Wisdom in Christian preaching involves discerning right action through humility, integrity, and love, often contrasted with pride or selfishness. Illustrations use images of decision-making, counsel-seeking, and the costs of choices to emphasize lasting values over superficial or impulsive reactions (Proverbs 3:13-18). It highlights the importance of practical faith and wise motivation in daily living (James 3:17).
Encouraging all voices prevents fear-based silence and promotes wise decision-making.
America's Supreme Court has an interesting custom. The newest member of the court speaks his or her mind on a decision first. Then the next newest speaks. This continues until all of the members have spoken, and then the Chief Justice speaks last. In that way, no one is held back by fear of differing with the opinion of a more experienced judge. This wouldn't be a bad idea for most of our churches or business committees to follow. The Cost of Indecision
Former President Ronald Reagan says he learned the need for decision-making early in life. An aunt had taken him to a cobbler to have a pair of shoes made for him. The shoemaker asked young Ronald Reagan, "Do you want a square toe or a round toe?"
Reagan hemmed and hawed. So the cobbler said, "Come back in a day or two and let me know what you want."
A few days later the shoemaker saw Reagan on the street and asked what he had decided about the shoes. "I still haven't made up my mind," the boy answered. "Very well," said the cobbler.
When Reagan received the shoes, he was shocked to see that one shoe had a square toe and the other a round toe.
"Looking at those shoes every day taught me a lesson," said Reagan years later. "If you don't make your own decisions, somebody else will make them for you!"
The sovereign God has made us people, not puppets. We have His Word to guide us, His love to redeem us, and His assurance that we are capable of making choices.
Meekness is responding gently and wisely rather than with harshness or force.
A missionary in Jamaica was once questioning some little boys on the meaning of Matthew 5:5 and asked, "Who are the meek?" A boy answered, "Those who give soft answers to rough questions." We shall do well to remember this child's definition. The one who has wisdom in his head and heart does not need to shout at others. Wisdom speaks softly and persuasively, instead of impelling and forcing. Through the use of our tongues people will know whether we are wise or not. As that great theologian, Charles Hodge, said, "The doctrines of grace humble a man without degrading him and exalt him without inflating him." The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth
Men cannot understand how meekness is going to inherit the earth. Men believe in physical strength. They believe in arms and armies. They believe in craft and cunning. They believe in energy, will, and perseverance. They believe in things. They believe in matter. They believe in influencing their fellowmen, working upon them by threats, by pain, by fear. There are few men who believe that a humble man is being used in the strongest possible manner. They cannot credit that his humility shows that he is governed by his highest nature. They cannot conceive that an attitude of meekness is in perfect accord with the divine nature, which is dwelling in that meek one as a result of his new birth in Christ. In saying that the meek shall inherit the earth, our Lord declares this is the potential accomplishment of the man who is indwelt by Christ, by the Spirit of God within man. The Fruit of Meekness
A Brahmin compared the Christian missionary to the mango tree. All its branches hang with fruit. It is then assailed with stones and clubs by passersby. How does it respond-by dropping fruit at every blow at the feet of those who assail it. At the close of the season, it stands scarred and battered, its leaves torn off, its branches broken. But the next year it bears more fruit than the previous year. That is what our meekness should do in the world-not try to conserve its self-esteem but bear fruit, fruit that descends low at the attack of cruel words and actions. Christian meekness cannot be exercised in isolation. It must be manifested within the framework of society, a society that hates the Lord Jesus Christ, openly or subtly, and all who stand for Him. A Sense of God's Goodness
One night during an evangelistic meeting, a paralytic was wheeled down the aisle and placed near the platform. In the preliminary part of the service, the song leader caught sight of him and asked, "What is your favorite hymn?" He immediately answered, "Count Your Blessings!" There was no wail of complaint from the handicapped man, just a vivid sense of the goodness of God. Our submissiveness to God spells satisfaction for our lot on earth. This is the lesson of this Beatitude, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." This paralytic is surely heir to a greater part of earth than many a millionaire. Meekness, in this sense, is a power-the power to feel satisfaction with what God gives, the power not to merely endure it but to enjoy it to the fullest and to use it for His purpose. A Room Nobody Wants
When Sammy Morris, a Kru boy from Africa, came to America to be trained for Christian service, he presented himself for matriculation at Taylor University. He revealed a spirit all too rare among Christians. When the President of the University asked him what room he wanted, Sammy replied, "If there is a room nobody wants, give that to me." Of this incident the President later wrote: "I turned away, for my eyes were full of tears. I was asking myself whether I was willing to take what nobody else wanted. In my experience as a teacher, I have had occasion to assign rooms to more than a thousand students. Most of them were noble, Christian young ladies and gentlemen; but Sammy Morris was the only one of them who ever said, 'If there is a room that nobody wants, give that to me.' "
Meekness of wisdom accepts God's dealings without complaint, trusting His perfect plan.
