Thought for the Week - 10/1/2021

Dear Friends,

In his book Soul Fuel, the adventurer Bear Grylls says that ‘knowledge, as many people have observed, is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad!’ The primary difference between wisdom and knowledge is that wisdom involves a healthy dose of perspective and the ability to make sound judgements about a subject, whilst knowledge is simply facts. We can all become knowledgeable about a subject by reading, researching and memorising facts, but it is wisdom that requires more understanding and the ability to determine which facts are relevant in certain situations. Wisdom takes knowledge and applies it with discernment based on experience, evaluation, and lessons learned. Simply put, knowledge is knowing what to say, wisdom is knowing when to say it. The author C. S. Lewis wrote, ‘The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are’. God promises always to provide wisdom whenever we search for it. He reveals it to us through the Bible, through experience, through the Holy Spirit, and yes, through one another. We find wisdom through observing and listening, and through our hearts with that God-given instinct of knowing what is right and what is wrong. And we can also find wisdom through asking in prayer, ‘If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given to you’ (James 1:5). Here, James is talking about the ability to make wise decisions in difficult circumstances. Whenever we need wisdom, we can pray to God, and he will bountifully supply what we need. So we don’t need to grope about in the dark, hoping to stumble upon answers because we can ask for God’s wisdom to guide our choices.

Grace and peace,

Neil


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