The Fear of God Is the Beginning of Wisdom, Which Is Skill in Godly Loving
- Jack Selcher
- Oct 4
- 3 min read
Facts build knowledge as bricks build a house. True wisdom is the mortar that makes the bricks useful. So, what is true wisdom? Where can you find it? How will you know you have it?
A senior high school student whom a school official interviewed said that he advised underclass individuals to get eight hours of sleep a night. Asked whether he got that much sleep, he answered, “No.”
True wisdom is not knowing something others do not. It is not clever words and pithy sayings.
It is right living. It is knowledge plus show-how. It depends on a healthy relationship with God. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10).
It is teaching God’s word and living according to it (James 3:13). You can discern the truly wise better with your eyes than your ears. True wisdom is a skill in godly living. It is living for God as Aaron Judge crushes a baseball or Stephen Curry swishes three-point shots with a basketball.
Since the essence of God’s will is to love Him and your neighbor as yourself, true wisdom is being skilled in godly loving. What does that look like?
Such wisdom does not flaunt itself. It does not covet the spotlight. It does not need the spotlight at all.
Where envy and selfish ambition are, true wisdom is not (James 3:14). Earthly wisdom covets others’ attention and praise.
Those who teach or serve to bring glory to themselves are not truly wise, no matter what words they use or deeds they perform. The truly wise lift others, not themselves.
Behind earthly wisdom is the desire for personal gain. It is not spiritual. Satan is its ultimate source. It is the currency of those who have not been born again or those who live like they have not been born again (1 Corinthians 3:3).
It results in “disorder and every evil practice” (James 3:16 NIV). Earthly wisdom brings turmoil to the church. You can list ten reasons a green carpet is better than a blue one for the church, but that is not true wisdom. Competing camps, each armed with earthly wisdom, cause many church fights.
True wisdom is pure (James 3:17) without self-seeking and self-exaltation. It is not I-centered. It is God-centered and others-centered.
True wisdom is peace-loving. It does not compete with others spiritually. It does not have to win.
It is gentle, considerate, and forbearing. It does not insist on its rights. It is not stubborn. It yields to others. It is compassionate. It is ready to help the needy. It does not play favorites. It is sincere.
Earthly wisdom bears no spiritual fruit. True wisdom produces a harvest of righteousness.
Wise people promote peace through their words and actions. They are lubricators, not agitators.
True wisdom comes from God. The truly wise skillfully apply God’s word to real-life decisions and situations.
True wisdom produces spiritual fruit. It is marked by self-giving, not self-exaltation. It is worth far more than gold (Proverbs 16:16). It is yours for the asking (James 1:5)! What is your takeaway?
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