A preacher once received a letter with a pathetic story of a muddled and disordered life which ended: "It just beats me. A doctor of philosophy and unable to solve my own troubles!" It takes more than a friend of wisdom to help us in our troubles; it takes Wisdom personified, the Lord Jesus Himself. When everything goes wrong and troubles abound and the Christian can still go about his duties in life without revolting against God, against Wisdom, then he is possessed with this wonderful meekness of wisdom. Meekness of wisdom is accepting Wisdom's dealings with us without a murmur and without a sigh. It is that temper of spirit which at all times says, "Yes, Lord, Thou knowest best."
Choose lasting qualities over superficial appeal in important decisions.
A husband volunteered to accompany his wife on a shopping expedition to purchase dress goods for herself and the children. "This is pretty material," said the husband, indicating a colorful print. The wife fingered it briefly and said, "Too flimsy. It won't wear well." "Then how about this?" persisted the man, pointing to another bolt of cloth. "Strong enough," said the wife, "but will it wash?" The husband in his inexperience was allowing himself to be influenced by eye appeal. The wife was looking for more lasting qualities.
Small things, like the tongue, can have great impact and require wise attention.
We should mind little things in life-little courtesies, little matters of personal appearance, little extravagances, little minutes of wasted time, little details in our work. It seems that a thing cannot be too small to command our attention. The first hint Newton had, leading to his very important optical discoveries, was derived from a child's soap bubble. The art of printing was suggested by a man cutting letters in the bark of a tree. The telescope was the outcome of a boy's amusement with two glasses in his father's shop. Goodyear neglected his skillet until it was red hot, and the accident guided him to the manufacture of vulcanized rubber-little things, every one a little thing. Yet how important they proved to be to the man who had the wit to correlate these things with the idea in his head. So the tongue is like the helm of a ship. The helm is small, but it can direct a big vessel. The Tongue-The Best and Worst
Xanthus, the philosopher, once told his servant that the next day he was going to have some friends for dinner and that he should get the best thing he could find in the market. The philosopher and his guests sat down the next day at the table. They had nothing but tongue-four or five courses of tongue-tongue cooked in this way, and tongue cooked in that way. The philosopher finally lost his patience and said to his servant, "Didn't I tell you to get the best thing in the market?" The servant said, "I did get the best thing in the market. Isn't the tongue the organ of sociability, the organ of eloquence, the organ of kindness, the organ of worship?" Then Xanthus the philosopher said, "Tomorrow I want you to get the worst thing in the market." And on the morrow the philosopher sat at the table, and there was nothing there but tongue-four or five courses of tongue-tongue in this shape and tongue in that shape. The philosopher again lost his patience and said, "Didn't I tell you to get the worst thing in the market?" The servant replied, "I did; for isn't the tongue the organ of blasphemy, the organ of defamation, the organ of lying?" Well done, servant; you certainly taught the philosopher a lesson, the same lesson the Apostle James wants to teach us in the third chapter. The tongue can do great good, and it can do great evil.
True wisdom includes keeping promises even at personal loss.
"My boy," said the store owner to his new employee, "wisdom and integrity are essential to the retail business. By 'integrity'I mean if you promise a customer something, you have got to keep that promise-even if it means we lose money."
"And what," asked the teenager, "is wisdom?"
"That," answered the boss, "is not making any stupid promises."
Simple daily habits like giving, praying, and thanking lead to a happier life.
Give something away (no strings attached).
Do a kindness (and forget it).
Spend a few minutes with the aged (their experience can be priceless guidance).
Look intently into the face of a baby (and marvel).
Laugh often (it is life's lubricant).
