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Real conversations about following Jesus when life doesn't slow down — from a pastor who's still figuring it out too.
So why do smart people keep making dumb decisions? You've probably watched it happen. Someone you know has the education. They have all the experience. They've seen all the warning signs.
Greg:The people closest to them can see exactly where it's headed, and they still do it. They stay in that relationship. They make that purchase. They take the job. They send the text message, then they refuse to apologize for it.
Greg:Or or they blow up at something that's really good because they're absolutely convinced that they're right. And here's the the part that's going to get just a little bit uncomfortable. I'm not only talking about other people because I've done it, and you probably have too. The problem is not always that we don't know better. Sometimes the problem is that we know just enough to explain away every warning sign.
Greg:We're smart enough to build a case for the wrong decision, and we're convincing enough to actually make ourselves believe it. Being smart does not make you immune to bad decisions. Sometimes, it just makes you better at defending them. Today, I want to talk to you about why that happens. And more importantly, how to recognize it before it costs you something that you can't easily get back.
Greg:Because James, is the half brother of Jesus Christ, one of the most practical writers in the entire Bible, says there is a kind of wisdom that sounds convincing. It feels reasonable, and it might even win the argument. But it leaves a trail of chaos everywhere it goes. And the test he gives us has nothing to do with how smart your argument sounds. So let's get into it.
Greg:When you start talking about making wise choices, it comes down to really two things. You've got intelligence on one hand, and you got wisdom on the other. And they are not the same thing. Think about it for a moment. Intelligence.
Greg:It it processes information. Intelligence is what builds an argument or what solves the problem. Think about a mathematician or a scientist or even a writer, a journalist, someone who's really being intellectual about the work that they're going about. The intelligence that they bring to that is what helps them process all of it. It's how they they build the arguments and solve the problems.
Greg:On the other hand, you have wisdom. Wisdom and intelligence is not the same thing. See, wisdom wisdom is what helps us to see life clearly. Wisdom, when it comes to truth, wisdom submits to the truth. It doesn't try to make it up on its own, it submits to the truth.
Greg:And if you're a believer of Jesus Christ, that wisdom, it produces in you godly fruit. See, here's the truth. A person can know scripture deeply, can can have verses memorized to can can have the ones to quote in just about every situation and yet refuse to obey what is plainly written. A person can give perfect advice to everyone. You've probably done it because I have.
Greg:I can give other people advice, but when it comes to my own life, I tend to ignore what I say. A person can know exactly how a decision is going to affect their family. They can see it coming down the road, yet they rationalize away why it's a good decision even though they know they know deep down it's not going to end up the way that they hoped that it would. Intelligence. Intelligence helps you make an argument.
Greg:Wisdom. Wisdom helps you recognize when your heart is lying to you. Wisdom and intelligence are not the same thing. And our lack of wisdom is why smart people keep making dumb decisions. So if we know better, why do we keep choosing worse?
Greg:What is it that causes that within us? You see, our hearts, they lean towards something. It's it's that thing that we want. And it could be so many different things. Could be a job, a promotion, could be something material like a house or or the next toy that you want to buy.
Greg:And then then our mind starts to build the case. It's not neutral. Fact gathering, it's kinda like a defense attorney who's who's taking the the facts of the case and twisting them to meet what they need to do to get their client off. It's the same thing. We build the we take the facts of the case not neutrally.
Greg:We twist them into make it make sense of getting what we want. We want it. We want something. Or or maybe it's not a want. Maybe it's we fear something.
Greg:And then what happens? The brain goes to work to make it make sense and help us rationalize those choices. And we'll say things like, I'm not avoiding the conversation. I'm just waiting for the right time. Or I'm not bitter.
Greg:I'm I'm just setting my boundaries with that person. Maybe you've said something like, I'm not chasing status. I'm looking for opportunity. Or this one stings a little. I'm not disengaged from my family.
Greg:I'm providing for them. Maybe you say something along the lines of I'm not refusing wise counsel. They just don't understand my situation. I've been there. I've made those same rationalizations, and they've got me in trouble.
Greg:Back in my early twenties, way back in the nineteen hundreds, it was a long time ago, I know, I really wanted a new car. Not just any car. I wanted a sports car. But the problem was I already had a car, and I still owed on that car. Not only did I owe on that car, I was upside down.
Greg:I owed more than the car was worth, but I really wanted a sports car. In particular, I wanted a 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse. I know. Right? It's the most awesome car that's ever been made.
Greg:At least I I thought so at the time. I mean, let's be honest. Everybody in the nineties thought it was awesome. And if you didn't, well, that's your problem. So what did I do?
Greg:I bought it. I traded in the car that I couldn't afford to trade in because I owed more on it than it was worth. And then I drove that Mitsubishi Eclipse off the lot. And before I even got out on the highway, I owed more on that car than the sticker price was when I bought it because I was upside down. The the only problem with all of that, it wasn't the car.
