Craig Clouston

 Knowledge Without Wisdom

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom.

Proverbs 1:7

Kendall was blessed with an incredible amount of knowledge ranging from thermodynamics to mechanical engineering; the list was extensive and quite impressive. He actually was a know-it-all.

But Kendall lacked humility. Benevolent use of his intellect was not his strong suit. He wielded his achievements like a sword. In short, Kendall mistook his vast amount of knowledge for wisdom.

Kendall was privileged to receive an invitation to a think tank conference with some very influential men. One man’s reputation, in particular, preceded him. Whatever he did succeeded and was done correctly. He was respected and well liked.

He was Kendall’s contemporary in every way but one: where Kendall was haughty and self-promoting, he was considerate and reflective. When asked for input, he provided the shortest, most concise answers possible, forgoing the need to display his intellect.

Curious, Kendall asked for a moment of his time. “Mr. Pendleton, you are so much smarter than these men. Why do you address them as equals?” His question was sincere, if indiscreet.

“Young man,” he said, “I have learned that knowledge without wisdom is always found lacking. I am not the wisest man in the world. But we have been sharing the room with several of them. What they desire of me is knowledge. What I receive from them is wisdom. Together, we create solutions. To presume my knowledge outranks their wisdom would be to imply that I neither want nor need their assistance. Only a fool would believe that.”

†

Knowledge is of great value, yet in itself is incomplete; in its basic form, it is only information.

To be wise is to be able to apply such information with understanding. Without wisdom, we will remain incomplete. We may learn to compensate without it but will always fall short of achieving the desired results or best conclusion.

To reject wisdom is to sacrifice understanding. We would be foolish to do something so irrational. Because without wisdom, we will come to believe in our own accomplishments, not in the One who gave us the knowledge.

Prayer

“Teach me to respect wisdom, Lord. Teach me to use every resource You’ve given me. Open my eyes to any part of me that resists Your guidance. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”