Give thanks (a thousand times a day is not enough).
Pray (or you will lose the way).
Work (with vim and vigor).
Plan as though you will live forever (because you will).
Live as though you will die tomorrow (because you will die on some tomorrow).
True help empowers others rather than fostering dependence or division.
Abraham Lincoln once said, "You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by encouraging class hatred. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn. You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.
Seeking multiple perspectives prevents misjudgment from limited experience.
Here is a caution about seeking experienced counsel: It's dangerous to go on just one person's experience. Mark Twain told about a cat who sat on a hot stove lid. That experience taught the cat never to sit on a hot stove lid again. But further, that cat never sat on a cold stove lid either. He took more from the experience than it had to offer. If we're going to talk about experiences, we would be wise to talk to a number of people who have faced similar decisions and extract direction from their combined counsel.
Actions are right or wrong based on the love or selfishness motivating them.
There are a great many actions which, in and of themselves, are neither right nor wrong. They are made right when we act in love. They become wrong if we act in selfishness.
It's like playing the piano. There are no right or wrong notes. There are only right or wrong notes in the context of the musical score. We many not like G or F, or be very favorable to middle C, but the note is only wrong in the context of what is being played. Likewise, choices become right or wrong based on the motivation behind them.
Knowledge without wisdom leads to pride and division instead of practical godliness.
"Men of abstracted concepts and sublime speculations are but wise fools, like the lark, that soareth high, peering and peering, but yet falleth into the net of the fowler. Knowledge without wisdom may be soon discerned; it is usually curious and censorious." This is abundantly seen in many who pretend to interpret seals and vials and yet neglect family devotion and the plain precepts of the Word. Such are found occupying their
time in hair-splitting over difficult points, but they do not labour to maintain the unity of the body of Christ. They are very acute upon speculative topics of no consequence whatever, but they divide on the slightest pretext from the rest of the brotherhood. We have enough to do with watching over our own hearts and endeavouring to bring sinners to Christ without becoming more nice than wise upon matters of theological subtlety and word-spinning. The wide difference between wisdom and knowledge is forgotten by many: they hoard up knowledge of a peculiar sort like collectors of coins, and yet they use it not as merchants use money, but keep it for show, a rarity to be looked at, labelled, put away in a glass case and exhibited to those who are admirers of curios and rarities. Lord! help me to soar like the lark, but keep me clear of the net. Make me practical, and let not my head swim with airy notions till I rush upon my own destruction.
Sometimes the simplest solution is overlooked when we focus too narrowly.
Sir Isaac Newton, finding himself extremely cold, one evening in winter, drew his chair very close to the grate, in which a large fire had recently been lighted. By degrees, the fire having completely kindled, Sir Isaac felt the heat intolerably intense, and rang his bell with unusual violence. His servant was not at hand at the moment, but he soon made his appearance. By this time, Sir Isaac was almost literally roasted. "Remove the grate, you lazy rascal!" he exclaimed, in a tone of irritation very uncommon with that amiable and bland philosopher; "remove the grate, before I am burnt to death!"—"And pray, master," said the servant, "might you not rather draw back your chair?"—"Upon my word," said Sir Isaac, smiling, "I never thought of that." Percy.
Excessive focus on details can cause one to miss critical life realities.
When Syracuse was taken, Archimedes was describing mathematical figures upon the earth; and when one of the enemy came upon him, sword in hand, and asked his name, he was so engrossed with the desire of preserving the figures entire, that he answered only by an earnest request to the soldier to keep off, and not break in upon his circle. The soldier, conceiving himself scorned, ran Archimedes through the body, the purple streams gushing from which soon obscured all traces of the problem on which he had been so intent. Thus fell this illustrious man, from the mere neglect to tell his name. Percy.
True wisdom is adapting to life's circumstances, unlike a fool who resists them.
He alone is wise who can accommodate himself to all the contingencies of life; but the fool contends, and is struggling like a swimmer against the stream. From the Latin.
Ignoring wise warnings about hidden dangers can lead to fatal consequences.
"Be sure, Herbert," said Mr. Wise to his son, "not to go beyond your depth in the river: the surface looks very fair and sparkling, but there is an ugly eddy beneath, that may prove too strong for you."
"How do you know, father?" asked Herbert.