Greg:There's nothing sinful about a car. The problem was I never had a conversation with God about whether it was a wise choice. I just decided I wanted it, so I bought it even though I couldn't afford it, And I took on the payments. Now here's the thing. It was an awesome car.
Greg:I'm not gonna lie. I had fun in this car. I love getting on the highway rolling down the windows, especially at night, letting that wind go through my hair as I was driving way too fast. And I love the car, at least for two or three months. And then the newness wore off, and the payments kept coming.
Greg:And then I realized at the time I was into golf, I had nowhere to put my golf clubs in this thing. And then I've always been a big guy, and I'm like, this sucks to get in and out of. I'm sitting on the ground. This is not fun. I was not asking God for wisdom.
Greg:I wanted God to sign off on a decision I had already made. And if I'm honest, I didn't even ask God for that. I just did it on my own. You know, your brain can build a convincing argument or a convincing case for just about anything that your heart already wants. A bad decision does not become wise just because you can have a really good explanation for it.
Greg:James does not let us measure wisdom by how convincing we sound. No. He gives us a completely different test for wisdom. So so let's take a look at it. James chapter three in in verse 13 is where we're gonna start.
Greg:If you are wise and understand God's ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. Did you catch what James said? He says prove it. Not by winning an argument, he says, prove it by the life that you live. And then he says in verse 14 through 16, but if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, Don't cover up the truth with boasting and lying, for jealousy and selfishness are not God's kind of wisdom.
Greg:Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition there, you will find disorder and every kind of evil. Jealousy. We've all found ourselves there. And what is that?
Greg:That's when we look and and we see what does someone else have that I deserve. They've got the job that I should have got. They've got the Mitsubishi Eclipse that I should have. They have the house that I should have, the spouse that I deserve. They make the money and have that bank account that I have worked hard, and I deserve it too.
Greg:It's jealousy. Or selfish ambition, he says. That's when we look at all these things. How does this serve me? How does this elevate me, or how does this protect me?
Greg:And that brings about pride. Why should I have to yield if they've got it? Or or we get defensive. Why does every challenge feel like a threat? But the danger is not merely making a foolish decision.
Greg:The danger is when we take that foolish decision and call it wisdom because it serves your ambition. It helps you take that next step and get to where you're wanting to be. And we make the excuse and call it wisdom. It's not wisdom. It's not what God has called you to do or to be.
Greg:And it's definitely not the fruit that James is talking about here in James chapter three. James three seventeen says, but the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It's full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.
Greg:And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness. Wisdom, it reveals its source by the harvest it produces, by what is coming out, the fruit that is shown in the life of that person. The fruit reveals the root. You can identify a tree by its fruit. I mean, think of an apple tree.
Greg:An apple tree produces what? Apples. An apple tree doesn't produce grapes because it's not a grapevine. It's an apple tree. It's the same thing with a Christian.
Greg:A Christian who produces worldly fruit is not living the life of a Christian. A Christian, a believer in Jesus Christ who's filled with the power of the Holy Spirit produces the fruit of the spirit. It applies in every part of your life. Think of your marriage. You may have a perfectly logical explanation for why you were right in whatever fight you're having with your spouse.
Greg:And maybe you are right. Maybe they are wrong, and the argument that you're making is totally legitimate. But the question isn't whether you're wrong or right. The question is, is your posture producing peace? Is your posture towards your spouse producing gentleness and sincerity?
Greg:Or are you winning an argument while you're slowly just tearing apart your marriage? You can win the argument and lose something that's far more important. Or maybe it's a financial decision, something that you've bought. Don't only ask whether you can justify it. Ask what is already growing around it.
Greg:You know, that Mitsubishi Eclipse, the fruit showed up within weeks, and that fruit was bitterness, regret, shame. Why did I do this? The harvest told the truth. It was a bad decision, and that decision, it made sense in the moment. I mean, a Mitsubishi Eclipse automatically made you awesome in 1999.
Greg:But the harvest, it didn't lie. Or or maybe it's in your church family. If you're part of a local church, those arguments that start to come up, you may call it discernment. But but if every conversation leaves disorder, we need to examine the source. Here's the thing.
Greg:Peace loving is not conflict avoiding. There's a difference in avoiding conflict and being someone who is a lover of peace and is sowing peace and is sowing the gospel. Sometimes the wisest thing is the hard conversation. Sometimes we want to avoid that conversation. So when you go into that conversation, the question that we need to have is this.
Greg:Are you trying to restore something or punish someone? Do you want to to help bring the relationship back, or do you want to help someone get back on the right path if they've strayed away, or do you just wanna prove them wrong and make them look like they're foolish? What are you trying to restore, and what are you trying to prove? Do not judge wisdom by the explanation. Judge it by the harvest.
