Wisdom Beats All

If you Google “Who is the smartest person in the world?”, your search results will probably include William James Sardis. Born in New York City in 1898, he had an impressive resume by the time he was 8 years old. Having been able to read since 18 months of age, he then taught himself 8 different languages by the time he was 8 years old. At 11 years of age, he attended Harvard University, where he also lectured the Harvard Mathematical Club on the topic of four-dimensional bodies. And then by the time he was 16 years old, he graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree, cum laude. Most people would agree this child was intelligent! His life later became messy with difficulties with the law, a desire to live in isolation, and problems with the press publicly defaming his name, followed by unsuccessful lawsuits. Although this child was extremely gifted, his life didn’t seem to measure up to his heart’s content. 

Proverbs 4:11 offers us a different perspective. It says, “I have instructed you in the way of [skillful and godly] wisdom; I have led you in upright paths” (AMP). This wisdom that God offers is different than the intelligence we find in man. As in the case of William Sardis, man can be knowledgeable in numerous ways and intelligent beyond the norm, but even these don’t necessarily provide us with the wisdom to make good choices in life. Intelligence is God given, so it’s good, but it cannot always be our guide. Logic is sensible, but it will not always prove to be the right way either. How many times have you made a decision thinking “Well, this makes the most sense, so I’ll do this”, only to find out it was the wrong decision? You know why? Because we have human minds. 1 Corinthians 1:25 says “…the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (ASV). Which means that even all the intelligence in the world still doesn’t give us the wisdom we need. Not to mention that God works outside of time, so He already sees the end results of our decisions. We need something else to help us navigate life’s roadmap. Something far greater than our human minds can discern. That something else is a person, His name is Jesus Christ. Because Jesus has all the deity of God the Father in Him, He is capable of leading us and guiding us through life’s challenges. His love for us will not allow us to stumble onto the wrong path. If we diligently seek Him, He will instruct us. If we genuinely look for Him, He will lead us (Jeremiah 29:13).

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, thank You for all the intelligence and knowledge You have given us. But those alone cannot truly lead us through life. We need Your counsel, Your instruction, Your wisdom, and Your discernment in order to make decisions that honor You. Thank You that You will never leave us and have bound Yourself to us for eternity. Keep our feet on Your path and always guide us into making the right decisions according to Your will. In Your Son’s holy name, Amen

Action: The next decision you need to make, bring it before the Lord in prayer (before you make the decision on your own), and ask Him to lead you into making the right decision. Your life doesn’t need any more messes (just like mine doesn’t!) Thankfully, your life belongs to Him, so let Him lead you according to His will.  

Double Dare: Do this for all future decisions you need to make!