USING WISDOM

In our day and age having a piece of paper is considered wise and yet those with these pieces of papers have generated nothing but financial disaster. Certification is never granted academically but by results and results are determined by the market. The numbers do not lie. Results are objectively determined. They are visible for anyone to see. An income statement is either in the black or it is bleeding red.

What is wisdom? Wisdom is the application of the law of God. Application is objective. The law of God is spiritual and therefore subjective. The subjective precedes the objective. Therefore, wisdom begins subjectively but is demonstrable in the visible world. The most important thing then is to be wise in the use of knowledge. For knowledge to be usable, it must be applied.

Frugality is applied wisdom. Frugality means not spending more money than you earn. This means staying out of debt. Debt is something to be avoided, not embraced. When someone goes in debt, they are mortgaging their future for present consumption. It is better to save money before purchasing a product. Most people are impulsive and want something now. They lack self discipline and will not delay gratification.

The wise have learned the principle of delayed gratification. They are willing to do without in the present that they may have what they want in the future. This is the opposite of the debt encumbered. The debt minded think only about the present and not the future. The wise think about the future more than the present. The wise do what the Lord Jesus Christ said we must do, count the cost.

Counting the cost is a principle of wisdom. Counting the cost is taking all matters into consideration prior to making a decision. When considering whether or not to go into debt, some questions should be asked. Some would be, Do I really need this? How I am going to pay for this item? Is this product worth purchasing? Does this product have special maintenance issues? How long will this product last before I have to replace it?

Wisdom thinks ahead before making a decision. Before going into debt, it is wise to count the cost. Most people are emotionally based rather than wisdom based. This is why they get into financial binds. They did not count the cost. When the results of their decision come home to roost, they do not like the situation. What they do not think about is that is was their poor foresight that got them into this bind. They will blame everyone but themselves. This means that they do not intend on changing their behavior.