The Source of Wisdom

Ephesians 1:17-19

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.

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I sailed an ocean, unsettled ocean
Through restful waters and deep commotion
Often frightened, unenlightened
Sail on, sail on sailor

"Sail on Sailor" recorded originally by The Beach Boys. This version features Brian Wilson with Matthew Sweet and Darius Rucker.

Paul has a well developed theology of wisdom. This is extended in his greeting to the Ephesians praying that they may be given a spirit of wisdom from the Father of glory, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul doesn't want them to be wiser in the ways of the world, he wants them to receive only the good gifts of God.

Paul's hope has never changed either, that we all increase in wisdom, but there's a lot more of the earthly variety of smarts out there today than there was 2,000 years ago. Paul would be amazed that the wealth of human wisdom is now doubling at a rate of every ten years, and soon will be down to doubling every two. He would be amazed at things like the internet to store and share human knowledge. Amazed, but not impressed.

So much stuff and so little of it wrapped around wisdom that matters. As the old song goes, we ride the unsettled ocean of intelligence, not wisdom. Sometimes it's restful, more often it's frightened, unenlightened deep commotion. There is so much commotion that our choices are to sail through or get swamped. Both Brian Wilson and the Apostle Paul knew about this from their many journeys.

So we are to seek God's wisdom, not the wisdom of the world. Facts are the junk food of wisdom, God's word is bread for our life's journey. We seek this gift so that our hearts may be enlightened knowing the hope of God's glorious wisdom; these riches Paul calls the inheritance of the saints. This is the gift for all who receive God's wisdom.