Wisdom comes in small bites...

Roast of the day: Medium

What is wisdom? Can one equate intelligence to wisdom, or is wisdom something more?

I believe wisdom is the discipline of choosing the right path every time we are confronted with a decision. There's no doubt that intelligence can play a role, but it is by no means synonymous with wisdom. I've met highly intelligent people that have made some very foolish choices.

I once had the pleasure of hearing the well known author, Ken Blanchard, speak at a conference. He gave an amazing statistic regarding the number of decisions that each one of us make on a daily basis. Although a few of these decisions may be significant in nature, the vast majority of our daily choices could be labeled as mundane, or insignificant. If you're anything like me, you probably devote a great deal of energy and thoughtfulness into the major decisions that confront you - but what about the little choices? What about that car merging onto the interstate in front of you? Do you demonstrate courtesy and allow them to merge, or do you speed up to make sure you end up in front of them?

What if we all took the time to consider every decision we make and ask the question, "Will this response make the world a better place, or a worse place?" I know this may seem like a trivial exercise in some circumstances, but I truly believe it is a discipline worth pursuing.

Through discipline and discernment, we can exercise our ability to make the right decisions. With each right decision, we grow incrementally in wisdom.

A person does not become wise overnight. No, wisdom comes in small bites...

Gotta Work on My "IFs"

Roast of the day: Medium

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will direct your paths." - Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)

If you're someone that is familiar with the Bible, I'm sure you probably recognize this passage. Like many of you, I've read these particular verses countless times. It's a Scripture passage that is both a proverb and a promise. It wasn't until recently that God revealed a new insight to me that I wanted to share.

Like many of the promises found in Scripture, this passage can really be broken down into an IF - THEN statement. If we trust in the Lord with all our hearts...If we don't depend on our own understanding...If we seek Him in all we do - Then He will direct our paths.

I think there are too many times that I want the "then" without the effort of the "if." I find myself asking God to help guide me or direct me in an upcoming decision without fully examining how I've been fulfilling my "if" requirements. Have I been trusting the Lord with ALL my heart? Is it possible that I've been leaning too heavily on my own knowledge and understanding? Have I truly been seeking His will in ALL I do? This is not legalism - this is showing love and devotion.

Lord, help me work on my ifs, before expecting the promises of Your thens.