Wisdom tells us what to do with that knowledge so that we and those around us can benefit from it.
Let’s flip the script. What I explained in the previous section is worldly knowledge and wisdom. That knowledge and wisdom is good, but it is not true knowledge and wisdom. True knowledge and wisdom come from the One who knows everything and his name is God. Why settle for what we receive from the world when we can receive much more if we go to the Source of all knowledge and wisdom?
Proverbs 3:7 tells us not to be wise in our own eyes: fear the Lord and turn away from evil. What does the Scripture say here? When we look at the word “wise” according to the Scriptures, some of us have a good knowledge of the Bible and think we know everything there is to know. We are wise in our own eyes. The Pharisees and Sadducees had this problem. The Pharisees and Sadducees had a lot of book knowledge, but no real wisdom. They did not have a true revelation of the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit did not dwell in them. They were stubborn and hard-hearted. Jesus could not tell them anything. We must understand that it is not about us, but about God. We acquire knowledge according to what man teaches us, but perhaps not according to what the Holy Spirit teaches us. We lose focus on what to do. We discovered that the final result is not what we had planned.
True knowledge and wisdom comes from the Holy Spirit. He teaches us by conviction what we should and should not do. He guides us and guides us until we leave this earth. He not only helps us in that way, but he also gives us wise words to say to others and achieve positive results.
We can obtain true wisdom through submission. The Holy Spirit teaches us how to submit to God. We cannot receive what God has for us if we have problems with submission. Proverbs 1:7 says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Many people gain the knowledge, but that’s where they stop. They can’t handle discipline, so they don’t gain wisdom. Discipline/instruction helps in the manifestation of wisdom. A wise man always disciplines himself to increase knowledge and wisdom. Let’s put knowledge and wisdom aside for a moment. Many people do not fear the Lord. For this reason, they never reach the next level in God. Fear means reverence, respect and submission to God. Fearing God is the basis for building knowledge and wisdom. If we cannot do this, we will never get what the Holy Spirit pours out.
This goes back to verse 7 of Proverbs 3. If we truly honor the Lord, we will not be wise in our own eyes. We will be wise according to the word of God. We will have a good trial. We will discern right from wrong through life experiences and conviction of the Spirit. We will also turn away from evil. When we become wise in our own eyes, we tend to put ourselves before God. When we do this, we become gods. Now we have broken the first commandment. Now, our supposed wisdom is useless and does not build up the body of Christ. Being wise in our own eyes is a bad deed and will not reap a good harvest. We will reap destruction and chaos.
We really need to get to know God through his word. We must know the ins and outs of God. Acquire knowledge and wisdom, but we must not allow pride and boasting to overwhelm us in doing so. God has a lot for us if we are willing to submit to Him and really let Him take charge of our lives. We can then be in a position to help others who do not have the knowledge and wisdom that we do.
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