Thursday, August 16, 2012

Worldly Wisdom


     There is no shortage of information available to us these days, especially regarding the written word. What is astonishing is the rate at which the amount of written information doubles in our world. For example, in the 1930’s it took 30 years to double the amount of written information that existed, while today it takes only 11 hours.

     As author Mark Gregston points out, that means that by the end of the day you will be half as wise as when you woke up![1]

     Furthermore, wisdom is no longer being measured by retaining information, but by the ability to research and find an answer. Why is this true? With the overwhelming amount of information, from Google to Wikipedia, we all can do our own research, and if we find an answer we like, we go with it.

     Doctors’ diagnosis takes a back seat to our online searches. The pastor’s exegesis is rejected because we found a blog that said something to the contrary. Politicians’ policies are doubted because of a funny Facebook picture.

     And good luck talking someone out of something they read on the internet. It has to be true!

     Take heart! There is a source of information that remains a constant in our lives, and that is the timeless Word of God. On it’s pages we read that God’s Word is forever settled in heaven, and that even the smallest punctuation will remain unchanged; we read that God is the same in the past, present, and future, and that all words will be fulfilled. And what does this timeless book tell us about wisdom?

     It says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). Do you want to be wise? Then fear God. Put your faith, trust, and respect in the Lord, and as you do, you will humbly acknowledge that His ways are best.

(Read last week's message about the fear of the Lord here)


[1] Gregston, Mark, Tough Guys and Drama Queens, Thomas Nelson Publishers, p.6

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