We can all agree that in the time we are now living, technology has made knowledge and information more abundant and accessible than it has ever been. Youths no longer spend hours at libraries or internet cafes after school or on weekends. Most of the answers we seek are at our fingertips, and if we want to, we can appear to be the smartest in the room.
You may be a student pursuing the education required to attain the career of your dreams, burning the midnight oil over the books, all so you can get / maintain a high grade point average. There’s a need for that at times. However, one thing that is proven dangerous and even deadly, apart from having a passionate pursuit without a pure, God-driven purpose, is having knowledge without true wisdom.
If you honestly examine your motivation for the field of study you are engaged in and the career you desire, is it to serve people or yourself? Is it about positively impacting others’ lives and ultimately doing what God has planned for your life or elevating your financial/social status? If your motives are selfish, then you are highly likely to pursue your passion in an impure manner. Temptations to take “shortcuts” to your goal will appear as blessings in your eyes. Opportunities to manipulate people or a situation to get what you want will be considered necessary in your heart. Even more detrimental is the possibility that if you are derailed from your pursuit due to an unexpected challenge, you may seek self-destructive ways to remedy the situation or relieve your disappointment.
If you discover that your motives are impure, it’s not too late to change. You can have a heart that wants to use its knowledge for God’s glory and the good of others, free from selfish pursuits. This is the heart of the wise, and God gives it liberally to those who truly seek Him and only want to do His will.
COUNTERFEITS
Solomon, son of King David, was given the throne after his father’s death. This throne meant he had power, control, and influence over a great number of people. While this might excite others, Solomon felt ill-prepared for such a grand task due to his inexperience and age. Hence, he prayed.
Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours? 1 Kings 3:7-9 NKJV
Solomon sought wisdom from God. He believed that the help He needed could only come from one source. In today’s world, many voices claim to possess wisdom, and due to advancements in technology, your phone can now present you with various suggestions even without your permission or request. However, true wisdom does not exist if the offered solution does not align with the heart and mind of God.
To know God’s heart and mind requires you to have His heart and mind, which first comes by receiving His Spirit (getting saved). If you are not saved, today is the perfect opportunity to humble yourself as Solomon did and seek after what truly matters: a pure heart, free from the entanglement of sin. Such a heart is able to think like God and feel how He feels about people. Only then can He equip you with spiritual knowledge, wisdom and understanding, enabling you to truly help others experience the love of God and stir them to pursue Him as well.
Don’t seek to be the smartest in the room, but the one possessing the wisdom of God.
The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. Isaiah 11:2 (NKJV). This was spoken of Jesus, and so, if His Spirit is in you then it is true of you, too, as you live surrendered to Him.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)
These famous words, penned by King Solomon, are not just casual motivation but an encouragement and charge to let God so align your heart that whatever passion you are actively pursuing will indeed be God-driven, pure, and purpose-filled, and a life spent wisely in His eyes that will be rewarded here and especially in the life to come.
Darien Callum is a member of Passion and Purity—a God-centered charity and para-church organisation, operating primarily in school, church, and media contexts. They aim to help others find their God-given passions and pursue same with purity.