Of Course You Want To Be Known for Your Astute Intelligence

But wisdom is not the same as intelligence

We have all been around intelligent people who talk about things that are way over our heads, yet we sit there and nod as if we know what they are talking about the entire time. Why? Because we want people to think that we are astute.

Few will ever have a famous quote that will outlive us like these:

“Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never — in nothing, great or small, large or petty — never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force, never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” — Winston Churchill

“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” — Martin Luther King

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” — Thomas A. Edison

The fix is in our heart, not our?head

Most likely, you cannot remember many details of the last sermon that you heard. That’s okay. Hopefully, you were listening and made some applications of the truth to your life. The thing is, few are memorable. However, some stand the test of time, like Jonathan Edwards’ “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”

Yet, nothing compares to Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount.” You can find it in chapters 5–7 of the Gospel of Matthew. It is quite possibly the most well-known teachings of Jesus, yet it may be the most misunderstood by the world.

The beginning section deals with what we call “The Beatitudes.” The sermon describes what a heart committed to God looks like, not a prescription for how to become a Christian. Instead, Jesus is speaking about what a good subject of the King will look like if they allow Him to be Lord.

“The Sermon on the Mount was given to explain to the disciples the kind of Kingdom Jesus wants to build in the lives of His followers.” — Wiersbe

G. Campbell Morgan calls it “The Manifesto of the King.”

King Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived and he reminded us about guarding and protecting our hearts if we want to achieve wisdom in this world.?

“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” (Proverbs 4:23, NLT)

What kingdom is Jesus talking?about?

Is Jesus talking about a future kingdom or a present kingdom? Yes! One day Jesus is coming back, and He will rule and reign forever. He will banish Satan into the Lake of Fire forever, and there will be no more rebellion against God. What a day (or rather eternity) that will be for those who have accepted Jesus as Savior and King!

But, this is also an expectation that Jesus has for how His children should behave now as we live in a spiritual kingdom. For those who have embraced Jesus Christ, He is ruling and reigning in our hearts. It is a little more complicated while we are trapped in imperfect bodies and living in a world tainted by evil; however, we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us.

Jesus tells anyone who would listen what should happen when He transforms their heart. He shows us that He has never been interested in outward conformity to a set of rules but rather an ability to allow Him to guide us and transform us by His power.

Don’t strive to be intelligent; strive to keep yielding your heart to the wisdom of your Savior and Creator and allow Him to be the Lord of your life. Forget what people think about you, and be utterly consumed with an intimate relationship with God. No decision you will make in life is smarter than this one.?