Who is wise and has understanding among you? He should show his works by good conduct with wisdom’s gentleness. But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t brag and deny the truth. Such wisdom does not come from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without favoritism and hypocrisy.  James 3:13-17 HCSB

Do you know someone who is extremely book smart, but has no common sense? I am speaking of someone who can solve any equation you throw at them whether it be trigonometry, calculus, physics, or chemistry. I am speaking of the kind of person that doesn’t have to study. They can just read over material and understand and remember what they have read. Maybe in school, you were that type of person or you wished you were that type of person.

I can remember when I was in school. I saw people that were really book smart, but had little or no common sense. Then there were people with a lot of common sense, but they had to work hard at getting good grades. But there was this one girl in my class who was extremely smart. She had book sense and really good common sense. She stood out for two reasons. She was super smart. She graduated school a year early and went on to become a college math professor. But the other thing that really stood out was that she was a devout Christian. She loved the Lord. She had a sweet spirit. She was already ready and willing to help those of us who struggled with math. She was always ready and willing to share the gospel with anyone who would listen.

Now if you think about it, it’s rare to see someone that has both book smarts and good common sense. But our scripture passage today speaks of two kinds of wisdom. There is wisdom that is earthly and unspiritual and is even considered demonic. Now, you may think that saying earthly wisdom is demonic is a bit harsh. But I think back to the sitcom, The Big Bang Theory. The four main characters in that show were physicists that were considered to be extremely intelligent. They were also very open about not believing in God.

Many scientists believe in science, but obviously never stop to think about how the earth is so perfectly formed. They don’t think about how there is just enough oxygen on the planet. They don’t think about how all part of our body work together when we are healthy. They have theories that try to explain God’s creation.

But as Christians, we don’t need theories to explain how the earth came to be, we have the Bible for that. It is explained for us in the book of Genesis. Our Big Bang Theory says that God said it, and “bang” it came into existence.

Now if you have an extremely high IQ then I am happy for you. But, being smart and having God-given wisdom are two different things. First of all if you have an IQ then you need to continually praise and thank God for that. But then you need to seek out Godly wisdom. You need to study your Bible. You need to be knowledgeable in God’s instructions or commandments.

Now maybe you are reading this and feel inadequate or lacking in wisdom. Well that’s okay, the Bible also instructs us in this area. James 1:5 says that if any of us is lacking in wisdom that we can ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him.

We all need to be wise. If we are not wise, we are easily deceived. The Bible tells us in many scripture passages not to be deceived. Pray for Godly wisdom. Pray for God to guide you and study His word. Trust in Him. Proverbs 9:10 tells us that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

Don’t trust what you read on Facebook, but trust in the Good Book. My prayer for all of us today is that we will study the Good Book of God’s word and be wise in Him. Don’t just be book smart, but be Good Book smart.

Have a great day!