How smart do you think you are? Do you consider yourself to be knowledgeable in many subjects? Are you considered an expert in one or two subjects? Do you look up to those who are considered to be very smart?
Sometimes we become rather proud of what we know. We start thinking highly of ourselves and flaunt our knowledge. It may become a competition among our peers. And far too often, we look down our noses at those who don’t know what we know.
It is a sad state of our human nature that we elevate ourselves above others. When it comes to knowledge, we all are mere infants. Unfortunately, we show just how little we know when we open our mouths. As the book of Proverbs records many times, the wise person listens far more than they speak.
As today’s passage indicates, being wise in the world is foolishness before God. Why? Far too often the wise of the world begin thinking they can live without God. They believe they have it all figured out. They forget to rely on God, which ultimately ends in their downfall.
You see, when we attempt to live without God, our destruction is eminent. Oh, we might make good wages. We might acquire many possessions. We might be able to travel. We might appear to have a good life from the outside. Yet, without God, we live without peace, contentment, joy, and real love.
We must remember God knows everything at all times. His wisdom includes altering situations in order to accomplish His plan. God is continually teaching us, if we will simply stop long enough to listen and learn. This is what it means to “be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). If we truly want to become wise, we must stop talking, stop thinking about worldly topics, and focus on God. No, we don’t need to do this all day long, but we do need to spend time in this type of meditation on a regular basis.
I pray we all decide to pursue God’s wisdom. I pray we stop to spend time with God. I pray each one of us realizes the foolishness of the world’s wisdom and focus on God’s wisdom. Spend time with God. Spend time meditating on Him. Gain true wisdom. Leave foolishness behind.
1 Corinthians 3:18-20 Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”
Marty Pressey 