Albert Einstein was born on this day in 1879.

When Time magazine selected the most important person who lived in the 20^th century, the editors chose Albert Einstein: “He was the pre-eminent scientist in a century dominated by science. The touchstones of the era—the [atomic] Bomb, . . . quantum physics and electronics—all bear his imprint.” Einstein has been hailed as a “genius among geniuses” and the greatest thinker of the 20^th century.

Slow in learning to talk as a child, expelled by one school headmaster, and proclaimed by another as unlikely to amount to much, Einstein went on to develop theories that would change how we view and practice science forever. His work in quantum physics and the theory of relativity, for example, continues to impact how we view our world today.

Great minds and thinkers like Einstein inspire us, and rightfully so. Most of us can’t imagine being that wise. Yet, the truth is that being wise—being able to determine right from wrong—is never out of our reach. You may not be able to come up with the latest or greatest scientific theory, but you can always know what God wants you to do. How? James tells us that all we have to do is ask God, “who gives generously to all without finding fault” (James 1:5, New International Version).

Godly wisdom goes beyond just knowing facts and information. It is the ability to make the right decision in difficult situations. It is choosing what God wants instead of what we want. And it comes from learning God’s will by reading his Word and then doing it.

Want to be known as a wise person? Ask God for wisdom. Then do what he tells you!

If you need wisdom—if you want to know what God wants you to do—ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking (James 1:5).

To Do

In what areas of your life do you need wisdom? Take time right now to ask God for his wisdom.

Also on this day . . .

Today is National Potato Chip Day. Have a bag!

1794—Eli Whitney received a patent for his cotton gin.

1914—Henry Ford announced the new continuous motion method to assemble cars, reducing the time it took to make a car from 12 ½ hours to 93 minutes.

1943—Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first President to fly in an airplane while in office.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.