The Fountain Of Smart

The Fountain of Smart

How To Get Wisdom

5/19/04

I. Introduction

Sometimes it takes a child to reveal lasting wisdom.

For example:

· Patrick, age 10, said, “Never trust a dog to watch your food.”

· Michael, 14, said, “When your dad is mad and asks you, "Do I look stupid?" don’t answer him.”

· Michael, wise man that he was also said, “Never tell your mom her diet’s not working.”

· Randy, 9 years of age said, “Stay away from prunes.” One wonders how he discovered that bit of wisdom.

· Kyoyo, age 9, said, “Never hold a dust buster and a cat at the same time.”

· Naomi, 15 said, “If you want a kitten, start out by asking for a horse.”

· Lauren, age 9 said, “Felt markers are not good to use as lipstick.”

· Joel, 10 years old, said, “Don’t pick on your sister when she’s holding a baseball bat.” And

· Eileen, age 8 said, “Never try to baptize a cat.”

You may have heard a few things about wisdom that aren’t necessarily true. For instance, “You have to have grey hair to be wise” or “Wisdom comes with age and experience.”

Well, tonight, I want to show you that wisdom can be yours and you don’t have to be old to be wise. We’re talking about “The Fountain of Smart: How To Get Wisdom.” There’s a bumper sticker that says, “We have enough youth, how about a fountain of smart?” Well, I thought that tonight we’d combine youth with smart and we’ll all leave here on a quest for wisdom. First of all, what is wisdom?

II. Wisdom Is The Thing

Wisdom – the faculty of making the use of knowledge, a combination of discernment, judgment, sagacity, and similar powers. In Scripture, right judgment concerning spiritual and moral truth.

Proverbs 4:7 MSG “7Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom!

Write this at the top of your list: Get Understanding!”

If knowledge is the accumulation of facts, and intelligence the development of reason, wisdom is heavenly discernment. It is insight into the heart of things. Wisdom involves knowing God and the subtleties of the human heart. More than knowledge, it is the right application of knowledge.

Wisdom is about making the right decision every time.

How would you like the ability to make the right decision every time?

How about the right decision about college, roommates, extracurricular activities? Should I go out for the football team or run cross-country? Should I buy this soda at the gas station or wait until I get home? Should I go out on a date with this person or should I turn him/her down?

It would be awesome if you could make the right decision, the best decision for you, every single time you had to decide something, wouldn’t it?

Unfortunately, sometimes we make the wrong decisions.

III. Whoops

How many of you have ever made a bad decision?

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Hindsight is always 20-20”?

“Wisdom is nine-tenths a matter of being wise in time. Most of us are too often wise after the event.” – Theodore Roosevelt

It’s so true that after you’ve made a decision and have experienced the consequences of that decision, you can immediately recognize whether it was a good decision or not. That’s what President Roosevelt was talking about when he said that most of us are too often wise AFTER the event.

My brother and I used to talk about these times in our lives that we’ve labeled the “What Was I Thinking Moments.” These are the times where we were so blinded by feelings, or peer pressure, or what people thought about us, that we based our decisions on everything but sound judgment. We would look back in disgust at girls we dated or liked. We would remember with regret a decision we made to go to such and such a party. We would replay with hesitation a decision made in haste. That’s the point when we say, “Well, I should’ve did this or I should’ve did that.” But wouldn’t you like to life your life with no regrets, no “should’ve” moments, no questioning your decisions?

If you get wisdom, you can!

A young man applied for a job as a farmhand. When asked for his qualifications, he said, "I can sleep when the wind blows." This puzzled the farmer, but he took a liking to the young man and hired him. A few days later, the farmer and his wife were awakened in the night by a violent storm. They quickly began to check things out to see if all was secure. They found that the shutters of the farmhouse had been securely fastened. A good supply of logs had been set next to the fireplace. The farm implements had been placed in the storage shed, safe from the elements. The tractor had been moved into the garage. The barn had been properly locked. All was well. Even the animals were calm. It was then that the farmer grasped the meaning of the young man’s words, "I can sleep when the wind blows." Because the farmhand had the wisdom to do his work well when the skies were clear, he was prepared for the storm when it broke. Consequently, when the wind blew, he had no fear. He was able to sleep in peace.