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The Lord looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God. Psalm 14:2 (NLT)

At one time, I thought knowledge would solve a lot of my problems. I loved learning and as I left high school and a difficult family life behind, my goal was to get an education and change my life. And, I did, and it did. What I did not realize at this young age was that I had already begun to look to the source of all wisdom, I just needed to grow in my faith walk to recognize that wisdom tops knowledge every time.

This is a Psalm of David. He is lamenting how foolish we humans can be. So, the point he’s making here is that we try to rely on our own power when in reality, we are powerless. The only wise path is to seek and rely on God.

As Christ-followers we intuitively know this truth. The trouble comes as we try to live it out. I think in our culture of self-reliance and independence we have been trained to fall back on what we can accomplish.  As a woman who came of age in the ’70’s “I am woman, hear me roar” was beginning to become embedded in our upbringing and echos loudly today.

Christ calls us to be counter-cultural. Our call is no different than the call on first century Christians. It might look a bit different in our current millennium, but the challenges have much in common. As I think on this truth, I realize that much of what drew other’s to Christ was the fact that the lives of Christ-followers looked different than the lives of those in their neighborhoods and cities.

The question I must ask myself today is how different my life looks from those who live around me. Can those whom I encounter as I go to the grocery, the bank, the exercise class or the park see that I am different? Don’t get me wrong here; I’m not talking about physical signs of difference. I’m speaking of character, of actions. If a good hard look at myself finds me fitting into societal expectations enough that my character does not stand apart, then I guess I need to be seeking God with a bit more enthusiasm if I hope to seen as one who is that light on a hill.

Decades later, I still love to learn. I learn new things all the time. But I have come to value wisdom above knowledge, and I am learning to seek the source of all wisdom through his word. I am challenging myself to examine God’s word and unravel my cultural perspectives as I strive to be more like Christ.

Let’s Think This Through

1. How much do you think the culture around you influences your decisions and your actions?
2. How do you think the life of a Christ-follower might look different than the lives around them? Think of actions, rather than words.
3. How can you make a conscious effort to live a life that looks more like Christ and less like your culture? Focus on just 2 or 3 things for now.
4. What role do you feel reading and thinking about God’s word plays in your path toward wisdom?

Father, Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us through your word.  Help us to live lives that speak for us, without words being needed to show the world that we are striving to follow after you.

We know that without your help, we are powerless to find wisdom. Use your word to change us. Share your wisdom with us as we read your word and think about it regularly. Provide opportunities for us to sparkle with your wisdom being lived out in our lives and draw others to your light.