Learn to Be Wise

My class is currently studying a Christian allegory from the 1600’s.

It was written by a theologian who was also an educator.

He began one of his books for education with the phrase: “Come, boy, learn to be wise.”

I think that is brilliant.

The author chose the word wise instead of intelligent.

Although many use the words interchangeably, they do not mean the same thing.

Intelligence is the ability to acquire new knowledge.

Wisdom takes the acquired knowledge and puts it to discerned use.

As an example, intelligence tells me my car can go extremely fast.

Wisdom tells me I should obey the speed limit.

The world has produced many that could be called intelligent.

But not all those labeled intelligent have wisdom.

Scripture has a great deal to say when it comes to wisdom.

Wisdom can be found in the Old Testament.

Proverbs 2:6 (NET) - For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.

Notice that the word wisdom is used rather than intelligence.

Proverbs 16:16 (NET) - How much better it is to acquire wisdom than gold; to acquire understanding is more desirable than silver.

The New Testament also speaks to the importance of wisdom.

More importantly, it tells how to acquire it.

James 1:5 (NET) - But if anyone is deficient in wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without reprimand, and it will be given to him.

Jesus speaks on the importance of wisdom.

Matthew 7:24 (NET) - Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on rock.

When it comes to wisdom, my favorite example from scripture is found in Matthew 2.

Matthew talks about the “wise men” who came to worship Jesus.

He does not call them the “intelligent men”.

I am certain that there were others who saw the star and recognized it as significant.

They were intelligent.

But these men acted on it.

They sought Jesus out to worship him.

That was a very wise thing to do.

The truly wise still seek Jesus today.

Let us learn to be wise!

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, January 24, 2020.

I’ll be back here on Friday, February 7, 2020

Truth Revisited

I decided to write this in the closing hours of 2019.

For the last several weeks the discussions in my class gravitated toward one topic: Truth.

The search for truth is nothing new.

When Jesus was brought before Pilate, Pilate asked Him a question we could ask in the modern era.

John 18:38 (NET) - Pilate asked, “What is truth?”

The age in which we live has blurred the truth so much that many are walking in darkness.

We live in an age of “fake news”.

The media, which is supposed to be nonbiased, often has an agenda.

Politicians make promises to get elected never intending to keep them.

Regimes willingly lie to the people to keep them in check.

Even the business world clouds the truth justifying it with “It’s just business”.

Truth is absolute, yet people try to make it relative.

They say that what is true for one person may not be true for another.

In my opinion, this is one of the most dangerous lies we can spread.

Abandoning truth, for whatever reason, is wrong.

The prophet Isaiah had an ominous warning for those who abandon truth.

Isaiah 5:20 (NET) - Beware, those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness into light and light into darkness, who turn bitter into sweet and sweet into bitter.

So, where can we turn in an age that wants us to ignore truth.

Is there an answer to Pilate’s question: “What is truth?”

Fortunately the answer is yes.

About five years ago, I visited a church that was 150 years old.

Over time, the congregation grew and built a new church but kept the original as it was.

There is a sign above the door taken from scripture.

John 14:6a (NET) - Jesus replied, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.

The sign also includes “- words of Jesus Christ”.

Those who passed beneath this sign on their way inside knew what awaited them.

Even after 2,000 years, these words can be trusted.

John 1:14 (NET) - Now the Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We saw his glory—the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth, who came from the Father.

My prayer for the New Year of 2020 is that we will regain the courage to stand up for the truth.

There are those who will say we are intolerant.

We must expect that.

Remember that Pilate asked, “What is truth?” even when Jesus stood right in front of him.

We must re-learn that it is okay for us to disagree.

It is not, however, okay for us to be disagreeable in the process.

After all Jesus, the source of truth, also tells us to love our neighbor.

Even those who disagree with us!

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, January 10, 2020.

I’ll be back here on Friday, January 17, 2020