"I have tried it," was the reply. "It nearly overcame me; but I could swim, and so got beyond it. Remember what I tell you: beware of the undertow."
Herbert went in to bathe, and was very careful to keep near the shore every time. "It cannot be very dangerous here," he thought, and uttered it aloud to his companion.
"It is as smooth as glass; and I can easily return if it is rough beneath, for I can swim now."
"You had better not go," urged his friend: "my father knows this river well, and he says the undertow is very dangerous."
"I will go in a little ways," replied Herbert, "and, if I find it dangerous, come back." And he started vigorously for the middle of the river. His companion, watching him, saw him throw up his arms wildly, and heard his shout for help; but, when help reached him, it was too late. The undertow had got him. He was drowned in the treacherous river!
— Mrs. M. L. Rayne
Following nature and being authentic prevents affectation and false pretenses.
When Cicero consulted the oracle at Delphos, concerning what course of studies he should pursue, the answer was, "Follow Nature." If every one would do this, affectation would be almost unknown. J. Beaumont.
Modern believers build on past discoveries to gain a broader, deeper understanding of truth.
It has been observed, that a dwarf standing on the shoulders of a giant will see farther than the giant himself; and the moderns, standing as they do on the vantage-ground of former discoveries, and uniting all the fruits of the experience of their forefathers with their own actual observation, may be admitted to enjoy a more enlarged and comprehensive view of things than the ancients themselves.
— Colton
True wisdom avoids danger altogether rather than tempting it by driving close to the edge.
A gentleman who wished to test the character of some men who had offered themselves for the situation of coachman, took them to a narrow road which bordered on a deep precipice, and inquired of them how near to the dangerous verge they could drive without fear. One named a few inches, another still fewer. The gentleman shook his head, and dismissed them. They might tempt danger instead of seeking safety. He could not risk his life with them. A third was taken to the precipice; and in answer to the question, "How near this edge can you drive in safety?" drew back, replying, "I should drive as far from it as possible. The place is dangerous. I should avoid it altogether if I could." He was employed. He could be trusted; for he was too wise to encounter needless peril.
Wisdom is shown by preferring useful censure over deceptive praise.
Few persons have sufficient wisdom to prefer censure which is useful to them, to praise which deceives them. La Rochefoucauld.
Wise consideration anchors the soul, preventing it from being tossed by life's storms.
Titus Vespasianus was much affected to see a dolphin wreathed and fastened about an anchor, which emblem signified the staidness of his thoughts before he did any thing; and, when he had well considered, then the diligence of his care in the execution of it. The dolphin swims with as much speed in the sea as a bird flies in the air; and it is the anchor which prevents the ship from being tossed and carried away with the winds. This may teach us to look before we leap. Spencer.
Recording conversations can inspire better, more thoughtful dialogue.
Mr. Locke having been introduced by Lord Shaftesbury to the Duke of Buckingham and Lord Halifax, these three noblemen, instead of conversing with that philosopher on literary subjects, in a very short time sat down to cards. Mr. Locke, after looking on for some time, took out his pocket-book, and began to write with great attention. One of the company, observing this, took the liberty of asking him what he was writing. "My lord," says Locke, "I am endeavoring, as far as possible, to profit by my present situation; for, having waited with impatience for the honor of being in company with the greatest geniuses of the age, I thought I could do nothing better than to write down your conversation: and, indeed, I have set down the substance of what you have said for this hour or two." The noblemen immediately quitted their play, and entered into a conversation suited to their reputation as men of genius. Percy.
Wise counsel brings stability; without it, life is unstable like a drunken man.
Solomon hath pronounced that "in counsel is stability."
Things will have their first or second agitation: if they be not tossed upon the arguments of counsel, they will be tossed upon the waves of fortune, and be full of inconstancy, doing and undoing, like the reeling of a drunken man. Lord Bacon.
Pursuing fleeting pleasures heedless of danger can lead to fatal consequences.
A boy climbing among the Alps saw some flowers on the verge of a precipice, and sprang forward to get them. The guide shouted his warning: but the heedless boy grasped the flowers, and fell a thousand feet upon the rocks below with them in his hand. It was a dear price for such frail things; but he is not the only victim of such folly.
Wise counsel prevents costly mistakes made in haste.
