If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault. James 1:5

Someone once said that knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, but wisdom is not putting them in a fruit salad!  The difference between knowledge and understanding is what the Bible calls wisdom.

King Solomon was known in the Bible as the wisest man who ever lived. He gained this wisdom in part because it’s what he asked God for!  Solomon’s wise advice was, “a [person] of understanding will acquire wise counsel” (Proverbs 1:5). So, if you want to be wise, surrounding yourself with people of good judgement will help. Of course, how we define “good judgement” isn’t always the same from one person to the next.  Nor does one wise person have good judgement about everything. Confused yet?

The Apostle Paul made a distinction between human wisdom, which can be helpful, and God’s wisdom. Paul explained that human wisdom does not always lead humans toward God (1 Corinthians 1:21). After all, God’s wisdom moves us to humility, where human wisdom has a tendency toward preserving our own lives or potentially benefiting ourselves over others.

Paul saw God’s wisdom as one that takes into account the scope of eternity. That doesn’t mean that the present is unimportant. In fact, it means the present is of infinite importance. When we adopt God’s wisdom, we see value in the here and now that human wisdom often finds unimportant. Jesus’ brother James encouraged us with these words, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God who gives generously and without finding fault.”  (James 1:5).

 

Resource reading: 2 Chronicles 1:7-12