S24P12 – The work of the Spirit: teaching
1 Cor. 2:13
We also speak of these things, not in words taught or supplied by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining and interpreting spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
There are two kinds of wisdom that we can seek. Wisdom from below, or man’s wisdom, is a great commodity in this world. There is a certain standard to this human wisdom in that the things which are deemed to be wise are those things which make the most sense in a system devoid of an understanding of our spiritual reality. Wisdom from below does not recognize the temporary nature of our physical world and our current circumstances. It relies on the false premise that the lives we live in this order of things are indeed the only lives we will live. Eternity is not a consideration when weighing a decision using this kind of wisdom. This results in a limited and inaccurate view of the world around us when exercising judgment and decision-making. For those of us who are taught by the Holy Spirit, we learn a greater type of wisdom.
The wisdom from on high that the Holy Spirit teaches us rests on the foundation of the great hope that we have in Jesus Christ and our eternity in the kingdom of God. If we are making decisions in this world based on anything but a true realization of the way life really works and has been designed by God, our wisdom will be mere foolishness. If we are exercising judgment according to the wisdom taught to us by the Holy Spirit, then we are acting in a way that is truly wise. Without the Holy Spirit, we exercise judgment according to the flesh. This is wisdom that is self-seeking and short-sighted. It fails to take into consideration the things of the Spirit or works to fight against them. When we exercise judgment according to the Spirit, we are walking in the very wisdom of God. The wisdom of the wisest man exercising fleshly judgment is utter folly when compared to the wisdom of God himself.
We can choose a type of wisdom that appeals to this world and perhaps gives us the upper hand in it. Or we can choose the wisdom that comes from God’s Holy Spirit and allows us to think as He thinks. There is a clear reason why the Holy Spirit teaches us this godly wisdom. Without it, we are unable to fulfill the work that God has destined for us. Using fleshly wisdom might steer us away from the path that God has laid before us because man’s judgment would consider it foolish to lose one’s earthly freedom or even one’s life for the sake of our faith. It is God’s holy wisdom that makes it clear that such decisions are truly wise. Man’s wisdom tells us to preserve our lives for our sake while God’s wisdom tells us to give our lives for his sake. Father, keep us wise by your standards, and teach us to crave the wisdom that is taught by your Holy Spirit and not that which comes from the flesh.