Wisdom and Education

What is Education? Education simply means life. Education is life.

1.     Knowledge – facts, figures, and data

2.     Understanding – an expansion of knowledge and requires the ability to organize, to reason, to handle all the facts, to process them, to relate, to interrelate, to discern, to see the implications, and to draw conclusions.

3.     Wisdom – is the effective application in life of understood truth.

“For the LORD giveth widom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.” – Proverbs 2:6

“In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (In God the Father and Jesus Christ).” – Colossians 2:3

If education is to make a difference, then wisdom will be the principal thing. Through philosophy the world searches for wisdom, but only on the pages of God’s Word will one discover true wisdom.

When we search for Godly wisdom, we learn that riches, honor, long life, and peace are really the by-products of wisdom. The Bible teaches that if one has wisdom, if our children have wisdom, if our leaders have wisdom, then riches, honor, long life, and peace will be the by-products in the cultures and will become the values of the next generations.

Wisdom is, first and primary, observable Biblical CHARACTER in action. Wisdom is observable Biblical PRINCIPLES in action. Character and principles are the action of wisdom.

What is the source of Wisdom?

The source of wisdom is the person of God. Wisdom emanates from the personality, mentality, character, and essence of what God is.

A Definition of Wisdom

Wisdom is the expression of the person of God in our lives. It is the character of God, Who is the source of wisdom, emanating from and visibly operative in our lives.

Wisdom is observable Biblical character and Biblical principles in action in the life of an individual.

Wisdom is spiritual; it is the essence of the heart of God. Man is the source of intellect; God is the source of wisdom.

Since wisdom is spiritual, one must understand the person and heart of God to grasp the concepts of wisdom.

The foremost truth that one must grasp is that God is the source, the only true source, of wisdom. In James 3:17, it says, “True wisdom is from above - from God.” Wisdom is the highest quality of Biblical and moral action observable in a life.

Wisdom involves action, and when God speaks of wisdom, He does so in the imperative- absolutely directive, expressing a comment.

Wisdom requires action- performance. Wisdom is not intellectual. It is not emotional. Wisdom emanates from the heart; it is the reflection and very person and character of God in action. When a Believer walks in God’s ways, wisdom will be evident in the way he thinks, reasons, speaks, and conducts himself.

The word for “wisdom” in Hebrew is chokmah, which means “skillful in mind, word, and act.” This clearly indicates that wisdom is not just of the mind. Wisdom entails the whole perspective—skillful in mind, word, and action.

God puts the highest quality of lifestyle in front of us and lovingly encourages, “I want you to have wisdom. This is how I want you to conduct yourself. This is what I want you to do for My glory. This is what I want your life to evidence.”

Jesus always showed forth Godly wisdom, and God wants us as His children to follow our Lord’s example. To walk in wisdom, then, is to maintain a quality of life parallel to the life of Jesus Christ.

Some key, observable evidences of wisdom that can be exhibited in the lives of Godly individuals:

·        A love for Almighty God, his/her Creator

·        A desire to serve the Lord Jesus Christ

·        Godly confidence of one’s identity and value

·        A desire to learn; being teachable

·        The ability to express Godly thoughts and feelings honestly

·        A dedication to the assigned task

·        Professionalism and modesty

·        Consistency in life matters according to Scripture

·        Use of God-given gifts and abilities

·        Wise choices

·        Demonstration of Godly character traits

If one examines whether these observable evidences derive from knowledge, understanding, or wisdom, the obvious conclusion is Wisdom.

Character is the natural outflow of appropriated wisdom. Sadly much of modern educational systems focuses on knowledge and understanding but has little to do with the development of Wisdom and character. This is dangerous and a very retrogressive system of training!

More emphasis is placed on where education will lead one in a materialistic world than on the development of character. Building character requires effort and must be based on God’s Word.

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night…” (Joshua 1:8). The fundamental thing that we need to give the next generation is Wisdom. That will come ONLY from the pages of God’s Word through reading and memorizing (knowledge), studying and meditating (understanding), and personalizing (Wisdom) Scripture.

This truly will bring about great chances in the world and many can benefit from it both physically and spiritually and more importantly, great blessings can be abundantly enjoyed here on earth.

With wisdom, there will be a clear understanding to distinguish these two prerequisites: 

·        The world’s philosophy is what we can get.

·        The Christian’s philosophy is what we can give.

Nothing is more important than having wisdom. Let us work together to see students attaining Wisdom from God and seeing them making a difference in their communities across their nation here in the Pacific.