Alfred Lord Tennyson once said, “Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers.” This is easily understood as true, for knowledge is quickly acquired with effort, but wisdom requires experience, the best of all teachers.

The Bible speaks a lot about wisdom, especially in the book of Proverbs. For example, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10). Fear of God means holding Him in awe and deeply respecting Him for His sovereignty and power. God is our Creator. Only He deserves all the glory we can give Him. He created us to give Him glory.

Someone has compared knowledge and wisdom by saying, “Knowledge is knowing about lamp sockets; wisdom is knowing not to put your finger in one.” Though facetious, this is a pretty accurate comparison. Wisdom is, according to some, knowing what to do in one’s own best interest. But usually we don’t know what to do in new situations. That is why wisdom lingers. It takes time to have necessary experience from which to glean wisdom. However, many people prefer the opposite of wisdom, which is folly. We describe such people as fools, although we are forbidden to call them such. The Bible says that fools despise wisdom and instruction in Proverbs 1:7. How very sad that many care nothing about growing wise with age. For wisdom leads to real happiness in life.

My definition of wisdom is simply knowing Christ as personal Savior. Unfortunately, there are many professors and PhD holders who are, by definition, fools. Psalm 14:1 defines an atheist as a fool. These people think themselves smart because they are intelligent and have learned a lot of secular facts. They foolishly deny God’s very existence. The Bible warns, “There is no wisdom or understanding or counsel against the Lord” (Proverbs 21:30).

God’s Word, the Holy Bible, is full of wisdom. What a pity most people never read it. Surely we are living in the end times. We should all be seeking the Lord, “as we see the day (of the Lord) approaching.” Salvation of your soul is the most important act you ever commit in this life. It impacts the very destiny of your soul, which will never die. That is what we preachers harangue about. It is the most important thing in life. And the fearful thing is that all opportunity ends with death or loss of mental faculties.

We also preach the “Joy of salvation.” This is abiding happiness we have deep inside, even during tragedy and awful situations of loss. We may suffer and bemoan the loss of a loved one, but we never lose our hope of heaven and the comfort the Holy Spirit provides all of God’s children. But you can only be a child of God by way of the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no one comes to the Father but through me” (John 14:6).