Importance of Mr. Mather observes, "I have heard one say that there was a gentleman in the nineteenth chapter of Acts to whom he was more indebted than to any other man in the world. This was he whom our translation calls the town-clerk of Ephesus, whose counsel it was to do nothing rashly." Upon any proposal of consequence, it was a usual speech with him, "We will first advise with the town-clerk of Ephesus." One in a fond compliance with a friend, forgetting the town-clerk, may do that in haste which he may repent of at leisure, — may do what may cost him several hundreds of pounds, besides troubles which he would not have undergone for thousands.
— Beaumont
Careful consideration and second thoughts lead to better decisions.
Measure twice, cut but once. Second thoughts are best. — English. — The night brings counsel. — French. — Sleep upon it, and you will take counsel. Spanish.
Great strength without discretion can be dangerous and lead to downfall.
The greatest parts without discretion may be fatal to their owner; as Polyphemus, deprived of his eye, was only the more exposed on account of his enormous strength and stature. Hume.
Wisdom is shown by choosing the good and rejecting the evil in difficult situations.
A father that had three sons tested their discretion by giving each an apple filled with rotten specks. The first eat his, rotten and all; the second threw his all away because some part was rotten; the third picked out the rot, and eat what was good, and was adjudged the wisest. Some swallow down all that is presented; some throw away all truth; the wise choose the good, and refuse the evil. Spencer.
Discretion is the chief virtue leading to spiritual perfection above other graces.
It is said that several of the fathers came to St. Anthony, inquiring what virtue led direct to perfection, so that a man might shun the snares of Satan. He bade each one give his opinion. One said, "Watching and sobriety;" another, "Fasting and discipline;" a third, "Humble prayer;" a fourth, "Poverty and obedience;" and another, "Piety, and works of mercy." When each had spoken, St. Anthony said that those were excellent graces; but discretion was the chief of them all. An ounce of discretion is worth a pound of learning.
Wrangling over disputes often wastes time and yields no beneficial truth.
If a catalogue were made of all the truths that have been discovered by wrangling in company, or by solemn disputation in the schools, I believe it would appear that the contending parties might have been employed as advantageously to mankind, and much more so to themselves, in whipping a top, or brandishing a rattle.
— Dr. Ecattie
God made grapes but also poisons; not all His creations are for consumption.
Harootune, a converted Armenian on the Harpoot mission-field, is a strong temperance-man. He lives among those who love "native wine." To one who drank a glass of wine, and by way of excuse asked, "Didn't God make grapes?" he indignantly exclaimed, "God made dogs: go eat some dog-earcass! He made poisons too: go eat them, and kill yourself!"
Study what can be practically applied to help others, not just academic knowledge.
I received a most useful hint from Dr. Bacon, then father of the university, when I was at college. I used frequently to visit him at his living, near Oxford. He would frequently say to me, "What are you doing? What are your studies?" — "I am reading so and so." — "You are quite wrong. When I was young, I could turn any piece of Hebrew into Greek verse with ease; but when I came into this parish, and had to teach ignorant people, I was wholly at a loss: I had no furniture. They thought me a great man; but that was their ignorance: for I knew as little as they did of what it was most important for them to know. Study chiefly what you can turn to good account in your future life." Cecil.
Diligent, purposeful work leads to success far beyond trivial pursuits.
Working as an ordinary hand in a Philadelphia ship-yard was a man whose peculiarity was, that, while others of his class were indulging in jollification, he was incessantly engaged in studying upon mechanical combinations. One of his companions secured a poodle-dog, and spent six months in teaching the quadruped to execute a jig upon his hind legs. Knowlton spent the same period in discovering some method by which he could saw ship timber in a bevelled form. The first man taught his dog to dance; Knowlton, in the same time, discovered a mechanical combination that enabled him to do in two hours the work that would occupy a dozen men, by slow and laborious process, an entire day. The result was, Knowlton rose to be a successful inventor, made a fortune, and illustrates the folly of useless employment.
Practical examples and models teach more effectively than abstract rules alone.
