Page 56 which to decide. It is wisdom. And when it comes to selecting a spouse, you will need all the wisdom in this universe to make a choice that you won’t regret. Consider the promise of Scripture: 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. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:5-8, NKJV) Another word for wisdom is discernment or sound judgment. Again, you can be in God’s moral will and still make a foolish or unwise decision. You can park your car in a foolish space, even though you are parking in the parking lot of God’s will. You haven’t sinned or missed God’s will. You’ve just not been very wise. If you have been enslaved to the idea that God’s will is like a train track, this ought to liberate you. I am trying to spare you lots of frustration, confusion, and guilt. The beauty of what James tells us is that wisdom is available to us. All that is required is to request it in faith. Wisdom is the ability to discern what is spiritually advantageous in a given situation. Suppose that I’m a young, stupid, single brother of 20 years of age. My body is pumping with hormones, and I’m
Gradual growth in grace, growth in knowledge, growth in faith, growth in love, growth in holiness, growth in humility, growth in spiritual-mindedness – all this I see clearly taught and urged in Scripture, and clearly exemplified in the lives of many of God’s saints. But sudden, instantaneous leaps from conversion to consecration I fail to see in the Bible.
J.C. Ryle