Lesson 23: God's Wisdom, Our Wisdom

 The third thing that knowing God is Wise is going to reveal to us is that there is no such thing as bad advice - from God that is. But do not take my advice for that, listen to God.

 James 1:5-8 "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."

From these verses it is clear: when we need wisdom for the problems we face in life then we ask God. He will not give us just a little wisdom or just enough to tide us over for a while. He gives us a generous amount of it. It is almost like God is pleading with us to come to Him to receive His wisdom, because He knows all things and therefore will never give us bad advice.

If we are honest with ourselves, however, we do not seek His wisdom! We have the audacity to wonder why our lives are totally unstable, full of doubt, and being tossed around by the winds of life. If we want to avoid this confusion in life and experience more stability, we must know the bad places for advice so we can avoid them.

The first place we get bad advice is from our feelings. Jeremiah 17:9 - "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick; who can understand it?"

This verse says the human heart is not a good source of wisdom. It is not only wicked, it is downright deceitful. Therefore, why would we to listen to the so-called wisdom coming from the heart - from our feelings? We are told by others to do whatever feels right. But it does not matter how good something feels, that still does not make it right nor does it make it wise. When we listen to our feelings instead of our Heavenly Father, we are headed for trouble.


In high school a friend and I worked at a pottery plant, packing pots for shipping. One day we had an idea to help ease our boredom. We wrote a secret message, that they had received the one-millionth piece of pottery from our plant and would win ten thousand dollars if they returned the pot, and promptly forgot about it. My friend and I were called into the office one day where my Dad was standing silently with that look that fathers get when you know you are in trouble. We had no idea what we had done wrong until our eyes saw the "wise idea" on his desk. A "lucky" customer had taken our method of alleviating boredom serious and returned the pot requesting a $10,000 credit to their account. We left the office thinking our idea was not wise after all.

How much proof do we need before we admit that our wisdom, no matter how good it feels at the moment, is not the best? If we are honest, our feelings are one of the biggest sources for bad advice, because they are deceitful and fickle! They are influenced by anything from bad weather to a bad meal. They are up one minute and down the next. Because they are unstable, then any so-called wisdom that comes from them is also going to be unstable! If we are honest with ourselves, the results of following our feelings are not funny at all. Sometimes, they are downright painful. Therefore, it is wiser to seek advice from the One Who knows all things, never makes a mistake, and never changes – God.

* What decision do you need wisdom for today?