So, you're a wise guy?

As you begin this new week, let me remind you of a gift of God that is yours for the asking. It’s worth more than gold. It will not lose value to you over time. You can share it liberally and it will never be depleted. The gift? Wisdom! "If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking." (James 1:5, NLT)  A wise person enjoys an incredible advantage in life. He sees beyond the obvious, chooses the best over the good, knows the difference between what is right and what is merely expedient. He does not get taken in by the fast-talking con men that plague our world. "Knowledge flows like spring water from the wise; fools are leaky faucets, dripping nonsense."
(Proverbs 15:2, The Message)

There are many smart people in this world, but fewer wise people. Smart people know many things, but wise people know how to live.  Looking back over my own life, I see many moments when I was 'correct' but not necessarily wise. I sometimes lacked the wisdom that would have made that the Scripture’s Truth fruitful and life-giving. 

Looking back to when my kids were in public schools, I realize how foolishly I sparred with educators who failed, in my opinion, to give proper respect to Christian convictions. I have those convictions still, but now in wisdom, I see the wisdom in convincing others rather than fighting with them! More than a few times I have rightly evaluated the choices of another but lacked the wisdom that would have allowed me to come alongside of them to help them to gain an experience of the Spirit’s freedom.  

 Are you just smart or are you wise? That is not a trick question.

Christian, wisdom is vital if we would desire to 'correctly handle the Word of Truth.' And, that Wisdom is ours if we will ask and learn from God. Note the progression. First there is the awe, then the ability to receive wisdom. "Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom. Praise him forever!" (Psalm 111:10, NLT)  Do you practice that kind of humility?  If we will pour out our heart to the Father, if we will admit our need,  if we will recognize our limitations, we can go to Him for the promise. The cry of our heart needs to be – “Lord, make me wise in Your ways!”   Is this your prayer? It’s mine. "Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom He gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts." (Colossians 3:16, NLT) 

Need an inspiration for a life of wisdom?  Read the stories of Daniel. He was incredibly smart but even more, he was wise in the Lord! A son of Jewish nobility, he was carried off by the elite soldiers of an invading empire to serve in the court of a pagan king. Over 5 decades he served four kings in Babylon as a counselor, in each situation bringing glory to the Lord God. He knew the Source of his strength, his insight, and his influence. 

Pray with me for a  heart of humility like that of Daniel. I am absolutely convinced that what our world needs more people with profoundly godly wisdom! We can be those mentors, guides, advisors, and counselors IF we live humbly in the wisdom that God gives. And, when we do, we will find many opportunities to bring God's message in a way that will lead them to Jesus and life.

Meditate on Daniel's thankful prayer today. 
He offered it up after God allowed him to show the king what to do by interpreting a dream. 

"Praise be to the name of God forever and ever; wisdom and power are his.
He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them.
He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.
He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.
I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers:

You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you,
you have made known to us the dream of the king."   (Daniel 2:20-23, NIV)

Lord, lead us as we humbly seek You.

Fill us with the quiet, steady wisdom of Heaven.

May we have the insight of those who spiritually wise.

In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

______

Be Thou my wisdom,

Be Thou my true Word.

I ever with Thee

And Thou with me, Lord.

Thou my great Father,

I, Thy true son.

Thou in me dwelling,

And I with Thee one.

Hear the words, miss the meaning?

Have you ever been caught up in one of those ‘conversations’ where the connection just isn’t happening?  It can hilarious or infuriating!  Yesterday, I told Bev that I was taking her GPS unit on a trip with me. She heard the words but stared back at me blankly. “Why do you need two of them?” she asked.  “Jay will have mine,” I replied. She still looked confused.  I was talking about taking her unit with me to use in the rental car at my destination! She thought I was talking about using it in my car which already has one in it.   

If people trying to talk do not put the words into the same context, they miss the meaning.  After a few sentences somebody needs to say, “Hold on, let’s  get on the same page.”  A pause to think, to shake off preconceptions, often clarifies the meaning. What often happens is that people just keep on talking, getting louder as their frustration grows.  

