Notes on Wisdom | June 2020 Bible Study
- Pastor Wandra Williams
- Jun 24, 2020
- 4 min read
Throughout the month of June we are studying on the topic of Wisdom! Wisdom is given of God and receiving it is as simple as asking for it. We can read book after book, page after page, watch documentary after documentary, and listen to podcast after podcast. All of these provide us with information and knowledge. But, what good is knowledge and information without wisdom? We need God's wisdom to apply and use the knowledge we have. Many can have knowledge and not have the understanding and wisdom how to apply it. Take a moment and think about what it means to have Godly wisdom. Have you ever had moments in your life that you could see Godly wisdom at work? Have there been moments in your life that you failed to tap into the wisdom of God?
What is wisdom? Merriam-Webster defines wisdom as "having sense, common sense, judgement. Having the ability to judge and decide with soundness, prudence and intelligence. Wisdom is making a showing good sense. Common sense suggests an average degree of such ability without sophistication or special knowledge but wisdom implies sense and judgement for above average."
We serve a living God is far above average. He knows all and He sees all and He is the giver of the wisdom we need. Knowledge says "look at the facts and the facts alone." But wisdom says "look beyond the facts". We can't just rest in the knowledge we have, we must ask of the Lord what we are to do and how we are to apply this knowledge, this information, and these downloads we have received.
The wisdom of God operates through and by the Spirit of God. Smith Wigglesworth said this "With the gifts of the Spirit should come the fruit of the Spirit. With wisdom we should have love, with knowledge, we should have joy, and with the third gift faith, we should have the fruit of peace."
Scriptures to Read
Read James 1:1-8 (AMPC)
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes scattered abroad [among the Gentiles in the dispersion]: Greetings ([a]rejoice)!
2 Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations.
3 Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience.
4 But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing.
5 If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of [b]the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him.
6 Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind.
7 For truly, let not such a person imagine that he will receive anything [he asks for] from the Lord,
8 [For being as he is] a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decides].
Read James 3:13-18 (AMPC)
13 Who is there among you who is wise and intelligent? Then let him by his noble living show forth his [good] works with the [unobtrusive] humility [which is the proper attribute] of true wisdom.
14 But if you have bitter jealousy (envy) and contention (rivalry, selfish ambition) in your hearts, do not pride yourselves on it and thus be in defiance of and false to the Truth.
15 This [superficial] wisdom is not such as comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual (animal), even devilish (demoniacal).
16 For wherever there is jealousy (envy) and contention (rivalry and selfish ambition), there will also be confusion (unrest, disharmony, rebellion) and all sorts of evil and vile practices.
17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure (undefiled); then it is peace-loving, courteous (considerate, gentle). [It is willing to] yield to reason, full of compassion and good fruits; it is wholehearted and straightforward, impartial and unfeigned (free from doubts, wavering, and insincerity).
18 And the harvest of righteousness (of conformity to God’s will in thought and deed) is [the fruit of the seed] sown in peace by those who work for and make peace [in themselves and in others, that peace which means concord, agreement, and harmony between individuals, with undisturbedness, in a peaceful mind free from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts].
Points to Ponder:
Faith is a pre-requisite to receiving the gift of wisdom. When you ask God for His wisdom, you must ask believing (having faith) that He will give it to you.
Wisdom gives you the ability to make wise decisions in difficult circumstances.
We can have knowledge of the scriptures, but we must have the wisdom to apply it.
If we want God to give us His wisdom, then we must give Him our faith. We must have faith in the God we say we serve.
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