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HOME IMPROVEMENT SERIES XLVI
- INTELLIGENT, KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM

nderstanding the differences between being intelligent, having much knowledge and having wisdom might save some marriages, because I've seen it destroy many.

Intelligence

This is related to the IQ (intelligent quotient) or the capability of someone's brain to comprehend what that person is being taught. I personally believe genetics has a lot to do with how intelligent someone is, also constant practice or exercising the brain do increase its capacity.

When my high school cancelled boarding house after our first year, my parent put me up with a family near the school. This family also hosted three other boys my age and one of them was in my class. Samuel and I would do the same chores (fetching water, cleaning the house etc). In class I would kid around while the teacher is speaking, but Samuel's concentration in the class is next to none, we both don't read after class until exams are near, meanwhile Samuel consistently led our class while I was consistently in the pack, the difference between us is his concentration and my lack of it in class. He went on to graduate first class at the university and was employed by a premier bank after graduating.

President Bill Clinton is intelligent, he was a Rhodes Scholar and those who worked closely with him have written about the capacity of his intelligent, meanwhile President G.W. Bush rely more on his "gut" rather than brain capacity.

Knowledge

This is when someone has an understanding of a particular or many issues. Knowledge is a good thing to get according to the Bible, because you can always discuss from a reasonable standpoint.

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Unfortunately, not too many of us seek knowledge anymore, today many Christians are oblivious to many things the Bible say, they get their information from what someone else say on TV or because they call the person my spiritual father. Apostle Paul told the Corinthian church to emulate the Berean church by going home to double check what ever he (Paul) taught them, he himself studied under the great Rabbi, Gamaliel.

Knowledge could be of many areas of life, in high school we did Bible knowledge, there is knowledge of political situation (of the locality or the nation), there is knowledge of the scientific area (right now there is argument about some bio-ethic issues in America), and Ngozi Iweala-Okonjo brought her knowledge of international economics to shape the Nigerian economy. In Nigeria a SAN (Senior Advocate of Nigeria) is supposed to have the knowledge of the law system, while the CPA or Charted Accountant is supposed to have the knowledge of the accounting system.

Until recently, I relied on what the News channels and others said on Islam as a religion until I sought knowledge by reading through many literatures on the issue. Please note that one can get knowledge from what is on the TV as well as reading, getting witnesses from many sources is however the better thing to do.

The problem with knowledge is that it puffs up. As many of us seek knowledge and share with others and are esteemed by those people, accolades from the admirers could then bring about pride.

Wisdom

Two summers ago, while reading the book of proverbs with my then 9 years old (now 11 years old), after the first six chapters he looked at me and said what is this wisdom thing? and (based on what we have read so far) I said wisdom is the application of knowledge (read Proverbs 4).

Someone once said it is not the much that you know but the application of the little you know. There are many people who understand what the Bible says, because they learn in Sunday school, and many seat in the church pew from one Sunday to another for many years, so it is not that they lack knowledge but what they lack is wisdom to apply the knowledge they have.

I am sure that President Clinton heard thou shall not commit adultery in Sunday school, while President G.W. Bush have read thou shall not be proud in his daily devotions and our own President Obasanjo have read the scripture that admonishes a Christian not to keep record of wrong [please do not misread this for EFCC prosecuting Babangida - he owes Nigeria the explanation of his wealth]. It is easy for those of us looking at these public men who profess their faith publicly to see their short-coming as it relates to keeping the teachings of their faith.

The fear of God (not a higher power) is the beginning of wisdom. When we reverence God and we awe at His majesty (the creation of the world and the alignments of the galaxies, the circumstances of life, the natural monuments that litters the world) then we have the fear that keeps us in line with what He has asked us to do. As I write, I remember and I'm singing the song, "Majesty, Worship His Majesty, unto Jesus be all Glory, Honor and Praise etc".

Understanding and application of Intellect, Knowledge and Wisdom

An individual does not have to be super intelligent to seek knowledge; in-fact the Bible commands Christians to get understanding. We seek understanding through studying whatever it is that we want to have more knowledge of. I've told many single Christians that what determines the level of maturity of the person they meet or marry depend on their own knowledge of the scripture, if they don't know much they'll easily be floored by another person that knows little but communicates very well, but if you know much yourself, you can pick out someone speaking "Christianese (speaking with Christian lingo)" but without much knowledge. As we seek knowledge for the different areas of our lives, we need to pray for the grace of God to applying those knowledge. The Bible talks about asking God for wisdom when we lack it. General Joshua in his last moments on earth admonishes the Israelites to choose wisdom and serve the God that brought their fathers out of Egypt rather than the gods of the people they currently live with.

Nigeria as a nation is often referred to as the country with the most PhDs in the world (like Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison) and as my friend Dr. Petereside has written many times we continue to lag behind in development among so-called developing nations (we rank high from the bottom). Institutions (learning and corporate) in America, Europe, Australia, South Africa and other developed nation are filled with Nigerian intellect, not to be left out Ethiopia is asking for 600 Nigerian PhDs holders to develop their own country.

