Matthew 5:5
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Luke 2:52
And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.
Blessed are the disciplined for they will inherit the earth! This is the reward of diligent and deliberate efforts to serve God with your WHOLE self. First let us look at what it might look like to grow in wisdom.
Maybe it is because of the Wizard of Oz, where the Scarecrow is given him a diploma as evidence that he is intelligent. First let me say, intelligence and wisdom are totally different. But with that said. A diploma does not mean that a person has acquired intelligence. I often work alongside folks with alphabet soup letters under their name who could not reason their way out of a wet paper bag. Visiting their office, they have their diplomas framed and displayed as evidence that they know what they are talking about. Now, some are really intelligent but the paper on the wall is not evidence of anything of the sort. Understand that our understanding of just about any topic is growing and expanding at rates that are mind blowing. What was true even last year might be determined to be irrelevant, or simply wrong, this year. A person that wants to be intelligent needs to use the skills of study they used to get that paper and apply it day by day in a nonstop effort to continue learning. I know many that have not read a book since they walked across the magic stage that bestowed unquestionable brilliance on them. They like to throw terms around like “evidence-based research,” to validate whatever program they are supporting.
This is not to say that higher education has no value. I totally believe that higher education has great value, but if you depend on any one institution to grant you wisdom, you will likely only have some knowledge of one viewpoint. If you attend a Christian college, you will hear things from what is termed, “A Christian worldview.” However, that is even tainted the same way anything that man touches become unclean. Remember that the Old Testament teaches us that if you are unclean and you touch someone or something that was clean, it becomes unclean. I do live my life with a Biblical worldview. However, my philosophy even under that umbrella continues to grow and expand as I get to know Jesus more and more. This is not the same as compromise with the world view that is often preached at most secular campuses. They teach freedom of thought unless you disagree with them. Then you are either a hater or are backward. If you choose to disagree with a professor, they have the power to make your life miserable. They will accuse you of lack of intelligence, or worse, question your capability in your chosen field of study. Many have become discouraged as they are forced to deny that they believe Creation is for real, that God really hates sin and that life begins at conception.
The thing about wisdom is that it takes time and an accumulation of knowledge. I must study the topic from many different views and ideas. I must use creativity to imagine how this topic might look from different angles.
Many times in the Gospels (check out John 8-9 for clear examples), Jesus is asked to decide between A and B. He does not choose either; He essentially says the questioners are missing the point. With the man born blind in John 9, they are so worried about what caused his blindness that they do not see the man is hurting and wounded in this life. His lack of sight keeps him from valuable work, keeps him from public worship, and separates him from others since they are unlikely to have anything in common. Jesus refuses to engage in the knowledge focus of the discussion but goes to the heart. He says essentially, “This is a man that has suffered. It does not help him to engage in this pointless debate. Let’s see if we can help him not to hurt anymore.” Wisdom in our world is doing the same when we encounter problems.
