When I was in college, and later as I began my career, I was always envious of smart people. However, as I gained experience, I noticed many smart people did really stupid things. That’s when I realized there is a difference between being smart and being wise.
At about the same time, I realized that while I couldn’t make myself any smarter than God made me, wisdom was different. Wisdom can be learned! So, I set out to take what smarts I had and add as much wisdom as I could. I figured the combination of average smarts and above-average wisdom would serve me well throughout my career.
In my quest to acquire wisdom, I turned to the Bible and discovered the whole book of Proverbs is devoted to wisdom. In fact, the opening verse of Proverbs tells us:
“The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: For learning wisdom and discipline; for understanding insightful sayings; for receiving prudent instruction in righteousness, justice, and integrity; for teaching shrewdness to the inexperienced, knowledge and discretion to a young man—let a wise person listen and increase learning, and let a discerning person obtain guidance—for understanding a proverb or a parable, the words of the wise, and their riddles.” (Proverbs 1:1-6)
Proverbs is like a master’s level course in obtaining wisdom in all its various forms: discipline, understanding, instruction in righteousness, justice, integrity, and shrewdness. Furthermore, it is directed to people like me, the inexperienced who want to become wise and more discerning!
5 Character Traits of Wise Workplace Disciples
Recently, as I studied Proverbs for the umpteenth time, I noticed at least five fundamental themes of character traits shared among the most successful Christians I knew. These successful Christians were all wise, maintained sexual purity, were diligent in their work, honest, and generous. They were wise workplace disciples.
Let’s look at each of these five character traits to see what Proverbs teaches us.
1. Wisdom
Not surprisingly, a book that says its focus is on gaining wisdom would have dozens of verses about wisdom!
Many of these verses focus on getting wisdom, no matter what it takes or how much it costs:
“The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7).
“For wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her” (Proverbs 8:11).
Second, real wisdom comes from and grows out of our relationship with God:
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10).
2. Sexual Purity
I remember a pastor’s warning from a sermon years ago that we should carefully avoid even the appearance of impropriety. Over the years, I’ve witnessed too many Christians and even pastors who failed to maintain sexual purity. On a personal level, the result was broken marriages and crushed families. On a corporate level, reputations were lost, and sometimes, positions in ministries and companies were lost as well.
Solomon encouraged believers with the advice that we remain sexually pure and faithful:
“May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth” (Proverbs 5:18).
3. Diligence
Solomon was especially critical of believers who didn’t work hard. He warned that by being lazy, workers struggle, while diligent workers enjoy success.
“Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth” (Proverbs 10:4).
Then, he went even further in his characterization, stating that a lazy worker is like a thief who steals from their employer.
“The one who is lazy in his work is brother to a vandal” (Proverbs 18:9).
Every Christian needs to set an example of a hard-working, diligent worker!
4. Honesty
Throughout scripture, we see warnings directed to believers, to be honest. There is no room in the workplace for dishonest workers. Solomon warns:
“Don’t let your mouth speak dishonestly, and don’t let your lips talk deviously” (Proverbs 4:24).
“The Lord abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weights are his delight” (Proverbs 11:1).
Every non-believer sees the example we set in the workplace. Wise Christians are scrupulously honest in all aspects of their lives, whether it be family, personal, business, or ministry.
5. Generosity
Of all the themes I discovered in Proverbs of wise Christians, generosity surprised me the most. Solomon especially knew the plight of the poor and the importance of those who can be generous in helping those less fortunate.
“He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God” (Proverbs 14:31).
“A generous person will be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor” (Proverbs 22:9).
Certainly, we still have poor among us, so it is honoring to God when we are generous to the less fortunate. However, generosity took on even more importance to me when I thought of it in its broadest sense. Every successful believer I know is generous not only with their financial resources but also their time and knowledge. They are mentors who invest heavily in the lives of others to pass on their wisdom and knowledge to the next generation.
The Desire for Wisdom
Becoming a wise workplace disciple begins with wisdom. No matter how smart you are, you will be a better worker, leader, and all-around better human if you also possess wisdom. The good news is that wisdom is something we can all learn. It takes focus and concerted effort, but as Solomon says, the beginning of wisdom is knowing that you need wisdom! You’re off to a good start if you know you need wisdom!
More Articles
I have written several articles recently on a leader’s character. You can find them by typing “Character” in the search bar. Meanwhile, here are a few of my favorites.
- #484: Do You Recognize These 9 Warning Signs of a Failing Leader?
- #473: Are All Leaders Prone to Failure?
- #471: 7 Behavioral Do’s of Incredibly Effective Christian Leaders
- #444: Is It Important to Follow the Right Leaders?
- #443: The Folly of Wasting God’s Gift of Discernment
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. Which aspect of a wise workplace disciple is most important to you? Which should you work on the most?
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Category: Personal Development | Character
Yes, I’ve worked with smart people who still made dumb decisions. Along with wisdom I’d include emotional maturity as a vital attribute, maybe even above high intelligence. I found emotionally mature people exhibited empathy, kindness, and humility at work. They were more enjoyable to work with, didn’t get sucked into office gossip, and were reliable.
Emotional maturity, or EQ, has become a hot topic in recent years. Personally, I think the best work environment is full of wise people with emotional maturity! I’ll take that combo over the straight smart folks every day. I think EQ is especially important for folks where their work puts them in contact with the public on a regular basis!