Greg:Is it producing fruit of the spirit? Is it a harvest of the gospel? What is the harvest that your so called wisdom is bringing? How do we figure that out? Well, let's look at a couple of things we need to ask ourselves.
Greg:Three questions before every single decision that we make. Question number one, what do I actually want bad enough that I may be rationalizing it? Maybe it is the car. Maybe it's a home. What is it?
Greg:What's the decision? What do you want bad enough that you're rationalizing why you get it? When you think about that, what's the outcome you're hoping for? When you see the end of this, what are you hoping for? Are you wanting to be awesome because you bought a 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse?
Greg:Are you wanting a better house so that you look better than your buddies? Or or maybe it's not what you're hoping for, but what you're afraid of losing. Are you asking? Are you seeking wisdom? Are you just asking God for permission in this?
Greg:Sometimes we don't need more information. We just need to be honest about it. What is it you're getting out of whatever you're trying to achieve or chase or get? And then ask yourself, what kind of fruit is this decision already producing? Something you're having to keep secret?
Greg:Maybe it's causing you to get defensive or or the decision is causing you to just be dismissive of the people who you love and who care the most about you. Is it causing you to be anxious or harsh, prideful? But maybe it's causing you to have a controlling attitude that you don't usually have. The fruit often begins growing before the decision is ever finished, sometimes before it's ever even made when you're just thinking about it. And then it gets down to this.
Greg:This this is probably the biggest one. When it comes to this decision, am I willing to yield? Ask yourself, what evidence would it take to change my mind about what I want here? Or ask yourself this, what scripture am I minimizing or am I tempted to minimize when it comes to this decision? And if God says no to this, am I prepared to be okay with that?
Greg:And obey that note? Or am I gonna go do it anyways? If nothing could change your mind, you're not seeking wisdom. You just want validation. I've been there, and I'm sure you have too.
Greg:Even if you're not there now, you've been there. So the challenge is this. Who in your life is allowed to say, I think your heart's getting ahead of your head. I think this is a very unwise choice that you're making. Do you have that person who you trust enough to let them have that authority or that freedom in your life to say, hey, if you do this, you're messing up.
Greg:It's not a good choice. Don't do it. And you'll listen to them without getting angry. But the reality is even these questions, they're not enough if it's just becoming another self improvement exercise. It's not about behavior modification.
Greg:It's about heart change. The deepest issue, it's not a lack of intelligence. The deepest issue is our hearts and how we're so resistant to surrender. I know if you're like me, surrender is very hard, especially for us in America. We're all pull yourself up by the bootstraps, go get it done kind of people.
Greg:Surrender? That's not really in most of our vocabulary. We need God to expose our motives. We need God to take our pride and crush it. We need God to humble us.
Greg:We need God to teach us to yield. Our example is Jesus. Jesus was not driven by selfish ambition. Jesus, although he could have had all the status he wanted, he did not cling to his status, and he was the king. Jesus walked into humility, in truth, with mercy, and he was obedient to the father.
Greg:You see, wisdom, it's not something you do. Wisdom's not something you learn. Wisdom's not a skill. Wisdom's a person. Paul talks about that in first Corinthians.
Greg:Wisdom is found in Jesus Christ. He is the source of wisdom. Wisdom is not proven by the argument that you win. It's proven by a life that you surrender. Maybe maybe there's a decision in front of you right now, or maybe there's a conversation that you've really been avoiding.
Greg:Maybe there's a choice that you keep explaining away and making excuses for. Because deep down, you already know it's producing the wrong kind of fruit. So what do we do? Don't ask God to bless the decision that you've already made. Ask him for the courage to yield.
Greg:Why do smart people keep making dumb decisions? Because intelligence is not wisdom. And sometimes our intelligence simply helps us justify what our hearts already want. James gives us a better test. Look at the fruit.
Greg:Do not judge wisdom by how convincing your argument sounds. Judge it by the harvest your life is producing. So whatever decision sits before you, whether it's now or in the future or something you're looking at from the past, how would we approach that differently? How will we approach it now? Or how will we approach it in the future?
Greg:Remember those three questions. What do I want badly enough that I may be rationalizing it? What what kind of fruit is this already producing? And am I genuinely willing to yield? Send this to someone if you see that it helps you and will help someone else make wiser decisions.
Greg:And do us a favor. Subscribe to the God Made Podcast. It's amazing how much just that little like or that comment or that subscribe helps. We're trying to get the word out to help people walk in faith because Sunday doesn't fix everything. We'll be back next week.
Greg:Christie will be back with me next week. If you're a regular, you miss Christie today. She couldn't be with me today. So it's a solo show, but next week, she'll be back. We're gonna have a conversation about the good parent trap.
Greg:I'm excited about that one. It's gonna sting, but it's also gonna help us who were parents next week. So jump back in with us next week. Subscribe. Hit that bell, and, we'll see you next week for the God Made Podcast.
Greg:Thanks for joining us.