Which Wisdom?

“My Precious-s-s-s-s.”  I remember the first time I heard the creepy, raspy voice of Gollum muttering, as he thought about the ring and lusted to have its power all to himself.  I knew he was going to be a disgusting creature, even before I saw him.  Almost everyone has seen the movie trilogy, “Lord of the Rings,” and is aware that before he became obsessed with the ring, Gollum was a regular hobbit named Smeagol.

Smeagol found the powerful ring by chance, and decided that keeping it all to himself was a wise idea.  He underestimated the ring’s destructive power.  By persistently following his own wisdom, he blinded himself to the way the ring slowly changed him from a decent hobbit, to a slimy, self-obsessed, swamp creature, enslaved to thoughts of owning the ring.

Have you ever made a decision that looked good to you in the moment, but you lived to regret?  Perhaps you even had family or friends advise you against it, but you thought you knew better?  I think we can all remember instances, perhaps many of them, where we rashly followed our own wisdom, and later wished we could undo our choice.

It might be something minor, like choosing to hit the snooze alarm one more time, and then finding ourselves late to work.  Or maybe it was the time we had that one extra piece of pie and were up half the night with indigestion.

Unfortunately, all too often our own wisdom can lead to more serious mistakes.  We just had to have that new 4 wheel drive ATV, and now we are saddled with uncomfortably high monthly payments for the next 5 years.  The salary figure was just too tempting to pass up, but 3 months later we find ourselves in the job from hell, and spend our evenings searching the internet for new job options.

God warns us in scripture that following our own wisdom can deceive us: “There is a path before each person that seems right, but ends up in destruction.” (Proverbs 14:12)  However, there is a godly wisdom from above that will guide you into all the truth and cause you to prosper.  It comes to you through God’s Spirit, and is yours for the asking.  “But if any of you wants wisdom, ask God who gives freely to all without an unkind word, and it will be given to you.” (James 1:5)

Which wisdom are you following?  How can you tell the difference between self-deceptive and godly wisdom?  A major clue is the effect it has on you.  Don’t allow yourself to be blindsided like Gollum, by following wisdom that only corrupts your life and tears you down.  

God tells us: “If you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.” (James 3:14-15)

Contrast that with this description of godly wisdom: “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. For the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” (James 3:13,17)

Be smart!  Pursue godly wisdom and enjoy the consequences of good decision-making!

Please join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM for part 2 in our current “Tapping into the Wisdom of God” series.  Our guest speaker, Lance Wallnau, will provide guidance on how to live in God’s wisdom while actively engaged in the culture around us.