Mathematicians demonstrate their theorems by schemes and diagrams, which, in effect, are but sensible instances; orators back their euthymemes (or rational argumentations) with inductions (or singular examples); philosophers allege the practice of Socrates, Zeno, and the like persons of famous wisdom and virtue, to authorize their doctrine; politics and civil prudence is more easily and sweetly drawn out of good history than out of books "De Republica." Artificers describe models, and set patterns before their disciples, with greater success than if they should deliver accurate rules and precepts to them; for who would not more readily learn to build by viewing carefully the parts and framework of a well-contrived structure, than by a studious inquiry into the rules of architecture? or to draw, by setting a good picture before him, than by merely speculating upon the laws of perspective? or to write fairly and expeditely by imitating one good copy, than by hearkening to a thousand oral prescriptions, the understanding of which, a faculty of applying them to practice, may prove more difficult and tedious than the whole practice itself as directed by a copy? Dr. Barrow.
Proverbs show that experience teaches wisdom and caution in life.
Bought wit is best. A smooth sea never made a skilful mariner. The proof of the pudding is in the eating.—English.—One who has been bitten by a serpent is afraid of a rope.—Hebrew.—He that has been wrecked shudders even at still water.—Ovid.—An ass does not stumble twice over the same stone.—French.—Old crows are hard to catch.—German.—Do not judge of the ship while it is on the stocks. Italian.
Foolishly risking valuable things can lead to irreversible loss.
A man who had a valuable diamond was so foolish as to play with it by throwing it over the side of the ship. He kept throwing it up while leaning over the bulwarks of the vessel, and catching it again. A friend expostulated with him; but he replied, "Oh! never fear, I've done it so often!" At last he missed his aim, and the treasure was gone,—and lost beyond recall.
— Bowes
Fortune often favors fools, showing the folly of relying on luck over wisdom.
God sends fools fortune. It is better to be born lucky than rich. — English. — Fortune makes a fool of him whom she too much favors. — Latin. — Fortune and women are fond of fools. — German. — Put your finger in the fire, and say it was your fortune. Scotch.
Great genius often includes some madness and inspiration beyond learned rules.
There is no great genius free from some tincture of madness. — Seneca. — Genius is supposed to be a power of producing excellences which are out of reach of the rules of art, — a power which no precepts can teach, and which no industry can acquire. — Sir. J. Reynolds. — All great men are, in some degree, inspired. — Cicero. — Men of genius are often dull and inert in society; as the blazing meteor, when it descends to earth, is only a stone. — Longfellow.
Genius without religion is like light outside a palace, not illuminating the true source.
Genius — what is it? Without religion, genius is only a lamp on the outer gate of a palace. It may serve to cast a gleam of light on those that are without, while the inhabitant sits in darkness.
— H. More
Genius wastes time chasing clouds, but common sense humbly gathers what sustains life.
Genius, like the lark, is apt to despise its nest upon the earth, and waste its time in fluttering and quavering among the clouds; but common sense is the humbler fowl, which picks up the barleycorns, and crows and fattens at leisure.
Different attitudes toward gold reveal varied approaches to wealth and life.
A vain man's motto is, "Win gold, and wear it;" a generous, "Win gold, and share it;" a miser's.
"Win gold, and spare it;" a profligate's, "Win gold, and spend it;" a brokers, "Win gold, and lend it;" a gambler's, "Win gold, and lose it;" a wise man's, "Win gold, and use it."
Skepticism in seeking wisdom leads to deeper misery and blindness.
As the man of pleasure, by a vain attempt to be more happy than any man can be, is often more miserable than most men are; so the sceptic, in a vain attempt to be wise beyond what is permitted to man, plunges into a darkness more deplorable, and a blindness more incurable, than the common herd whom he despises, and would fain instruct. Colton.
Proverbs illustrate that innate nature and folly cannot be changed by external circumstances.
Set a frog on a golden stool, and off it hops again into the pool. — German. — A hog in armor is still but a hog. — English. — To wash an ass's head is loss of suds. — French. — Whatever the bee sucks turns to honey, and whatever the wasp sucks turns to venom. — Portuguese. — The malady that is incurable is folly. Spanish.
Focusing on temporal knowledge neglects the greater reality and magnitude of eternity.
