James 3:17 “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. We usually recognise wisdom by what a person knows. We notice intelligence, experience, quick judgement or the ability to solve difficult problems. Yet James…

Proverbs 15:33 “The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; and before honor is humility We are naturally drawn towards the visible parts of life: achievement, recognition, influence and success. We notice the person who has reached the top, the leader whose judgement is respected, or the individual whose work has finally been…

Psalm 25:9 “The meek will he guide in judgment; and the meek will he teach his way.” We often think of wisdom as the ability to know what to do. We imagine the wise person as someone who sees clearly, makes good decisions and rarely needs correction. Yet Psalm 25 gives us a rather different…

Job 28:28 “And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.” We often think of wisdom as something accumulated. We imagine that the wise person is the one who has read widely, lived long enough to recognise patterns, and gathered enough experience to…

There is a great difference between being informed and being wise. We live surrounded by information, much of it arriving faster than we can properly consider it. Children encounter ideas, opinions, entertainment and arguments at an age when previous generations were exposed to far fewer competing voices. Adults are hardly different. Our phones can answer…

There are moments when words seem to matter more than usual. A difficult conversation is approaching. Someone challenges what we believe. We are asked a question for which we have no carefully prepared answer. Perhaps we know that truth needs to be spoken, yet we are afraid that emotion, nervousness or uncertainty will cause us…

Proverbs 16:16 “How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!” There are some things whose value is immediately obvious. Gold has always attracted attention because it is rare, beautiful and useful. Silver has been treasured for centuries. Wealth gives us choices, security and…

Ecclesiastes 7:12 “For wisdom is a defense, and money is a defense; but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.” There is a refreshing realism in Ecclesiastes. Scripture does not pretend that money is unimportant. It does not tell us that material resources have no value or that…

Knowing about God is not the same as knowing Him. True understanding grows when our knowledge of the Holy One begins transforming our character, choices, relationships and daily lives.

Psalm 111:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all they that do his commandments; his praise endureth forever.” We often think wisdom is something accumulated. We imagine that enough years, enough books, enough qualifications or enough experience will eventually make us wise. Certainly, experience can teach us…

“And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.”— Job 28:28, Inspired Version We live in a culture that admires cleverness. We value people who can think quickly, solve difficult problems, gather information and speak confidently about complicated things. None of that is…

Proverbs 13:20 “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise; but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” We tend to think of character as something created entirely from within. We imagine that our convictions, habits and values are simply the result of our own choices. Proverbs reminds us that the truth is more…