Willy Wonka's Wisdom Factory
Willy Wonka’s cholate factory was not made for childen!
The bells, whistles, colors, and contraptions attract the eye and ingnite the imagination of children.
The demise of each child in Willy Wonka’s factory tells a different part of the story.
The children were too impulsive to wait, listen, and discern so they ended up flushed, rolled, or floating away.
You need to take warning from those impulsive children.
You need to wait, listen, and discern as you walk through Willy Wonka’s wisdom factory of life.
The church has always faced the challenge of teachers trotting out sweet treats and fancy packages that bring destructive results.
Timothy is warned about this.
3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
2 Timothy 4:3
The Corinthians had to be onguard from good looking, but misleading teachers.
13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
2 Corinthians 11:13–15
You need a healthy diet to mature. Part of developing a healthy diet is learning to exercise patient self-control in what you eat.
Not every shiny wrapping that says “wisdom” holds a golden ticket!
In the age of endless teachers and talkers, we have the opportunity to grow and learn in so many ways.
We also face the challenge of being duped by “fine sounding arguments” (Colossians 2:4).
Who should you listen to? The Scriptures answer this in many passages but one in particular offers great insight is James 3:13–18.
James 3 tells us to look at the fruit of a “wise” person’s life to help you discern whether they are offering sweets that damage your health or real life-giving nutrition.
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
James 3:13–18
Don’t bite down on everything that looks like wisdom without a little investigation. You don’t want to find yourself getting rolled away!