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As James Said ... ASK!

There is a difference between knowledge and the use of knowledge. First, we acquire knowledge, then we use that knowledge in real life. The second part of this can be more challenging than the first. It is one thing to sit in a class room and learn something taught in the Bible; that could be relatively easy. The challenge comes in using that knowledge in life, something we often call "application."

I can get up every morning and check the financial data I can easily access through my online computer. I can read on the screen: the S&P, the NASDAQ, current interest rates, even the Asian and European market numbers. I can acquire knowledge as easily as financial consultants and brokers by reading the figures they read. But I can't use that knowledge to advise people about their investments. Knowledge in many cases can be easily acquired, but the challenge is to use it. Let's call that "wisdom."

Many who read this article read similar literature. We read the Bible, listen to sermons, attend Bible classes or perhaps prepare and present material from the Bible. Diligence of mind enables us to acquire knowledge, but that isn't the end of the process. After acquisition there must be practice. The purpose of learning the truth is to obey the truth in real life. We need help in connecting the truth we learn to real life. God promises to provide that help.

Or, as James said: "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him," (James 1:5).