What Happened to Wisdom?
Lately on the news we are hearing supposedly intelligent people make inane and assinine statements. These are people with numerous degrees after their names from prestigious institutions. I could list some here, but you can find them daily on line and in print.
This has led me to ponder the question, "what has happened to wisdom and knowledge in our day?" Perhaps the starting point to find an answer is to read the words of the Preacher in Proverbs 1:1-7. If the BEGINNING of knowledge and wisdom is the fear of the Lord, isn't that a good launching point for our query? And by the way, the "fear of the Lord" is the FEAR of the Lord. It involves awe and reverence, but it doesn't end there.
I have heard that wisdom is the practical application of knowledge. That being true, two people with the same knowledge may arrive at two distinctly different conclusions because one possesses wisdom and the other doesn't.
The fact that we have through the years departed from biblically based education is borne out in this lack of wisdom among the masses. Unfortunately, even the pulpits of America have produced a dearth of wisdom in the effort to be "relevant" or to "connect" with the people. We spin yarns and borrow illustrations from others rather than depend upon the Holy Spirit to interpret the scriptures and to guide our people into "all truth".
I discovered some years ago that God never promised to bless my oratory or my clever presentations. He has always promised to bless His Word. Consequently I read a lot of scripture from the pulpit. I'd rather people remember the text than to remember the illustration or the joke.
So what do your think?
This has led me to ponder the question, "what has happened to wisdom and knowledge in our day?" Perhaps the starting point to find an answer is to read the words of the Preacher in Proverbs 1:1-7. If the BEGINNING of knowledge and wisdom is the fear of the Lord, isn't that a good launching point for our query? And by the way, the "fear of the Lord" is the FEAR of the Lord. It involves awe and reverence, but it doesn't end there.
I have heard that wisdom is the practical application of knowledge. That being true, two people with the same knowledge may arrive at two distinctly different conclusions because one possesses wisdom and the other doesn't.
The fact that we have through the years departed from biblically based education is borne out in this lack of wisdom among the masses. Unfortunately, even the pulpits of America have produced a dearth of wisdom in the effort to be "relevant" or to "connect" with the people. We spin yarns and borrow illustrations from others rather than depend upon the Holy Spirit to interpret the scriptures and to guide our people into "all truth".
I discovered some years ago that God never promised to bless my oratory or my clever presentations. He has always promised to bless His Word. Consequently I read a lot of scripture from the pulpit. I'd rather people remember the text than to remember the illustration or the joke.
So what do your think?
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