Getting Clarity in Decisions

A young naval Ensign had proven his skills to his Captain and was looking forward to the day when he would successfully take the giant destroyer out of the dock and out into the open sea. Finally, the day arrived, and Ensigwas enthusiastically and quickly barking out orders to the crew with a flurry of hurried activities.

Another officer came to the Ensign to give him a radio report from the Captain. The Ensign thought it was kind of odd to receive a radio report from the Captain when he could have just come to him personally. Here was the radio message:

Congratulations on your excellent departure from the dock in record time. You did everything according to proper procedure and in fact, you broke a record, but there is one thing I want to bring to your attention, and that is, always before you depart make sure the Captain is on board.”

Sometimes our lives are like that. We got the procedures down, but we forget to make sure our Captain is on board. There are a lot of smart people who have a lot of knowledge but have a hard time applying it to their lives.

The speed of information today is utterly mind-blowing. With a simple click, we can know something anywhere in the world within seconds. We hear a lot of voices and have plenty of information about a lot of things, but what do we do with it?

What is knowledge and what is wisdom?
Unfortunately, there is not a direct correlation between knowledge and wisdom. Webster’s definition of wisdom says ‘Wisdom is accumulated philosophic or scientific learning, the ability to discern inner qualities and relationships.’

We all need wisdom. Wisdom is meant to be practical, not theoretical. Wisdom doesn’t mean you know more, but it’s what you do with what you know. 

The Hebrew word for wisdom is used to describe a skill to work, expertise, experience. The Apostle Paul said the Athenians prided themselves in their ‘deeper’ Greek philosophy of superior wisdom by saying, “They spend their time doing nothing, but talking and listening to the latest new ideas.” Acts 17:2

Wisdom does not necessarily have anything to do with age.
The book of Proverbs tells us that wisdom is developed by the choices you make and is dependent upon our heart’s willingness to grow. If you want to grow and make the wisest decisions in your life then seek God’s wisdom. Peter tells us,

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  2 Peter 1:5-8