Being smart can be defined in more than one way. In general, being smart means you are intelligent, educated or you just plan look good. Some people think they're smart, some people are smart, and some wish they were smart. People in television and radio can talk smart. People in the publishing industry can write smart, and people in the laboratory can think smart. High school students take tests to see if they are smart enough to go to college, and recruiters check grade-points to see if college grads are smart enough to hire. Wow! A lot depends on being smart! But, if you are not smart according to the definition; does that mean you're dumb?
Years ago a man walked into my Sunday class with his wife on the one hand, and a Bible firmly gripped in the other. Over the course of time, I would learn a lot about this young intruder. At first, he said very little but would carefully listen to every word. After a while, he began waiting for me after class to ask questions privately. He was a rough construction worker with a police record and no high school education. He could barely read or write, and most of the time he looked as though he had just left the work site. He was not considered very smart by today's social standards. As it turned out, he had something many people never understand, simple, childlike faith in God. He firmly believed that God could teach him how to read if he would try to read his Bible. And so He did! Today this kind and gentle servant pastors a church and has brought many to God.
In early 2000, my wife and I arranged to work at a dolphin research facility in the Caribbean Sea. We met a fellow volunteer, a pastor from the Episcopal Church, who had more than one-degree beside his name and was very anxious to lend his knowledge to the project. I was excited; I thought we would have some things in common, mostly faith in a creator who created all animals “after their kind.” You guessed it! He was a hardcore evolutionist. When I asked him how his faith in evolution lines up with his faith in the Bible, he referred me to a secular book written by a Berkeley University professor. This very articulate pastor with a broad education and impeccable pedigree had more faith in his own intellect than in the knowledge of God. He was not very smart.
These two examples illustrate the difference between depending on your personal intellect or trusting the knowledge of God for a greater understanding.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”(Prov. 3:5-6)
With all the bogus information and fake news today, wouldn't it be wise to trust the Lord with all your heart. And wouldn’t it be smart to teach our kids that Jesus is our role model instead of reality TV?
“The Lord is the source of wisdom; knowledge and understanding come from his mouth. He gives good advice to honest people and shields those who do what is right.”(Prov.2:6-7)For a different perspective of what it means to be smart, read “Beam me up Commander” and Study More. They are free.