In the early ministry of Dr. Chalmers, he had been given to scientific studies, and published a pamphlet in which he reflected severely upon such ministers as did not do the same. Years after, this pamphlet was cast up to him in the General Assembly to show his inconsistency in then urging what he now discarded. Having acknowledged himself the author of the pamphlet, he added, "Alas, sir! so I thought in my ignorance and pride. I have now no reserve in declaring that the sentiment was wrong; and, in giving utterance to it, I penned what was outrageously wrong. Strangely blinded that I was! What, sir, is the object of mathematical science?—magnitude, and the proportions of magnitude. But then, sir, I had forgotten two magnitudes. I thought not of the littleness of time: I recklessly thought not of the greatness of eternity."
Solomon used bees to discern the genuine wreath, illustrating true wisdom and judgment.
An ingenious device is attributed in the Talmud to King Solomon. The Queen of Sheba, attracted by the reputation of his wisdom, one day presented herself before him, holding in her hands two wreaths, — the one of exquisite natural flowers, the other of artificial. The artificial wreath was arranged with so much taste and skill, the delicate form of the flowers so perfectly imitated, and the minutest shades of color so wonderfully blended, that the wise king, at the distance at which they were held, was unable to determine which was really the work of the divine Artist. For a moment, he seemed baffled. The Jewish court looked on in melancholy astonishment. Then his eyes turned towards a window near which a swarm of bees were hovering. He commanded it to be opened. It was opened. The bees rushed into the court, and immediately alighted on one of the wreaths; whilst not a single one fixed on the other.
True knowledge shines brightest when focused and applied, like light reflected by a polished surface.
In a dark night, I once saw a feeble lamp struggling to pierce the dense darkness; but the mighty genius of night defied its impotent rays. Near by, I saw another lamp, of the same general pattern, whose light streamed out dazzlingly into the distant darkness. I asked, "Why does this lamp give more light than the other? — is the oil better?" — "No." — "Does it burn more oil?" — "No." — "Is the burner better?" — "No." — "But, surely, it generates more light?" Unexpectedly, the answer was, "No." — "Why, then, does it emit a light so much more dazzling than the other?" This was the answer, "Do you see behind that bright lamp the polished reflector, which the other has not? That reflector gathers all the divergent rays, and converges and flings them out in one glittering flood of light." Prof. Jaques thus illustrates two men equally learned; one having the power of reducing his knowledge to practice, and the other destitute of it.
The wise support others' growth in knowledge rather than despise their superficial understanding.
The profoundly wise do not declaim against superficial knowledge in others so much as the profoundly ignorant: on the contrary, they would rather assist it with their advice than overwhelm it with their contempt; for they know that there was a period when even a Bacon or a Newton were superficial, and that he who has a little knowledge is far more likely to get more than he who has none. Colton.
True knowledge is shown by heartfelt truth, godly living, and applying wisdom daily.
He is the best grammarian who has learned to speak the truth from his heart: the best astronomer who has conversation in heaven; the best musician who has learned to sing the praise of his God; the best arithmetician who so numbers his days as to apply his heart to wisdom. He is knowing in ethics who trains up his family in the fear of the Lord; he is the best economist who is wise to salvation, prudent in giving and taking good counsel; he is the best politician and he is a good linguist, that speaks the language of Canaan. Spencer.
Remembering past dangers helps us navigate life wisely and avoid spiritual hazards.
I think we ought to buoy for ourselves in our course, as we buoy a harbor. Off this shoal a black buoy floats, and says to those who sail by, as plainly as if it spoke in all languages, "Keep to the right here;" and over against it floats another, and says, "Keep to the left here." Now, in life's ocean, wherever we know the quicksands are, wherever we have once been stranded, let us sink the buoy and anchor of memory, and keep to the right or the left, as the shoal may be.
— Beecher
Uncontrolled speech can lead to serious consequences and loss of blessing.
Learn to hold thy tongue. Five words cost Zacharias forty weeks' silence. Thou mayst esteem a man of many words and many lies much alike. Fuller.
Success comes from gathering and meditating on many small thoughts and insights daily.
Boys, you have heard of blacksmiths who became mayors and magistrates of towns and cities, and men of great wealth and influence. What was the secret of their success? Why, they picked up nails and pins in the street, and carried them home in the pockets of their waist-coats. Now, you must pick up thoughts in the same way, and fill your mind with them; and they will grow into other thoughts, almost while you are asleep. The world is full of thoughts, and you will find them strewed everywhere in your path. Elihu Burritt.
