Sentence Sermons (Christian Inspiration) #27 --- Wisdom

Wisdom is the gift of God. He alone possesses it in its completeness. He bestows it where and upon whom He wills. Wisdom is something to be sought; yet, man, through all his seeking, cannot find it. It must be received, for it is the gift of God. Wisdom is life's supreme good. The man who has wisdom can rejoice, for he has found that which nothing else can compare. ... Wisdom is man's road to rich rewards. If a person accepts this 'pearl of great price' as a gift from God, he will find that the way to wisdom leads to the life beautiful and abundant, the life full and overflowing with good things.

—Alfred A. Knox, The Louisiana Methodist, Little Rock, Ark., April 11, 1968.

Wisdom is more than knowledge. A man with a reasonably good memory can store up a lot of data in a lifetime and yet be not wise. The writer of Proverbs tells us that when wisdom enters our hearts then knowledge is pleasant unto our souls. Wisdom is eternal knowledge that will fit our earthly knowledge into its proper perspective and give it a spirituality that will be pleasant unto our souls. Wisdom is an eternal perspective–a depth of perception that goes beyond this life.

—Michael J. McIntosh, Scottish Irish Mission, Renfrew, Scotland, March 1961.

Wisdom is both intellectual and moral. It gives a spiritual tone to life. It begins with a proper respect for and obedience to the will of God. ... True wisdom begins in a holy respect for God. It endows life with the riches of God’s grace and love. It comes to us through prayer and consists of a life surrendered to God and filled with the presence and will of Christ. “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom, yea, with all thy getting get understanding.” (Proverbs 4:7.)

—Ortie E. Bradshaw, Religious Herald, Richmond, Va., July 24, 1947.

Knowledge is to know a fact or truth. Wisdom is to be able to use the knowledge. Wisdom is knowledge plus. Knowledge may be dangerous. Wisdom is never dangerous. Knowledge cannot stand alone. Wisdom needs no aid. Knowledge minus wisdom to use it is a tragedy. Wisdom is the knowledge of what to do, why to do it, how to do it, where to do it, and who should do it. It is the using of knowledge in the right place, for the right purpose, and by the right person. Back of wisdom stands charity, the love of God and our fellow man--the motivation of all wisdom.

—A. Carmichael and Elbert A. Smith, Priesthood Journal, Independence, Mo., April 1940.

Knowledge is power but wisdom is control. Truth is light but goodness is warmth. It is most desirable that there be intelligence plus character.

—John A. Redmond, Gull's Cry, Panama City, Fla., Sept. 23, 1959.

Let your ideals be high ones, your aims lofty and you are safe. But in order to do this get wisdom. The wise are rarely caught in error of judgment or deceived. The wise are rarely misled, for they are prudent, and prudence is the mother of caution, and caution is the discreet sentinel who warns of approaching danger. Thus the good book tells us to get wisdom, for "all her ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are paths of peace."

—Tullius C. Tupper, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Ga., June 18, 1900.

Wisdom is not the amount of knowledge accumulated, but the bringing of it to bear upon the practical problems of life. The ability to use your knowledge in the solving of the business, social, intellectual or spiritual problems of daily life, that is wisdom.

—George M. Vincent, The I.S.C. Student, Ames, Iowa, March 9, 1908.

I define wisdom as the beneficial application of knowledge in decision. I think of wisdom not in the abstract, but in the functional. Wisdom is true understanding.

—Stephen L Richards, Deseret News, Salt Lake City, Utah, May 30, 1948.

Wisdom is a breath of the power of God, and a pure effluence flowing from the glory of the Almighty. She is the reflection of the Everlasting light, the unspotted mirror of the power of God, and the image of His goodness.

—Edgar Odell Lovett, Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas, Oct. 13, 1912.

What is it to be wise? Is it not to accept ourselves as thrice-blessed children of a God who first created us in primeval joy, sharing His life with us, then made us His children again when we had strayed away, and now continues to hold us in being in the power of His Spirit? To be wise is to accept ourselves as those who have been given dominion over the earth, to release its energy, to reshape its forms into new and better ways. To be wise is to see ourselves as members one of another, to seek to share meaningful and enduring relationships in love and respect and dignity. To be wise is to respect ourselves and each other as persons endowed with life, with freedom to grow, in a common pursuit of the joy that only God can ultimately live. To be wise is to strive to conform our wills with the will of God, who wills that all of us may come to peace.

