What is wisdom? People have many ideas on what constitutes being wise. Some say that wisdom is worldly knowledge, and the more carnal knowledge you posses the wiser you are, and the more qualified you are to make decisions. Some say wisdom can only come through experience, and the more situations you have been in, the wiser you are in how to act. My argument is this: wisdom is a gift of the spirit, and it comes through making your life’s decisions based on courses of action chosen through the Spirit.
There is a scripture in 2 Nephi that illustrates this point perfectly. It is found in 9:28, and reads “…When they (men) are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profited them not. And they shall perish.” These words speak for themselves: carnal knowledge is nothing compared to the knowledge of God. Not only does the Lord know all things, but Christ suffered for us, and he knows exactly what we’re thinking and going through in any given situation. Isn’t it a bit presumptuous of us to think we’re qualified to make a decision in any given situation, because we have a PhD in this or that, and leave out the Lord? That line of thinking isn’t wisdom, it’s foolishness.
When one thinks of the wisest men to ever live, what is one of the first names to come to mind? Solomon was the first name to come to me. And why was he so wise? He asked the Lord, the Supreme Being, the all knowing, for the “Gift of Wisdom.” This story is found 1 Kings 3, and the whole chapter is dedicated to Solomon’s wisdom. In verse nine, Solomon asks the Lord, “Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart.” If one wishes to be wise, he must ask the Lord for an understanding heart, as Solomon did. One may ask, “Why should I ask the Lord? I’m already wise.” I hit on this earlier, but there is a scripture that should convince a person, even if nothing else will. It is Job 28:28, and it reads, “….the Lord, that is wisdom….” This scripture tells us the Lord doesn’t just have wisdom, he is wisdom. Therefore, this implies that since He is wisdom, wisdom can only come from him. Therefore, it would be wise to ask the Lord for wisdom.
I have a personal experience that illustrates the difference between knowledge and wisdom. I was hanging out with friends once, and we were trying to decide what to do. One of them said they had certain substances at their house, and suggested that if we took them it would get things going. Most everyone agreed to this decision. I had two courses of action to choose from: I could go along with the crowd, or I could stand up for my beliefs. Everyone has the knowledge that substances are bad, so why do people take them? It’s a lack of wisdom. It took more than knowledge to say no: it took the help of the Lord, in his wisdom, to make me say no. I’m glad that I had the wisdom to ask the Lord for help, and make the right decision.
Knowledge is important. The Prophet councils us to “obtain as much education as possible”. To be successful in this world, one needs a great amount of knowledge. But it takes wisdom to apply this knowledge successfully. Wisdom can only be obtained through the source, which is our Savior Jesus Christ. I hope that we all can be wise enough to humble ourselves before the Lord, and ask for his guidance. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Works cited:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/wisdom
Book of Mormon and the King James Version of the Holy Bible
Young men goals
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11 comments:
Good job, Sean. I like the detail about Solomon especially and the need for an "understanding heart." I think it would be great if you had a topic sentence for each paragraph and a thesis statement.
I really enjoyed your blog Sean. I loved how you remind us that we're never too important, never know everything, and that the Lord is our ultimate source of wisdom. Great job.
I enjoyed reading your personal experience. It does take wisdom to avoid things we should, even when we know they're wrong.
Great job of showing how wisdom can only be gained through faith on Jesus Christ.
You made a great distinction between wisdom and knowledge. There is a difference and it's important. Thank you!
I liked your idea of wisdom being a gift of the spirit. Sometimes we forget that the Lord's hand is in all things and it's not only by our own means we gain wisdom. Thanks for sharing personal experiences!
How interesting it is that we often think we are wise without the help of the Lord. Thank you for sharing your testimony and the truth that the Lord is wisdom - and we obtain wisdom through and from him. Not on our own. It takes strength to stand up for what is right... and from that one gains wisdom. Great solid topic.
I like your definition of wisdom, being the Godly version of knowledge. I thought you could have used a few more quotes, but it was still a very good blog.
I love how you remind us that we're never too good, too smart, or too anything for the Lord. It's hard to forget that at BYU for me (being with all these genius kids), but I do need a reminder as well.
I loved your argument of knowledge, that it's a gift of the spirit and comes through our life experiences. Great job
I liked how you related the personal experience you had and how we, throughout our llives, have the option of acting on our wisdom. I appreciate your humility as well in aknowledging that wisdom is something we have to ask our Father in Heaven for. Thank you.
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