Benjamin Franklin once said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” What’s interesting is that never before has information and knowledge been more available than it is today. Form a computer, tablet or smartphone anyone can access information about anything. The problem is that information alone is not enough; we must also understand the laws and principles that govern the information so that we can properly apply the knowledge we’ve attained.

What is true in the realms of math, science or sports is true in the core dimensions of your life as well. There are laws and principles that must be adhered to if you’re going to succeed in the areas of personal finances, health, marriage or parenting. That knowledge alone is not enough, you’ll also need to learn the proper application of said knowledge. It’s in the context of the proper application of knowledge that we begin to grow in wisdom.

And Jesus grew in wisdom … – Luke 2:52

 As in the case of any child, Jesus had to learn to walk, to talk and to develop into a mature adult. Luke tells us that when He was twelve years old his parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of Passover. On their way back home, they realized that Jesus was not with them. So, they returned to Jerusalem where three days later they found Him in the temple courts, sitting with the teachers, listening and asking them questions. Yet Luke closes this story not by telling the reader how Jesus had grown in knowledge but rather how he had grown in wisdom.

Growing in wisdom begins when we learn the laws and principles that govern the information we’ve attained. It’s not enough to learn how to earn finances, that’s knowledge. Wisdom begins when we learn to use and apply the laws that govern finances. It’s not enough to know how to get married; you must also conduct your marriage under the laws and principles that govern marriage. In every area of life, knowledge will make you smart but properly applying the knowledge will make you wise.

Thus, true wisdom is the recognition and knowledge that God is God coupled with the proper response. And the proper response should be obvious; to surrender our lives and knowledge to the laws and principles that God has established to govern every area of our lives.