—T.L. Mathieson, Amarillo Daily News, Amarillo, Texas, Jan. 5, 1980.

"Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom, and with all thy getting, get understanding." (Proverbs 4:7.) There is a difference between wisdom and mere knowledge or information. ... For one thing knowledge inflates, while wisdom humbles. Knowledge can be used for evil, but wisdom only for good. Wisdom is knowledge wedded to virtue, to justice, integrity and love. Our nation was founded on wisdom; let us not try to rebuild it on knowledge alone. Let us send more wise people into the careers that count.

—James G. Keller, Houston Post, Houston, Texas, Sept. 14, 1954.

"Wisdom is the principal thing," says Proverbs, "therefore get wisdom; and with all thy getting get understanding." (Proverbs 4:7.) We get wisdom not by merely getting knowledge, but by getting an understanding of knowledge and then by using that knowledge.

—Joseph H. Appel, The Making of a Man, New York, N.Y., 1921.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” while the keeping of the commandments is the end and fulfillment of wisdom.

—J.B. Cranfill, Baptist Standard, Waco, Texas, Oct, 8, 1896.

Wisdom is the ability to apply knowledge to the best interests of the person who has it. Wisdom also has to do with the right methods and usages of God’s law, God’s grace and God’s love. ... Wisdom must be understood as personified in God. [See Proverbs 3:1.] God never commands but what is right. Thus wisdom reaches its height and delight in obedience. ... Obedience relieves the conscience from accusation and gives boldness to the obedient which has peace as the natural result. [See Proverbs 3:2.]

—Raymond Smith, Religious Herald, Richmond, Va., Oct. 7, 1954.

There is greater wisdom in knowing that you don’t know than there is in thinking you know what you don’t know.

—James E. Talmage, Ogden Standard-Examiner, Ogden, Utah, June 5, 1922.

Knowledge is conceded to be power–but wisdom to use it is of infinite importance. Without wisdom no person can be said to have been successful. I mean success in the higher sense; that is, making the most of life for the present and for the hereafter.

—Moses Thatcher, Southern Star, Chattanooga, Tenn., April 22, 1899.

Some men's wisdom consists chiefly of hindsight.

—Roy L. Smith, Christian Advocate, Chicago, Ill., Aug. 26, 1943.

Wisdom is the possession of truth; love is the use of it. Wisdom is a highway; character is the destination. Wisdom is the blueprint; life is the completed structure.

—Roy L. Smith, Tampa Morning Tribune, Tampa, Fla., April 25, 1932.

There is a distinction between wisdom, intelligence, and knowledge. Knowledge is that intellectual store of facts which comes through experience, study, and observation. Intelligence ... means "understanding," which, of course, is largely dependent upon knowledge. But wisdom is "knowing" and "understanding" plus the active will which does the best things with that knowledge and understanding. Wisdom is knowledge with active capacity to use it for good and fruitful ends. An intelligent person is one who readily learns, and understands the meaning of what he has learned. There are many people who know a great many things, but who lack proper understanding of what they know. Such people can hardly be expected to establish, anchor, or make permanent and secure either their own lives or their home. They lack a true sense of values. They may learn many things and they may have enough intelligence to build a house, but, lacking wisdom, they will never establish their home with its ample roots firmly feeding from the rich soil of truth and reality. Knowledge is the faculty for recognizing. Knowledge implies acquaintance with fact. One who knows precious and pleasant truths is certainly more apt to bring them into his house then the one who knows nothing of such truths and virtues. What one brings into his house is not only an index to his economic status, but also an index to what he is religiously and socially. ... One may have knowledge without much intelligence, or may have knowledge and intelligence without wisdom. But one cannot have wisdom without both knowledge and intelligence. How do you measure up?

—J.H. Avery, Panama City News-Herald, Panama City, Fla., Oct. 17, 1954.

