Happy Monday

Quiz Show Whiz

The other day, I flipped through the channels on the television and stopped for a moment on a quiz show. The kids seemed to know even the most obscure facts at a moment's notice. I know that the team was made up of the selected representatives of their schools, but none the less they were amazing. 

Another channel had the quiz show Jeopardy on. A clue is supplied from one of a variety of categories and contestants have to give an answer in the form of a question. There are a wide range of formats for these quiz shows, each requiring the contestant to have a degree of obscure knowledge in a wide range of categories. There is "Who wants to be a Millionaire?" and "Name that Tune" and many others. 

At the moment, a popular television show is "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" After watching part of one episode my answer is no. A quiz show whiz I'm not. 

If that isn't enough, there is a plethora of trivia board and computer games to keep you occupied. Trivial Pursuit, Bible-opoly and more are designed to test your knowledge. 

The world is increasingly full of knowledge and facts. The growth of knowledge is explosive. That's not necessarily a bad thing. It's good to know things. Knowledge can often come in handy. 

However, knowing things is not the same as being able to apply that knowledge. Even applying knowledge is not the same as wisdom. A person can apply much of what they have learned and never achieve wisdom. A wise person may or may not possess what many consider knowledge.

What's the difference? True wisdom is a gift from God.

James 3:13-18 NIV
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

True wisdom is Spirit filled wisdom. Look how closely it mirrors the list of spiritual fruit.

Galatians 5:22-23 NIV
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law

I know that there are way too many facts for me to remember, but I've learned how to go find facts if I need them. I know I'll never learn everything and the more I learn the more I realize that there are things I don't know. I do know without question, that my heart desires godly wisdom above all knowledge. What do you know? 

Until next time, may God grant you true wisdom.

Would you help us spread the word about "Gleanings"? Tell your friends and family about us and encourage them to subscribe for themselves. Help us to take the good news of Jesus Christ to people around the globe. Help us to encourage and challenge believers in their faith walk. I know there are many people out there who could benefit greatly from what we do. Will you help them find us? Thanks.

Hallelu Yah (Praise God)

Be blessed

Kevin 

"THE CIRCUS"
     Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus. Finally, there was only one family between us and the ticket counter. That family made a big impression on me. There were eight children, all probably under the age of 12. By the way they were dressed, you could tell they didn't have a lot of money, but their clothes were neat and clean.

    The children were well-behaved; all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands. They were excitedly jabbering about the clowns, animals, and all the acts they would be seeing that night. By their excitement, you could sense they had never been to the circus before. It would be a highlight of their lives.

    The father and mother were at the head of the pack standing proud as could be. The mother was holding her husband's hand, looking up at him as if to say, "You're my knight in shining armor." He was smiling and enjoying his family.

    The ticket lady asked the man how many tickets he wanted. He proudly responded, "I'd like to buy eight child tickets and two adult tickets, so I can take my family to the circus." The ticket lady stated the price.

    The man's wife let go of his hand, her head dropped, and the man's lip began to quiver. Then he leaned a little closer and asked, "How much did you say?" The ticket lady again stated the price. The man didn't have enough money.

    How was he supposed to turn and tell his eight kids that he didn't have enough money to take them to the circus?

    Seeing what was going on, my dad reached into his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill, and then dropped it on the ground. (We were not wealthy in any sense of the word!) My father bent down, picked up the $20 bill, tapped the man on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me, sir, this fell out of your pocket."

    The man knew what was going on. He wasn't begging for a handout, but certainly appreciated the help in a desperate, heartbreaking, embarrassing situation. He looked straight into my dad's eyes, took my dad's hand in both of his, squeezed tightly onto the $20 bill, and with his lip quivering and a tear streaming down his cheek, he replied, "Thank you, thank you, sir. This really means a lot to me and my family."

     My father and I went back to our car and drove home. The $20 that my dad gave away was what we were going to buy our own tickets with. Although we didn't get to see the circus that night, we both felt a joy inside us that was far greater than seeing the circus could ever provide.
-- Author Unknown

Daily Smile:

     Everyone knows I'm a stickler for good spelling. So when an associate e-mailed technical documents asking me to "decifer" them, I had to set him straight.

     "Decipher is spelled with a ph, not an f," I wrote. "In case you've forgotten, spell checker comes free with your Microsoft program." 

     A minute later came his reply: "Must be dephective."