Podcast Episode 21 – Without Compromise (part 4)
This week’s episode builds on Monday’s article, part four in the series titled “Without Compromise.” Here is the transcript of the podcast:
Have you struggled with compromise or conformity? That’s the ongoing question we are talking about in this series. Today’s discussion is the third in the series, all of them based on a study of Daniel chapter 1 and corresponding to the articles posted each week on the Leadership Ezra website. The big idea we will be discussing is how you can navigate pressure – specifically, the pressure to compromise or conform in an unhealthy or immoral way – without deviating from your values. It’s really going to be a discussion of how to lead and live with excellence without compromising your faith. And today, that begins with knowing how to become a “wiseguy.”
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My dad was my greatest counselor and mentor in my life. I always knew that I could bring my questions and challenges to him, and he would respond with wise insight. That’s one of the reasons why it was hard for me when he passed away. In the first few years after he passed, I couldn’t tell you how many times I had something I needed to deal with, and my first thought was, “I wish Dad were here so that I could talk to him about this.” At his funeral, my two brothers and I each shared part of the message, and all three of us, in some way, referred to the wisdom that my dad would share with people. But it was when we got to the graveside that I heard what I think was one of the best descriptions of this. Another pastor, one that my dad had mentored, gave the graveside message. In his message, he described my dad as being characterized by knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, and proceeded to explain how each of these was different, that many people had knowledge, a lot had understanding, and a good number had wisdom; but very few had all three like dad. That characterization stuck with me, and now, when I read Daniel 1, I see the same thing.
Daniel 1:4 specifically says that he and his friends were “gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand.” Verse 17 adds to this a bit and points out that these gifts were from God, in the way that we talked in the last article and podcast about our abilities, about how our natural abilities, our supernatural abilities, and our spiritual gifts all come from God. And it is the combination of these three mental categories – knowledge, understanding, and wisdom – that can equip you to make the best decisions.
How, then, are knowledge, understanding, and wisdom different but related? As I said in the Leadership Ezra article that matches this podcast, it’s not enough to just to “know”, whether it’s broadly (knowing a little about a lot, like a jeopardy champion) or deeply (knowing a lot about a little, like an expert in a specific area). Either way, that is simply knowledge. You also need to know why it matters – that’s understanding – and then know how to make application of knowledge and understanding together in order to make good decisions – that’s wisdom. Here’s the wonderful part about this: wisdom is attainable! James 1 says God gives wisdom liberally to anyone who asks. Proverbs teaches that wisdom is grown by intentionally seeking God’s truth and listening to the right voices. It also teaches that it comes through humility and teachability.
Here’s what you need to take away: It’s not enough to know, or even to know why. Wisdom means taking the next step of applying those things, with the counsel of God and of godly people, to the dilemmas, choices, and circumstances in every part of your life. Or, to paraphrase what I once heard Tony Evans share in a message, wisdom is taking knowledge and understanding and slapping shoe leather on it to make it walk.
The bottom line is that the pursuit of knowledge is important in order to have the most accurate and complete information. Understanding is important in order to know what is true and why it matters. But the pinnacle is wisdom, knowing how to apply what you know to godliness and life decisions. And don’t forget, as Proverbs also says: the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord.