There is a difference between wisdom and knowledge. One may be learned and still be unwise. And to have learning without wisdom is to increase the capacity of the possessor for doing what is foolish and harmful. ... Earthly wisdom may appeal to those whose hearts are whose souls have not been cultivated to appreciate what is true. Divine wisdom is unmixed with foolishness. It is free from evil and from error. It imparts strength to him who receives it. It enables one to see God who is its source. It fills the life with peace and imparts the constructive element to a man's work. It takes out of the nature cruelty and jealousy and hate and makes the quality of gentleness a ruling factor. It conquers the spirit of stubbornness and enables one to submit himself to good instruction. The man who has it will not be always standing for his rights, but will ever be seeking to find a way to promote the common welfare. He will not be always talking about and making demand for justice, but will be ever ready to show mercy and to do good. The one who gets divine wisdom will by to squarely face every situation and rightly meet every legitimate demand this world may bring to him, and best of all, when through with this world he will be made ready for the world which is eternal. No better possession can be acquired than the wisdom which comes down from above. And any man may get it who will ask for it and receive it.

—George A. Scott, The Register and Leader, Des Moines, Iowa, Jan. 8, 1912.

"So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." (Psalms 90:12.) Christian life is action; not a speculation, not a debating, but a doing. One thing and only one thing in this world has eternity stamped upon it. Feelings pass; resolves and thoughts pass; opinions pass. Through the ages, through eternity, what you have done for Christ--that, and that only, you are. The lesson is the proper estimate of life. The man who comes to properly estimate life will mourn a misspent past, properly use the present, and strive to be true in the future. What we need is to apply our hearts unto wisdom. We want practical--not theoretical wisdom; moral, not intellectual wisdom; the wisdom that nerves courage and reveals character. Consciousness of our frailty will lead us to see the God of true religion. What is true religion? True religion is the atmosphere in which character is built. True religion is the environment in which we find God. True religion is the adjustment of the creature, man, to his Creator. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; love to the Lord is the continuance of wisdom; joy in the Lord is the ending of wisdom.

—William M. Anderson, Sr., Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas, June 15, 1914.

True wisdom is revealed by the Spirit and leads to righteousness and peace and must not be confused with the knowledge which leads to carnal paths and away from the things of eternal worth. A worldly wisdom is composed of partial and fragmentary truths mixed with error. This type of wisdom includes the philosophies and learning of men which are destruction of faith, denies the divinity of Christ, and even rules God out of existence. On the other hand, true wisdom is knowledge of divine principles and the faithful application of those principles in one's life. It presupposes a wise and proper use of knowledge, a sound and discerning judgment in the affairs of life and conduct. It is an attribute of God in whom it is found in its fulness and perfection. The course of wisdom is the course of obedience, for there is no wisdom in wrongdoing.

—Willis D. Waite, Northern States News, Chicago, Ill., April 1966.

The virtue of prudence enables a person to discern what is the correct course of action to take at this very moment in this particular situation. Discernment stands as the key word in the decision-making process. An individual seeks through prayer, reflection and consultation to determine the direction in which the Holy Spirit seems to be pointing.

—Joseph M. Champlin, The Church Today, Alexandria, La., Feb. 17, 1982.

Knowledge is the handmaiden of wisdom and waits always upon her bidding.

Knowledge plants the seed; wisdom garners the harvest.

Knowledge digs deep for hidden secrets; wisdom tells them openly that they may be put to wise use.

Knowledge sees, feels, and listens; wisdom finds out and gives the lesson.

Knowledge is the race of the swift, the battle of the strong; wisdom is that which endureth to the end.

Knowledge like the wind goeth where it listeth; wisdom braves the blasts and goeth down the middle of the road.

Knowledge worketh in darkness; wisdom laboreth in the full day sun.

Knowledge crieth aloud her excellence; wisdom silently doeth mighty works.

Knowledge telleth the hours of the sun's coming up and going down; wisdom putteth the hours to the service of man. Knowledge telleth the time for sowing and for reaping; wisdom planteth wisely and nurseth the crop to ripeness.

Knowledge counts the virtues and marks out their boundaries; wisdom brings them all together to make the upright man.

—J. Reuben Clark, Jr., Deseret News, Salt Lake City, Utah, June 14, 1941.

Ignorance is the pulling in of the horizon of man's consciousness. The fool feels only what he touches, but wisdom, the fruit of much learning, enables a man to be the brother of the other side of the world and the son of God.

—A.J. Gearheard, The Shreveport Times, Shreveport, La., Nov. 15, 1925.