Wise, or merely smart?

Knowing the right thing to do is not always all that easy.   For example, I am conflicted about how best to express concern for the poor. I know that I must not be selfish, nor can I ignore the plight of the needy.  But, I also know that too much ‘care’ creates perpetual dependency.  So when do I give and when do I withhold?   Then, too, there is the current debate among Christians about how to relate to people who are practicing homosexuals. On this issue, I find myself deeply conflicted!  My conviction is that the Holy Bible that places same sex intimacy, along with many other sexual practices, outside of God’s will for those who would live a holy life.  My desire to live a life of loving acceptance of all people, as Jesus taught me to do, collides head-on with that conviction. Many will say, “love the sinner, but hate the sin.”  Nice phrase, but if I voice strong disapproval of another’s actions, they’re not going to feel much love. 

At one time, life was not nearly as complex for me. Most issues were black and white. Shades of gray were beyond me.  No more! With greater love and more wisdom I know now that the choices that I make have more consequence than can be seen in the immediate future.  So I am thankful for the promise of the Word and the Spirit! James says that when I lack wisdom, the first thing to do is to ask God, humbly, for insight and He will give it liberally.  “If you need wisdom—if you want to know what God wants you to do—ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.”  (James 1:5 NLT)

There is a priority choice that becomes a foundation of wisdom for us. Love! Jesus said that all of God’s demands of us ultimately are founded on two commands:  Love God wholeheartedly and love others like you love yourself. He was not coming up with a brand new idea. Centuries before Him, Moses said, "Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders." (Deuteronomy 6:4-8, NLT)  Let me summarize that passage - "Love the Lord and integrate that love into your everyday life!"

Let me ask you, disciple: Are you just smart or are you truly wise?  The right thing to do, the moral choice, the God-pleasing decision requires real wisdom, not just an education or a keen intellect. We can be equipped with facts but yet be terribly lacking in wisdom!  Wisdom grows in the fertile soil of humility, in the desire to know the whole story. We cannot be ‘full of ourselves’ and full of the Spirit at the same time.

Here's a word from the Word. "I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." (Psalm 119:10-11, NIV)  "Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes." (Psalm 119:98-99, NIV)  "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." (Psalm 119:105, NIV)

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Be Thou my Vision,

O Lord of my heart;

Nought be all else to me,

Save that Thou art

Thou my best thought,

By day or by night,

Waking or sleeping,

Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom,

And Thou my true Word;

I ever with Thee

And Thou with me, Lord;

Thou my great Father,

I Thy true son;

Thou in me dwelling,

And I with Thee one.

Be Thou My Vision

Hull, Eleanor / Byrne, Mary E.

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