Don’t confuse knowledge with wisdom.

Saul the Pharisee was a guy who knew the scriptures. As a matter of fact; with his many years of zealous study and verbatim memorization, he probably mumbled the entire book of Deuteronomy in his sleep. However, after encountering Christ on the road to Damascus; the text that previously made perfect sense in his mind, no longer fit together as before. His “knowledge files” needed some additional sorting and Jesus did just that for him.

God took him away to Arabia for three years to complete his training and reorder his thinking (Galatians 1:15-18). But if he already knew the scriptures so well, why did God set him aside for three years? What else was there to learn? The answer is perspective…God’s perspective, and that usually takes time. James reminds us this way:

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives liberally and without reproach and it will be given to you.” – James 1:5

Knowledge is good, wisdom is better…and God’s wisdom is best.