Each year our nation remembers Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. and the significant civil rights and freedoms they fought for. King was more than a champion of civil rights and equality; he was also a champion for freedom of religion. Both great leaders knew that God gives us our ultimate freedoms and that attaining those freedoms means we have to use our God-given minds.
Our minds control our heart, and our heart controls our actions.
Martin Luther King Jr. fully understood how our Creator made us. In our culture today, science is seen as the solution to our problems, and it can bring solutions in many circumstances. The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly put science on a pedestal recently.
However, science without wisdom can be dangerous. The classic story of Frankenstein is a fictitious story of how science can create more issues and fear if we don’t employ wisdom with it. One of my favorite quotes by Martin Luther King Jr. is “Science investigates – religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge which is power. Religion gives man wisdom which is control.”
Are leaders using science today without the addition of wisdom to gain power?
God is The Source of all wisdom and knowledge (Proverbs 2:6). When we leave God out of our dilemmas, we create more problems. Dilemmas are unsolvable without the divine intervention of God’s wisdom. Problems are temporary issues that science – man’s research and knowledge – can solve. Often, more significant problems occur when we use science to solve dilemmas when science can only solve temporary issues. When we get those mixed up, we create Frankenstein monsters. We force people to be restricted and segregated while shutting down establishments and individual livelihoods. Hitler used science to convince the Germans to restrict and kill Jews and the physically and mentally challenged. Today many of our freedoms have been taken from us by many leaders who have forgotten, or who have never acquired, their need to use the wisdom of God alongside scientific research and findings.
We live in curious and challenging times. The Bible tells us our lives will get more difficult until Jesus returns. If we only use science when dealing with dilemmas and our constant curiosities without weaving the divine wisdom of God into the solutions, we will continue to create more complicated issues.
It’s the job of Satan, the deceiver, to cause turmoil and destructive evils. Ephesians 5:15-16 reminds us, “So be very careful how you live, not being like those with no understanding, but live honorably with true wisdom, for we are living in evil times. Take full advantage of every day as you spend your life for His purposes.” If we want to attain the best for our lives and carry out equal and fair civil duties, we must not forget to include God’s wisdom with scientific knowledge. As Jesus said in John 16:33 (Passion Translation), “And everything I’ve taught you is so that the peace which is in me will be in you and will give you great confidence as you rest in me. For in this unbelieving world, you will experience trouble and sorrows, but you must be courageous, for I have conquered the world!”
In this month of remembrance of two great leaders, we must encourage our present-day leaders to incorporate wisdom with science and put leaders in place who love God-given freedoms. James 1:5 says it best, “And if anyone longs to be wise, ask God for wisdom and He will give it! He won’t see your lack of wisdom as an opportunity to scold you over your failures, but He will overwhelm your failures with his generous grace.”
Let’s thank God for our leaders and pray for them to be “overwhelmed” with God’s gracious wisdom.
