Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get
understanding (Proverbs 4:7).
"Wisdom is the principle thing." Yet without
application that comes through understanding, what good is it. For it is not the wisdom
alone that is good, but with that, the way that it is applied. And yet, one might argue
that wisdom without application is no wisdom at all, but instead, a false impression of
wisdom. For wisdom in and of its very nature demands application, and gives birth to
understanding. Unless of course it is the wisdom of man rather than God. For true wisdom
comes from God and carries with it understanding and application; but man's wisdom may do
nothing but cause foolish arguments to arise or perhaps spark some intriguing, yet inane,
conversation.
Now we are given wisdom freely. For we are told in James 1:5 that, "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." And this is the wisdom that comes from God. It is not ours so
as to do with it what we want--to hold it as a possession or lift it up as a banner to the
world so they may come to us to hear how incredibly wise we are. It is not wisdom given so
as to give us a "one up" in spiritual debates or righteous confrontations--at
least, not so that we shall see it that way. But it is given to God's faithful to help
them carry out His purposes for it, and purposes nobler than any one man can wield
through obtaining it.
But we would have it seem otherwise to be sure. For we seek after wisdom and knowledge and
understanding only to so very often fall short. Our minds are convinced that we have found
God's way but we are often fooling ourselves by an intellectual gathering of facts, and
somehow believing therein that we have gained wisdom. But how can we truly say that it is
God's wisdom--the wisdom that should draw His children together--or at least those
children who seek Him. And once drawn together, we might find that within His wisdom it is
purposed for us to accomplish a work according to His will--and that not something to be
reasoned amongst ourselves as modern day philosophers. For we are not philosophers but
servants. We do not hold ourselves in esteem as some kind of cultural gurus, but we hold
ourselves in right standing as within the eyes of God, so that His wisdom may shine
through us, and not our own.
But what if the reality of the issue is this: that we hold to wisdom that divides the body of Christ? That we spend time debating issues when wisdom seeks to make application? That we spend more time talking about the things of God than practicing them? We must then ask ourselves how much of our own wisdom have we put in the mix. For it would seem that we have traded the truth of God for a lie at times. But shall we remember that "A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?" (Galatians 5:9).
We live in an era where much of the wisdom of God has been tainted within His very church,
by the "yeast" of human wisdom (which is puffed up). We must keep in mind that
the wisdom of God is often something which should be seen more than it is heard. It is not
found in the ramblings of philosophers as much as in the manifestations of that wisdom in
its application through God's intended Love.
Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way (Psalms
119:104).
Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my
mouth. (Proverbs 4:5).
How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to
be chosen than silver! (Proverbs 16:16).
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