How Do You Learn Wisdom?

Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.  Charles Spurgeon

I was thinking about wisdom this morning.  How do you learn wisdom?  One of the best ways to learn is through criticism.  Ouch!  That is not one of my favorite things.  It is very hard to accept criticism from others isn’t it?  Who wants to have their faults laid on the table for all to see? 

One of the things that often happens with criticism is it is not given with love.  The majority of people who criticize others often do so harshly and without any sign of love in sight.  Why is that?  The majority of the time it is handled without love because the person administering the criticism is trying to break the other person down instead of building them up.  God never intended for us to tear each other down.  If we are part of God’s family, we are called by God to minister to each other. Part of ministering to each other lies in confronting each other in love when we see someone else moving away from God.

Another way we learn wisdom is by study and application. If we are to learn how God wants us to live we need to meditate on His Word.  We are not going to get it by never opening our Bible.  The next step we need to take is to apply the wisdom we learn by applying it to our life.  If we don’t do the second step, all the study in the world is never going to get us closer to what God wants us to be and we also will never get any closer to that ever elusive wisdom we seek. 

Another way of learning wisdom is by observation.  This one is tricky because you must first determine what is right from wrong.  When I was little I would watch my siblings or friends.  If they did something that got them in trouble I learned from their mistakes.  I didn’t do the thing they got in trouble for and gradually it became second nature to watch others mistakes and not repeat them. 

Unfortunately, as we learned from Solomon, he was given wisdom personally by God but he didn’t handle it very well.  He is an example of gaining wisdom and then losing it.  Just because we have wisdom doesn’t mean we won’t lose it either.  Sometimes we don’t need Satan’s help to fail; we often handle that very well on our own.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I praise You for the blessing of wisdom.  I sometimes fail at wisdom but I continue to try to find it in your Word.  If I study Your Word, meditate on it, use love with others and apply what I learn to my life, and make my request known to you, I too can gain wisdom. “But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.  If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.  But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind." James 1:4-6

Scripture:  My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; Yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.   For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; He guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path.  Proverbs 2:1-9