American higher institutions of learning are full of intelligent people that lack godly wisdom. They have understanding of their fields of expertise yet they can't understand the simple truth of the scripture even when it is their face. An example of that is the blind believe in Darwin's theory of Evolution. Many of Charles Darwin's hypotheses seem not to stand up in the face of current realities, such as survival of the fittest or carbon dating of fossils. Yet these same professors make fun of their students that believe in biblical account of creation and are fighting tooth and nail not to have public schools in America teach creationism as a parallel theory on the origin of the earth. The interesting thing to me is that both theory "Creationism" and "Evolution" require faith, yet our intellects choose to believe the latter.

My point is being an intellectual (a brainiac or a nerd) alone don't mean jack, it is good for critical thinking and getting suma cum laude or first class at graduation.

Having knowledge is great, whatever knowledge it is that you seek. Knowledge they say gives you power, when you know more than you colleague at work you will have an edge. Humans like people with knowledge that is why we all want our children to have education, so no one can cheat them and they can be aware of what's happening around them. We are not always going to be there for them, in school or wherever they go as an adult.

My boys are in public school this year (magnet schools), and just two weeks in, my older boy already had his knowledge of the scripture tested by another student who belongs to a denomination or religion that only the leader reads the bible. He told me what he said to the person and I was very proud of him. His knowledge of the scripture is not by chance, it is from 5 years of attending BSF (Bible Study Fellowship), 5 years of being a member of JBQ (Junior Bible Quiz), reading 40 volumes of "left behind" series for children, C.S. Lewis materials and all his life (except this year) of being in Christian Schools and being taught biblical principles.

Knowledge needs to be applied, Thomas Edison would not have invented the light bulb if he did not apply his knowledge of Chemistry. Sitting on vast knowledge without application could lead to pride. I recently sat with a "man of God" whose wife sought counseling for them, as I listen to him, I heard knowledge of the scripture and saw pride that he knows better than his wife, yet he blames his wife for why he does not apply the knowledge he has in his marriage (that in itself is stupidity).

We need to be open to seeking knowledge as we can learn from our 18 months old, or even teenagers, our wives and yes, your husband too.

As we said earlier, application of knowledge is wisdom, and God freely give wisdom when we recognize our inadequacies and ask him, the Bible says he gives wisdom liberarily to those who ask him.

To have wisdom, we need to humble ourselves - humility here is not saying I have 3 cars when you do or that my children are smart when they are, those are statements of facts (as long as they are not said to show off). Humility here is absolute total dependence on God and His leading irrespective of intellect or knowledge acquired. Men like James Dobson PhD, Enoch A. Adeboye PhD, A.M.A Imevbore PhD, Myles Muonroe PhD, Ken Dick PhD, Bunmi Dada MD PhD, Tom Fortson PhD etc are ale to surrender their intellect and submit to the leading of God in humility and the Knowledge acquired by them is being used and heard around the world.

Wisdom also require us to understand that, whatever we have is not ours, but it's a talent on loan to us from the most High and we will one day account for how we use those talents. When we start to see ourselves as bigger than God because of how smart we are then we are no different from Nebuchadnezzar, who declared himself god. Wisdom is knowing that it is God that gives the ability to make wealth, it is God that supply all needs, and that it is God who is all in all.

Wisdom is a Daniel saying I would not serve another God even if it means being fed to the Lions, it is the 3 Hebrew Children (Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego) saying we'll rather go in the fiery flame than bow to the gods of this world or do what is convenient. Wisdom is David having the opportunity to kill King Saul twice and yet not harming a God's anointed, Wisdom is Joseph having the opportunity to commit adultery with Mrs. P (secretly) but ran away saying "I would not sin against my God". Wisdom is saying I will serve my God in the face of been called names, made fun of, and written off by colleagues because I have a PhD and believe in God.

Husband and Wife Application

It is not enough to attend marriage seminars, or read articles on marriage or better still teach on marriage yourself (this includes me, when something eats in my head), when you don't apply what you know then all those knowledge are useless, they just puff off.

When the Bible said to love unconditionally, it was not a suggestion but a command for Christians, when the Bible say to respect our husbands and husbands to love their wives, those instructions did not come with a disclaimer. When we are told not to hold back sex from each other except for a short season for prayer and fasting, but we decide to go on 21 days dry fast to "get" our husband then it is not wisdom. When you don't fill your wife's emotional tank, you've abused her all day and you want sex at 9.00 pm after the kids go to bed, that is not wisdom either.

Wisdom is loving that unlovable woman and respecting that useless man, wisdom is knowing when to talk and speaking the truth in love. Wisdom is King David saying in Psalm 15 that we should keep our [marriage] oaths even when it hurts. Wisdom is seeking knowledge to study ourselves approved as men and women of God and then as Jesus said in John 14, to obey His words.

What we all need to ask for is the Grace and courage to do that which God has committed in our hands, our intellect, our family (wife, husband, Children), our ministry and whatever talent God has blessed you with.

A smart, knowledgeable and wise person is a great tool in the hand of an Almighty God in this fallen world - and that person can be you for your home, your church, your community, your nation and your world.