 |
| Experience the story: click the image above to listen |
The Daily Devotional
Wednesday, August 12, 2026
Wisdom for the Work of Our Hands
“For Yahweh gives wisdom. Out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.” — Proverbs 2:6
Reflection
On August 12, 1981, IBM unveiled its first Personal Computer at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City. Known as the IBM PC or IBM 5150, it began at a price of $1,565 and came with only 16 kilobytes of memory. By today’s standards, that seems almost unimaginably small. Yet the machine represented an important turning point. Computing power that had once belonged mainly to governments, universities, and large corporations was beginning to find its way into offices, schools, small businesses, and eventually ordinary homes.
I first studied computer programming in 1968 while I was still in high school. The computers were nothing like the ones we use today. They were enormous and expensive. They filled an entire room, and our whole school district had only one of them.
We heard predictions that someday computers would become small enough for ordinary people to have one in their own homes. At the time, we thought that sounded like science fiction. The thought that someone might place a powerful computer on a desk—or carry one in a pocket—seemed nearly impossible.
Today, I regularly use some of the most powerful computers in the world to assist me in my research.
That journey from a room-sized machine to the technology now available in our homes and hands reminds us how quickly the world can change. What seems impossible to one generation may become ordinary to the next. A small beginning may grow into something that reshapes work, communication, education, creativity, and daily life.
Yet technological advancement also raises a deeper spiritual question. As our tools become more powerful, are we becoming wiser in the way we use them?
Proverbs tells us, “For Yahweh gives wisdom. Out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.” The verse does not reject knowledge. Knowledge is valuable. Learning is a gift. Human creativity, discovery, and invention can all reflect the abilities God has placed within us. But Scripture reminds us that knowledge and wisdom are not the same thing.
A computer can store enormous amounts of information. It can search, calculate, organize, translate, communicate, and assist with creative work. It may help us find an answer in seconds that once required days of research. But a machine cannot decide what is morally right on our behalf. It cannot replace prayerful discernment, compassionate judgment, personal responsibility, or a heart shaped by the love of God.
Technology may tell us what is possible, but wisdom asks whether it is good.
It may help us speak to thousands of people, but wisdom asks whether our words are truthful, gracious, and helpful. It may give us constant access to news and information, but wisdom asks whether what we are consuming is strengthening our minds or filling us with anxiety, anger, and distraction. It may help us work more efficiently, but wisdom asks whether our work serves others or merely consumes more of our time.
Like many tools, technology is neither entirely good nor entirely harmful. Its influence depends greatly upon the purposes, habits, and character of the person using it.
A computer can be used to study Scripture, write a devotional, preserve history, create art, teach a lesson, manage a business, encourage someone who is lonely, or carry the message of Christ across great distances. It can help families remain connected and give people access to knowledge once far beyond their reach.
The same device, however, can consume our attention, spread falsehood, weaken relationships, and fill hours that might have been given to prayer, rest, service, or conversation. A useful servant can gradually become a demanding master when we no longer use it intentionally.
The challenge, then, is not to fear technology or worship it, but to place it under the guidance of God.
Consider one piece of technology you use every day. It may be a computer, telephone, tablet, television, or another device. Ask yourself: How is this tool shaping me? Does it help me serve, learn, create, encourage, and remain connected? Or does it frequently leave me distracted, impatient, isolated, or spiritually drained?
Choose one intentional act of faithful stewardship today. Use technology to send an encouraging message to someone who may need it. Learn something worthwhile. Complete an honest task carefully. Share truth without hostility. Turn off a device long enough to pray without interruption. Sit across from someone you love and give that person your full attention.
Small choices shape the spiritual direction of our lives.
In 1968, the thought of computers in every home sounded like science fiction. In 1981, the IBM PC helped move that possibility closer to reality. Today, technology continues to change at a speed few of us could have imagined.
But amid all that change, one truth remains steady: God is still the source of wisdom, purpose, creativity, and grace. Machines may become faster, smaller, and more powerful, but they cannot tell us what kind of people we should become. That direction comes from the One who created us.
The greatest question is not simply what our tools can do. It is what kind of people we are becoming as we use them. May the work of our hands, whether done with simple instruments or powerful computers, be guided by wisdom and offered in faithful service to God and others.
Prayer
God of wisdom and creation, we thank you for the gift of human curiosity, learning, imagination, and useful tools. Teach us to use technology with humility, responsibility, and compassion. Help us recognize its benefits without overlooking its limitations. Give us discipline when distraction calls, discernment when information is uncertain, and kindness in the way we communicate with others. Keep our trust rooted not in the power of machines, but in your faithful presence and guidance. Establish the work of our hands so that what we create, share, and accomplish may serve what is truthful, loving, just, and good. Amen.
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible Classic (WEB), a public-domain translation. Original devotional content © 2026 Kenny Sallee, ThM. All rights reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment