In the presence of wisdom

You may have heard of the saying, "Knowledge is power".  These words spoken by the English philosopher Francis Bacon centuries ago has become the mantra of modern society.  We live in a 'knowledge  based economy' now and if you have access to the data, then you can wield an inordinate amount of power.

But access to data is not the same as wisdom--not by a long shot, and here is one reason why:  knowledge requires no amount of moral character in order to possess it, but wisdom (which is often described as 'applied knowledge') cannot be had without humility.

Think of that for a minute:  knowledge is data acquisition, wisdom is the application of knowledge with a humble spirit.  There is an acquired skill that develops through experience necessary for wisdom to flourish.  This doesn't necessarily mean that only people that are over 60 can exercise wisdom, but the truth is still this:  for wisdom to be wisdom, it needs to have the seasoning of humility.

Proverbs 11:2 says: "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom."

I just had coffee with a gentleman who is 'seasoned' in years, and as I listened to and watched him, it was so very evident that he was a man of wisdom.  He exemplified John 12:49 that says that Jesus spoke what His Father wanted and how He wanted it spoken.  The Heavenly Father values humility and wisdom.

I have thought for a number of years now that humility is one of the most attractive characteristic traits.  It is a welcoming thing; somthing that makes you feel accepted and safe.  The presence of humility allows you to honestly examine yourself because you can open up your heart and address the hard and embarassing things without feeling condemned.  And if the most important thing for us is to find our way to Jesus in our heart-of-hearts, then anything that will help to get us there to find freedom sounds a lot like wisdom to me.

Yes, knowledge may be power, but humble wisdom can do the miraculous!

I wonder which one makes the most difference?

BT