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The Gift of Wisdom for Innovation

EasterScience, Research and Ethical InnovationWeek 26 · Day 1

Scripture References

Read First

Old Testament

Proverbs 2:1-6

1 My son, if you will receive my words, and store up my commandments within you,

2 so as to turn your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding;

3 yes, if you call out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding;

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4 if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures;

5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

6 For the LORD gives wisdom. Out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.

New Testament

James 1:5-8

5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

6 But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed.

7 For that man shouldn’t think that he will receive anything from the Lord.

8 He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Thought for the Day

Proverbs begins with a promise both bracing and tender: if you receive the words, treasure the commands, incline the heart, then you will understand what is good. Wisdom is not a personality trait some people were simply born with. It is a gift to be sought, like bread for a hungry day, and it is meant for ordinary decisions as well as for grand ones.

Lord, give us wisdom for our age: minds awake, consciences clean, and hearts steady under your kingship. Teach us to ask, and then to obey.

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James makes it still more direct. If any of you lacks wisdom, let them ask God, who gives generously and without scolding. The Christian life is not an exercise in bluffing competence. We are allowed to pray, plainly, for light. And we are warned against the divided heart: wanting God’s guidance while keeping our own agenda untouched, as though prayer were a lever rather than a surrender.

Innovation, in this light, is not a new idol with a shinier name. It is one way creaturely skill may serve neighbour-love: patient insight, careful craft, truthful testing, and the humility to be corrected. Some innovations will be small and hidden, yet they may save a life, protect a vulnerable neighbour, or lighten a burden no one else noticed. Good work often begins in quiet faithfulness.

Prayer Points

Respond
  • Give wisdom to those who research, invent, and build, that their work would be truthful and humane.
  • Deliver us from the pride that refuses to ask for help, and teach us to pray with simplicity.
  • Guard innovation from becoming vanity or domination; bend it towards mercy and the common good.
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  • Give discernment to funders, leaders, and institutions, that good work is supported and harmful work is restrained.
  • Make the Church grateful for ordinary vocations and quiet discoveries that serve neighbours well.
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