A few weeks ago, I tweeted; ‘Wisdom Isn’t Knowing What To Do, It’s Doing What You Know’.
Photo courtesy of "emcee"
It’s something I’ve been thinking about for some time. When I tweeted it, my friend Matt Hamner (great guy, you should follow him) asked me to write some more about it. So here it is…
It’s like candy.
My kids love eating candy, or as we Aussies call them, lollies. They could eat them all day. They know that if they eat and eat and eat, it’s not great for them. But, they do it anyway, given the chance. It tastes great, but they’re not really getting the most out of the eating.
It’s the same with anything you consume.
The thought is simple; as Christians we often say we want deeper teaching. We want to know more. We’re constantly consuming anything that will come our way, but at times I wonder if we’re more passionate about being fed, about the “eating”, than we are about actually digesting, or implementing the things we’re consuming.
Wisdom isn’t hearing or even knowing a whole bunch of things about God, it’s living in relationship with God. To do this, we do need to have knowledge and I’m all for that, but knowledge, even know the right things, isn’t enough.
By virtue of its nature, wisdom is only becomes so when it’s implemented. Only the fool knows the right things to do, yet doesn’t do them. Yet many of us, do exactly that. We hear, yet nothing changes, therefore I wonder if we have actually heard at all?
It’s about having ears to hear!
We probably all know this in theory, but again, theory isn’t enough. The Gospels record Jesus saying it this way;
‘If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.’ – Mark 4:23
After He taught, Jesus challenged those who heard him to actually take on board and to understand the things He was teaching. His point was, there’s no use in hearing if we don’t think about, understand and implement the things He taught.
Nothing has changed since Jesus walked the earth. The challenge remains; You and I cannot simply hear, but refuse to take on the mandate of walking out Jesus teaching, if we are to be truly wise.
As I stop to think about people I consider to be truly wise, those that come to mind are those who have believed in Christ and served him faithfully for a lifetime. They have done the work of conforming themselves into His likeness. They have heard the word of God and taken it to heart. Wisdom has been implemented. It has not simply something that has tickled the ears, but has changed their lives and the lives of those they come in to contact with.
That’s the sort of wisdom I long to know.
Over to You…
Does this sound like wisdom to you? Add your thoughts and comments below. Thanks.
