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Wisdom:
How, When and Why
Dee Bowman
Wisdom is the ability to make
choices that bring about the best end for everyone involved. Wisdom, we
have been told, is applied knowledge. And it is. But there’s more to it
than that; it also involves when and how much to apply. Wisdom is
perspicuity, the perception to see the end of the thing from the
beginning.
Solomon explained wisdom in
his Proverbs. He showed how it affects every area of life in his book of
Ecclesiastes. While performing the most extensive experiment with life
ever performed, he said over and again “my wisdom remained with me.”
It was wisdom that forced him to the conclusion that to “fear God and
keep his commandments” is “the whole duty of man” (Eccles. 12:13). I
seriously doubt that a mortal man ever uttered a truth wiser than that.
Wisdom affects every area
of life. It’s presence–or sometimes the lack of it–is seen in every
decision we make, beginning on the school yard and proceeding all the way
to the cemetery. When our decisions are wise, things tend to progress
nicely and without much interference. When our decisions are fraught with
foolishness, there is constant trouble. Now that is not to say that wisdom
never produces any difficulty, for such is not the case. Many a wise
decision has brought about mounds of variance, dissonance, and hardship;
but those problems are not the fault of the wise decision, but rather a
failure to properly discern the wisdom involved.
Might I suggest some things
where wisdom leaves its mark?
Wisdom affects how we
speak. Few things are more beautiful than a few well-chosen words, an apt
remark, or a wise response. And few choices are wiser than to know when to
speak, how much to say, and when to leave off saying any more. Many a
heartache could have been avoided had there been a careful consideration
of what to say and how to say it, a wise tongue.
Wisdom affects how we act.
Some noble deed performed, some wise solution suggested, some wise action
taken–all these things have the imprimatur of wisdom. And how the
opposite of these things impedes progress and foments trouble. Some deed
left undone, some solution ignored, some wise action neglected–all these
things have the imprimatur of stupidly stamped indelibly upon them.
Wisdom affects how we
decide. In no place does wisdom shine more brightly than in
well-thought-out decisions. Never is wisdom more brilliantly displayed
than when it brings about a desirable end on account of a wise decision.
Actually, good choices are what wisdom is all about. When it comes to how
we speak, it’s good choices that result. When it comes to how we act, it’s
making good choices that facilitate that good conduct. No matter the
endeavor, good choices are necessary to make a good result.
Wisdom is everywhere. It’s
in art. Making the right color choices, choosing the right composition,
selecting the light and shadows–all are about making wise decisions. In
jurisprudence, it is the wise use of the law that not only determines a
right course of pursuit, but brings about peace instead of chaos. The
judge does just what the term suggests–he judges. In ethics and
propriety, wisdom is the most necessary ingredient. Moral choices bring
about happiness if they are wise; the converse, if they are unwise.
Certainly wisdom figures in economics. The stock market is all about
buying and selling at the right time in order to make a profit. Wise buys
make money.
But most importantly,
wisdom is what the gospel is all about. Wisdom is what the coming of Jesus
was all about. Speaking of Him, Paul said (Col. 3:3), “...in whom are
hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” How irrefutably true! He
is the personification of everything wise. If we are in Christ He is made
to us “wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption”
(I Cor. 1:30). In Ephesians 3:10, Paul affirms that the very existence of
the church in the world attests to the wisdom of God. Hear him. “To the
intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places
might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God.” It is foolish
indeed for mankind to neglect his primary purpose in life, “to fear God
and keep His commandments.”
The wisest thing you can
do, the wisest choice you can make is the choice to obey God
Copyright (C) 2002-2008 Southside
Church of Christ
All rights reserved.
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