Caleb stood at the counter, staring at the cutting board. A bowl of fresh strawberries sat to his left, blueberries to his right, and in front of him, a plump red tomato.
His cousin had told him once, “Technically, it’s a fruit,” and the thought came rushing back. He hesitated, knife in hand, imagining the burst of tomato juice mixing with sweet berries.
The decision was simple, but it made him smile.
He reached past the tomato, dropped a handful of grapes into the bowl, and tossed them lightly.
Dessert was saved.
Knowledge told him what a tomato was... A fruit! But wisdom told him where it did not belong… In the fruit salad.
We often stop at knowledge and assume that is enough. But knowing what something is is not the same as knowing what to do with it.
Applied wisdom bridges the gap between facts and fruitfulness.
It is the difference between quoting Scripture and living it, between recognizing truth and arranging your life around it.
Proverbs says, “The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out” (Proverbs 18:15).
But notice that wisdom is not just about gaining knowledge. It is about discerning how and when to act on it.
Without this step, knowledge can become trivia, interesting but powerless.
We live in a time when we consume more knowledge than any generation before us. Podcasts, books, reels, articles—our minds are full.
I have read more books than I can count, and yet I have noticed something about myself.
Often, I feel more excited to pick up the next book than to pause and apply the last one.
It is easier to stay in motion than to stop and put truth into practice.
But wisdom only grows in the soil of action, not in the endless shelves of information.
This week, take one thing you already know is true, whether biblically, relationally, or personally, and ask yourself: “Where does this actually belong in my life?”
Then, place it there. See what happens.
—Nils