Wisdom for the Journey: You're Gonna Need More Than a Fortune Cookie!

I love a good meal! I must confess, however, that when I go out to eat at a Chinese restaurant, I probably enjoy the fortune cookie served at the end of the meal, more than the food...crazy, right? There's just something about the 'words of wisdom' typed on the slip of paper hidden in the cookie. The sound bite...pun intended, is usually positive and contains sage advice or a comment worth pondering. I read mine eagerly, hoping for some insight or encouragement.

While fortune cookies are fun; as Christians, we know that true wisdom comes from God. Unfortunately, although we need God's wisdom if we are going to be successful in God's eyes with our spiritual transformation, most people don't strive for wisdom or even know what true wisdom really is, according to the Bible. When is the last time you heard an elementary school aged child say, "When I grow up, I want to be wise"?

We do not value wisdom as a society.  If you disagree with me, I need only refer you to 'reality TV' shows as a genre and then pose these questions, "Do we watch these shows because the personalities on them are our role models for wisdom and righteous living? Or, do we watch them to feel superior, and to make fun of the personalities on them?"

Not only do we not strive for wisdom, we really don't know the Biblical definition for wisdom. Stop for a moment; and before reading further, write down a short definition of 'wisdom.' So what did you write down?

Most people respond in one of two ways:

•  Wisdom is acquired with age. Knowledge is gained through experience, as in learning what works and what doesn't from the 'school of hard knocks'; or;

•  Wisdom is acquired through study or formalized training and education

If these two beliefs were always true, wise folks would always be old and educated! I don't know about you, but I've observed many young, untrained people, I consider wise, and a number of foolish 'educated' seniors!

The interesting thing is that Scripture doesn't focus on age or training in discussing the characteristics of a wise person. Best of all; Scripture holds out hope that everyone can acquire wisdom! Whew, what a relief!

James3:13-18 says that the characteristics of Godly wisdom are:

•  Purity

•  Peace

•  Gentleness

•  Deference, and;

•  Mercy

Were these traits in your definition? They weren't in mine. This passage also recites three traits which are not found in Godly wisdom:

•  Hypocritical

•  Jealous

•  Selfish

I must admit that I was surprised when I first read this description. After thinking and meditating on these verses, it makes a lot of sense. I recommend that you spend some time pondering the idea of wisdom and the scriptural traits recorded in James. I think God will speak to your heart and your head, and 'renew your mind' on this topic.

The next time you are tempted to look to your fortune cookie for words of wisdom, remember that God has given us 'sound bites' of wisdom in His Word. We need look no further than the wonderful words of wisdom in the Book of Proverbs. Look at this wise passage in Proverbs 10:19 MSG:

     The more talk, the less truth; the wise measure their words!

Since I'm at a word count of 556 words, it's time to stop talking and transition into some action steps to ponder...

Action steps:

•  Spend some time pondering the characteristics of Godly wisdom recorded in James, can you see how embodying these characteristics would give a person Godly wisdom?

•  Can you see how being hypocritical, jealous, and selfish prevent a person from developing Godly wisdom?

•  Which trait will be the hardest one for you to master, and why is that?

•   What is one action you can take to develop this trait?

•  When it comes to being hypocritical, jealous, or selfish, which trait is most likely to cause you to stumble as you strive to acquire Godly wisdom? What is one action you can take to eliminate this trait from your life?