Wiser Than You Are
READ
Pride and presumption suffocate authentic devotion.
The moment we assume we have God figured out, our faith begins to calcify. When we claim—explicitly or implicitly—that we fully understand who He is and what He desires, intimacy gives way to complacency.
We stop actively pursuing Him. We stop inviting Him to unsettle our assumptions, enlarge our vision, or refine our understanding. We stop letting Him surprise us.
But a devoted relationship with God requires conscious humility. The refusal to keep seeking is not a sign of maturity—it is a symptom of pride. When we stop seeking wisdom, we stop seeking God.
Let’s take a moment to read Romans 12:16c:
Do not claim to be wiser than you are…
REFLECT
Just because we are children of the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6) does not mean we always perceive what is right.
As Christians, it is all too easy to grow prideful in our knowledge of God. He has revealed His heart to us in countless ways—through Scripture, creation, and our lived experience. And yet, though we have access to God’s Word and His Spirit of Truth, our understanding of Him is not infallible. We are finite and fractured people, often shaped by selfish ambition and unexamined biases that distort how we read the Bible and interpret the world around us.
When we become prideful in our world-view, it strains our relationship with God and His children. We become less devoted to God as He is and more devoted to God as we understand Him. In doing so, we harm the people around us by lording our supposed “wisdom” over them.
When we overestimate our own insight, we can make others feel inferior. We approach others with a posture of undue power and authority, rather than one of humility and gentleness. Others may walk away feeling belittled, written off, or dismissed.
Pride and theological certainty also closes us off from the wider body of Christ. We stop learning from fellow believers. We resist being shaped by the culturally diverse, dynamic, global family of God. We forfeit opportunities to be challenged, refined, and transformed.
Genuine devotion to God and His people requires a posture of humility—remaining teachable, open-handed, and ready to have our assumptions challenged and, when necessary, turned upside down.
RESPOND
Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you read.
Is there a belief or conviction you hold that you may need to invite God—or our community—to lovingly challenge?
Is there an area of your faith where your devotion has grown stagnant because you assume you’ve already “figured it out”?
REST
Take a moment to rest in God’s presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading, then close your devotional experience by praying:
Father of all wisdom, humble me before You and Your people. Show me where I have grown prideful in my opinions. Give me a posture of openness and help me to be ready and willing to have my assumptions challenged. In Your grace, let me remain teachable and eager to learn. Help me to confess when I have gotten things wrong, knowing that my misconceptions do not define me or hold any bearing on my worth. Lord, let me joyous anticipation as I look forward to a lifetime of having my ideas about You and Your Kingdom broadened, stretched, and refined. Amen.
Port City writer Kate Redenbaugh wrote today’s devotional.