In Search Of Wisdom
Life is defined by the decisions we make, and many of these choices carry irrevocable consequences. While everyone desires a satisfying and successful life, making choices based solely on feelings, personal desires, or the opinions of others—without considering the will of God—is often described as living unwisely.
The wisest way to approach life is to seek the wisdom of Almighty God before making any decision. Living unwisely is a very expensive lifestyle in every aspect of our lives.
The Defining Question: Wise or Unwise?
To ensure decisions align with a wise lifestyle, you should always ask this question: “Is this the wisest thing to do?”. This question applies equally to major decisions, such as marriage, finances, or health, and minor daily choices.
Unwise decisions often result from leaving out the wisdom of God, leading people to make choices they know they cannot afford (like buying an expensive house or stacking up credit card debt) or actions with lasting negative consequences (like marrying only for sexual fulfillment or drinking alcoholic beverages in front of children).
What is True Godly Wisdom?
Godly wisdom, which is genuine wisdom, is defined by two actions:
- Viewing things from God’s viewpoint (How does He see them?).
- Responding to those things on the basis of what the Word of God teaches.
If you wish to find God’s viewpoint, you must turn to the Word of God. To leave God out of your life is foolish and devastating. The person who says, “I don’t have time for that Bible stuff,” is essentially choosing to live a very foolish life and will suffer consequences they never dreamed of. You cannot live happily, peacefully, or successfully apart from the teachings of the Word of God.
Why God is the Ultimate Source of Wisdom
It is only wise to consult the one who knows everything: Almighty God. God is omniscient; He possesses absolute, total, complete, and infinite knowledge about every single thing.
He knows perfectly about yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Nothing ever startles or surprises Him. This level of comprehensive knowledge means He never has to say, “Oh, I forgot” or “I never thought about that”.
Christians, who are the walking children of the living God, are set apart through Jesus Christ. We belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God. Since we have God as our guide for every single day, we can come to Him and ask for direction concerning any decision.
To live in disobedience to God is foolishly concluding, “I don’t need omniscience, I don’t need omnipotence, I don’t need omnipresence. I can handle it” in this mixed-up, crazy, sinful world. Human reason is deficient; it takes godly wisdom to live the fulfilling life that everyone truly wants.
The Two Paths: Earthly Wisdom vs. Heavenly Wisdom
The sources distinguish between two kinds of wisdom: the wisdom of God (from above) and the wisdom that comes through man’s thinking.
1. Earthly Wisdom (Foolishness)
The wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. The way the world thinks apart from God is described as useless, empty, and leading to unwise decisions.
According to James, this earthly wisdom is categorized as:
- Earthly: It is limited to what man can do, his reasoning, thinking, attempts, and accomplishments.
- Natural: It is sensual; it relates to our fallen nature—the part of us that does not want to obey God and is subject to temptation. A natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God because they are foolishness to him and can only be spiritually appraised.
- Demonic: Its root is found in Satan himself. This wisdom relies on the devil’s lie: “You don’t need God… You’re smart enough to handle it”.
Earthly wisdom often presents itself with characteristics like bitter jealousy and selfish ambition. People who operate by this standard think they have the right answer but leave God out of it, often trying to prove their correctness in arrogance. Even if they have position, talent, skill, or intellect, if they leave God out, they are not smart at all.
2. The Wisdom from Above (Godly Wisdom)
The wisdom that comes down from above provides benefits and characteristics that earthly knowledge cannot match:
- Pure: It is absolutely perfect wisdom.
- Peaceable: It will bring peace to the individual.
- Gentle: There is nothing harsh about it.
- Reasonable: It is reasonable from God’s viewpoint.
- Full of mercy and good fruits.
- Unwavering, without hypocrisy.
It is foolish to choose anything other than the wisdom from above, which is pure and perfect.