101 "Wisdom is greater than higher learning and she is born from our God."

Day 101

Matthew 11:25-27 At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and the prudent and have revealed them to the babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. 27 All things have been delivered to Me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."

There seems to be a very common trap that men for all time have consistently fallen into: they tend to become too smart for themselves and lose touch with the truth while in search of it. One thing I have noticed over the years is that many pastors and teachers who attend schools of higher learning often place as much faith in books written by scholars as they do in the written Word of God. Before I go on, let me clarify that I am not against higher education or academics in any way; I believe that they are crucial for our society. I am, however, skeptical of those who quote authors more than they quote the Word. The challenge comes when we begin to place our hope and/or our spiritual health in the hands of people rather than in the hands of our God. Yes, even this devotional must in itself remain to be based upon a daily reading of the Word or I, too, will have fallen into the same trappings I mention.

Insight is an amazing tool, one that all mankind needs to remain challenged and growing in understanding; however, education should never rise to a place where it has more influence on people's lives than does the Holy Spirit. A well-balanced person is one who takes the Word of God and the Holy Spirit and uses it as a guide for daily living above all else and then weighs books read and counsel received against the Word, not vice versa. I can't tell you how many times I have heard pastors quote books and other people more than they quote the Word of God. I must confess red flags begin going up for me when this is the case, and then, when they begin to quote or market their own books during the message, well, that's the end for me. Everything we need to get through this life is written in the Bible. Every challenge we could ever face is answered there. Yes, it may be difficult to find, and often authors can help us to do so; however, once again, neither man nor his words can be a substitute for God and His Word.

We should retain a healthy perspective by spending more of our time seeking the direction of our Lord through prayer, time in His Word, and by taking time to sit and listen to the things the Spirit of God wants to reveal to us. It would do us well to not forget that Jesus, in verse 27, tells us that He reveals God to people; therefore, we can't go wrong by asking Him to do so for us and then listening to Him as He does so. After all, He can do it much better than the man He created can.

Daily Prayer: Father, please protect me from placing more emphasis upon man and his teachings than I do You and Your teachings, and Father, I pray that by Your Holy Spirit and by Your will you would reveal more of Yourself to me each and every day. In Jesus’ name I pray these things. Amen.

"Wisdom is greater than higher learning and she is born from our God."

Pastor Gene Burroughs