Wisdom From Above

Proverbs 18:15

Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge. (Proverbs 18:15)

IN THE LAST COUPLE OF CENTURIES, many Christians have lamented the trends in education that have marginalized biblical revelation and emphasized empirical or quantifiable knowledge to the exclusion of all else. One response to those trends has been to withdraw from “secular” organizations and create our own schools. Many great institutions have been developed as a result, but the absence of Christian voices in the public sector has also been noticeable for decades. Now, in spite of the best efforts of many, reintegrating biblical truth has been difficult. We still come across as marginal voices.

To a degree, that will always be true. Our message will always be controversial and rejected by some. But our influence in this world will always be harmed by the impulse to flee whatever we perceive as “godless” and cling to our own subculture. It makes little sense to withdraw our influence from huge sectors of society and then lament how little influence we have in them. We made choices. Now we need to remedy them.

God is calling many people in our day to go to the places we left behind and be reasonable voices of truth. There are times to isolate and become grounded in our own understanding, but even greater opportunities are found in a world that seeks understanding. We need to get past the fear of threatening influences that could change us and live as influencers out to change the world. And we can, with confidence, because he who is in us is greater than any alternative version of truth the world declares (1 John 4:4). If we go with humility, a desire to learn, a sensitivity to other viewpoints, a rock-solid conviction that we know the God of the universe, and a willingness to ask the Holy Spirit for unusual wisdom and insights, we can add light and truth to conversations that have long excluded us. We can, like Jesus confronting the educated of his day, offer perspectives from beyond this world.

{Lord, I can never know everything I need to know to confront every false teaching in this world. I can, however, know your truth and hear your voice. Give me a hunger to learn, extraordinary wisdom, and spiritual insights to share with many. Amen.