The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Proverbs 4:7, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom:

and with all thy getting get understanding.”

James 1:5, “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God,

who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be

given to him.”

The word wisdom is used some 400 to 500 times in the Bible,

depending on which version you use. The dictionary defines

wisdom as the “knowledge of what is true or right coupled with

just judgment as to action.” The Hebrew word ??????? chokmah

means “skill in administration, prudence in religious affairs.” The

Greek word ?????, sophia means “the ability to use knowledge for

correct behavior.” It is the only skill for which we are instructed to

ask; and when asked, it is promised that God will grant it.

Wisdom is more than being smart or knowledgeable about something.

It’s knowing when to speak, when not to speak, and even how to

phrase what you say. Some time ago, I faxed the following to a

U. S. Senator:

I was deeply appreciative of your questioning of Judge Neil Gorsuch

today in his Confirmation Hearings for the U. S. Supreme Court.

Your questions and personal mannerisms confirmed for me a long-

held belief that any inept person could be elected to the U. S. Senate.

Whether it should have been sent is a question of wisdom. Some

things need to be said; some things do not. And the judgment of

deciding is what we call wisdom.

My personal difficulty with wisdom has been being too quick in thinking

and not sufficiently slow in responding. Dr. Cleveland Horne was my

pastor for a time. He was a retired Navy Commander and one of the

most brilliant men I have ever known. But he frustrated me when I

asked him a question. He took sometimes two or three days before

he answered me. I wanted a quick answer. He saw the need to

weigh all aspects of the question before he replied. And when he replied,

there was nothing omitted. He had thought the matter through thoroughly.

That is wisdom.

Practice being wise! “…let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow

to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God”

(Jas. 1:19-20).

We love you abundantly –and pray for your wisdom!

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”