First, wisdom comes from God. He is the root of all wisdom.
"Out in the open wisdom calls aloud,
she raises her voice in the public square; on top of the wall she cries out,
at the city gate she makes her speech" (Proverbs 1:20-21)
It seems that people are eager to become smarter but few are seeking wisdom. There are many smart people but few are wise. A smart person is someone who is quick to react with great ability to learn new things, while a wise man is someone who is not only rich in knowledge and quick to react but also has the charm of maturity, far-sighted perspective, three-dimensional thinking, and attitude to embrace others' mistakes.
Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."(Genesis 1: 26)
First of all, we are created in the image of God, so our wisdom is rooted in God. How wide is the wisdom of man God gave us at the beginning that we could manage the whole earth! However, it has become so difficult for us to manage a family, not to mention our country, that there are many courses on management. We can see that it takes great wisdom for us to manage the whole earth. Finally, it was not for us to proclaim our ability that God gave us wisdom, but to become His faithful servants.
Second, God pays great attention to and loves wisdom and wise men.
"Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity." (Colossians 4:5)
When I was a student I particularly liked genetics, so I often found such books to read and tried to deduce the next generation's genes according to genetic laws. Normally, the children of a highly educated couple are smart. Similarly, the source of wisdom is God our Father, so how can we His children be stupid?
"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." (James 1:5)
We can see that the Father of wisdom wants His children to have wisdom. I have met many people who are not willing to believe in Jesus. One of their reasons was that "Christians are stupid, inflexible in keeping rules. Though they are kind people without any intention to harm anyone, when I chat with them I find that they wear a solemn expression all the time and that they only know their God and Bible."Many people told me that though faith is good to have, we are living on the earth and need to be realistic in order to survive, not become idealized so that we detach ourselves from reality. I do not fully agree with their opinion but I do not think that they are completely wrong. As a matter of fact, many think wrongly that believing in Jesus means entrusting one's life completely to Jesus and waiting for God's blessings and that they no longer need to make any effort or pay any price. As a result of their wrong convictions, they become lazier than non-believers. This kind of Christian wants to rely on Jesus to receive free blessings for nothing in their life.
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." (Proverbs 9:10)
Many believers, especially sisters, defend themselves with this verse thinking that they are smarter than non-believers since they have believed in Jesus and are indifferent to learning new things. In many countries, Christians are pioneers full of vitality and adventurous spirit. In contrast, in China Christians tend to attack or even despise non-believers. They build walls around themselves, with their eyes and ears closed to the outside world because they believe that since they have believed in God, they do not need to worry about anything and they are already full of wisdom.
I know a brother of a church who really cherishes the time and associates with people in wisdom. He is a Korean but he went to study for his bachelor's degree for four years in Japan and afterward furthered his study in China for half a year. Besides, he traveled around the world to enrich himself. After he finished his graduate degree in South Korea, he served in the Korean army for more than 6 months. Now he is working for a foreign trade company in Southeast Asia. He can speak fluent Korean, English, Japanese, and Chinese; He can have a basic conversation with people in French, Spanish and Portuguese. Each Sunday he is playing the violin in the praise team. He can also play piano and guitar. When he entered the family at the beginning, many collegues were amazed by him, willing to sit around him to listen to his stories. When we chat with each other, we can exchange in languages such as Chinese, English, and Korean. Since we have a common interest in learning languages and music, we became friends. He may not be a man of wisdom but he is definitely pursuing wisdom and keeps moving forward. Such people are so attractive to people when they walk in the midst of a crowd. Not everyone needs to learn many things but his continuous effort deserves us learning from him.
Third, the method to receive wisdom
"First: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
To him belongs eternal praise." (Psalm 111:10)
In order to become wise, we need to seek God and follow His commandments. When we believe in Jesus it does not mean that we become wise immediately. It is just a start and we need to revere Him and follow His will. In the process, God will refine and train us, which will become the foundation for our wisdom just as Paul said. Everything will be working for the good of those who love God.
"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." (James 1:5)
God is willing to give us wisdom and delighted with those who seek it. Let us ask God for more!
Finally, wisdom is the gift of God; do not be proud.
From the Babel event we know that man had God-given wisdom and power but he used them for his own glory and was stopped by God. From Daniel 4, we learn that no matter how smart you are, it is God's gift and we should not become proud. Otherwise, God may take back your wisdom.
Translated by Alvin Zhou
