Man of StrengthSample

BE THE MAN WHO SEPARATES KNOWLEDGE FROM WISDOM

Wisdom is an important aspect of strength. Acting foolish, on the other hand, is usually seen as weakness. You can know lots of stuff and still be considered foolish. Why? Because wisdom is knowing what to do with what you know. Knowledge is not just useful for winning trivia games—it’s essential for making quality decisions. One of those wise men found in the Bible is Joseph. This man was the second youngest of his brothers, who all hated him and sold him into slavery. After being sold into slavery, he was accused of a crime he didn’t commit, placed in jail, and forgotten by the only man who could’ve helped secure his release. It's not exactly the best soil for wisdom to grow! But the Bible says God was with Joseph through it all. In fact, God’s strength, found in the “unusual wisdom” of Joseph, was instrumental in turning his bad circumstances into incredible outcomes. By the time the story reaches its pinnacle, the worst famine in recent memory was raging. . .and Joseph was the second in command of an entire country. The wisdom God gave him allowed him to implement a national rationing plan that saved people from many countries. When Joseph had the chance to pay his brothers back, his God-given wisdom led him to do something unexpected instead— he gave them a new home in Egypt, where they’d have enough food to withstand the bad years.

How might you explain the difference between wisdom and knowledge? Why should you gain strength from God’s wisdom?