Knowledge without wisdom can make us naïve, foolish, or crazy.
Have been thinking about this after rediscovering a book by Henry Cloud and John Townsend that is titled 12 Christian Beliefs that Can Drive you Crazy (Zondervan 1994-1995).
The first false assumption that they list is “It’s selfish to have my needs met”.
In a paperback edition of the book that includes a discussion guide, Cloud and Townsend point out that such an idea can sound like the truth– but often reflects a wrong assumption and misuse of the Bible. They suggest that we can use our needs to bring us to God and to a right interdependence on others. Or we can deny our own needs in a way that results in the kind of collapse that makes us good for no one.
The two authors suggest that only when our needs are being met can we be free to care for others without resentment. Specifically they say, “God’s word teaches that the most comforting people in the world are those who have been comforted; the most understanding people are those who have been understood; and the most loving people are those who have been loved (Luke 7:47; 2Cor 1:3-4; 2Cor 9:6-7).
That sure sounds like the difference between wisdom and misused knowledge to me. It sounds like the God-given ability to use knowledge to reach a desired goal (which in our case is to find our needs met by God, and those people (and unseen angels) that he lovingly and mercifully brings into our lives to help us… find rest and peace… instead of losing our way by following a half-truth…
What’s your take? Am guessing one of our questions will be what does it mean to have our needs met by God on his terms, and in his time, rather than on our own time and terms?
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