The Wisdom of the World
Once upon a time far, far away was a land ruled by a kind and benevolent king.
The king loved his people and wanted to leave them a legacy. So he called together all of the wise men and scholars in the kingdom and said to them, "Go out into all the world and document the wisdom of the world for my people."
The wise men and scholars went out, traversing land and sea to seek out the wisdom of the world. After many days the king called them together to present their results. The wise men and scholars said, "Oh great king, we present to you this library containing all the wisdom of the world for you and your people."
The king was greatly impressed as he wandered through the many rows of books. But he was saddened for he knew it was too much for his people to read and understand. So he turned to the wise men and scholars saying, "My people will be worn out trying to learn so much. Please, condense it."
The wise men and scholars went away and after a time they called for an audience with the king. They presented to the king a single bookcase filled with the condensed wisdom of the world.
Still the king was unhappy, as again he said, "You have done an excellent job, but it is still too much for my people to read. Condense it."
Once more the wise men and scholars went away to cut and reduce their work. In time they came back to the king with a single volume. "This now," they said, "is a complete and condensed summary of the wisdom of the world."
The king was certainly happier, but still he felt it was too much for his people to be able to understand. So he asked, "Can you make it more succinct? Can you condense it further?"
The wise men and scholars wanted to please the king, so they went away to try and reduce the work one final time. In time they came back with a single page with just five words written on it.
The king was overjoyed. "At last!" He exclaimed. "This now is truly the summation of the wisdom of the world." He stood there with tears of joy in his eyes as he read the words aloud to all of his people saying, "This, my people is the wisdom of the world."
"There ain't no free lunch!"
The Wisdom of God
Yes, it's an old story and maybe you have heard it before. But it provides an important lesson for all Christians.
In this dog eat dog world, filled with stress as people claw their way to the top with a "What's in it for me" attitude, there is no free lunch. This world is built upon a foundation of payback.
You've no doubt heard sayings like; "You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours," or, "You owe me." These are just variations on the theme of, "There ain't no free lunch." Everything in this world has a price, and if you want the benefit you have to pay the price.
But not so in the wisdom of God. Even though Jesus too reduced the wisdom of God to just five words saying, "Love your neighbour as yourself," there is so much more we need to learn.
All the gifts of God are freely given. There is no cost or price to pay because Jesus has paid the price. All we have to do to receive God's gifts is to have faith in the work God achieved through Jesus Christ.
Now like the good king in my story above, the King of kings has provided us with the wisdom of God in a book: the Bible.
But just as the good king above had concerns that his people would not read the wisdom of the world, likewise, not enough Christians read the Bible.
A Lifeway Research survey of 2,900 Protestant Christians on "Bible Engagement" was released in July 2012. The survey indicated that 56% of Christians read the Bible less than once per month. Of those, 19% either never read the Bible or do so rarely. Similar results were noted in a Barna Group survey in 2014 on the "State of the Bible."
So I ask this question. How can anyone learn the wisdom of God if they don't read the Bible? The answer is simple: you can't.
Do you want to know and understand the wisdom of God? Then be one of the 44% of Christians who do read His book. There you will learn the wisdom of God and meet Jesus who will freely give you all the gifts of God that lead to eternal life.
Since retiring from work, John Lemmon now spends his time teaching, preaching and writing about the word of God, answering God's call on him to "Speak to my people." John and his wife Colleen travel all over Australia and you will often find him playing guitar or ukulele outside their caravan somewhere in the Great Outback. You can connect with John on Twitter (@JohnBLemmon) or on his Christian Bible study blog (freegiftfromgod.com/blog).
John Lemmon's previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/john-lemmon.html