Have you lost the art of listening?  In this world, we crank up the volume, go for bolder and brighter colors, buy ever bigger TV screens- and - lose the ability to hear.  This can have terrible and tragic consequences when it comes to listening to the Lord.  He is speaking but are we listening?  If we hear Him, have we the kind of quiet mind that is able to comprehend the message that comes in  “the still, small voice of God?”   I fear that too often, in those moments when we do become aware of His Presence, instead of growing still before Him,  we open our mouths to make noise!   Incapable of wonder, we think, "somebody quick say something, sing something, do something!"  Richard Foster, a man whose understanding of Christianity has shaped my own in many ways, observes "Our Adversary majors in three things: noise, hurry and crowds. If he can keep us engaged in "muchness" and "manyness," he will rest satisfied."   - Celebration of Discipline

We need to 'hear' the admonition of God that came to a man who didn't know enough about awe to keep his mouth shut and his ears open!   Here's the story. 
"After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"
When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don’t be afraid."  (Matthew 17:1-7, NIV)

Dear Peter, how I love him!   I wonder, would I have done the same dumb thing? Would I have felt the need to interrupt the holy silence with some inane comment?

The ancient prophet declares, "God is in his holy Temple! Quiet everyone—a holy silence. Listen!" (Habakkuk 2:20, The Message)    Just so we're clear,  His holy temple is not St. Patrick's or any other church building.   We, Christian, are His holy Temple.  When we sense the Spirit moving in us - be it in corporate worship, standing on a mountain, or in the company of a suffering saint - an appropriate response is to grow still;  to allow awe to overwhelm us.

Here’s a word from the Word.

"LORD, I have heard of your fame;
I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD.
Renew them in our day, in our time make them known;
in wrath remember mercy." (Habakkuk 3:2, NIV)

Today, make some space in all the 'noise' of your life to listen.   Invite the Spirit to speak to your need, to bring direction, to whisper assurance. Then, be quiet!  

Like Elijah, you will find that in the quietness, the small voice of God whispers a great big message of assurance to your soul.

__________________________________

I am Thine, O Lord,

I have heard Thy voice,

and it told Thy love to me.

But I long to rise

in the arms of faith,

and be closer drawn to Thee.

Oh the pure delight

of single hour that before

Thy Throne I spend,

When I kneel in prayer,

and with Thee, My God,

I commune as friend with Friend.

Draw me nearer,

nearer, Blessed Lord,

to the cross where Thou hast died,

Dear me nearer,

nearer, Blessed Lord,

to Thy precious bleeding side.

Fanny Crosby-  Public Domain

Terror or Awe?

When the trees around my home are bent by the wind, thunder shakes the house, and heavy dark clouds throw themselves over me like a blanket, I feel awe! When our children were little, we would go outside during thunderstorms and stand under the overhang at the front our home to ‘enjoy’ the storm. Yes, it was awesome, in the truest sense of the word. What makes you stand still, be silent, and even feel a little afraid?

Isaiah called the people of God to reverence. He reminds them (and us) that God is awesome, worthy of respect. Taught to love God, some of us forget His awesome power, His perfect holiness. The people of ancient Judah were living in fear of their enemies, awed by the might of armies at their doorstep. Isaiah reminds that God, not the empires threatening them, was the One they should fear. And, with the proper awe, they would find God a ‘sanctuary!’

“Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread, and he will be a sanctuary; but for both houses of Israel he will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare.

Many of them will stumble; they will fall and be broken, they will be snared and captured.” Bind up the testimony and seal up the law among my disciples. I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust in him." (Isaiah 8:12-17, NIV)

If you think awe is an idea only for the Old Testament, then read what Jesus says. He, too, tells us that awe is the foundation of secure peace. “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows." (Matthew 10:28-31, NLT)

So what is awe? 
It is an “overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc., produced by that which is grand, sublime, or extremely powerful.” My love of the power of a storm is, in part, born of my conviction that it is the Lord who holds those storms in His hand. The wild winds and flashes of lightning remind me how puny I am and how powerful He is. And, then I think, He is my Abba (Father). 

How big is your God? 
Perhaps the better question is, have you invited the Spirit of the Lord to cause you to feel awe? We get ‘too big for our britches’ sometimes, don’t we? We live with the comforting illusion that we are masters of our fate, controlling the universe. Then, some situation arises that reminds us that in spite of our intelligence, plans, or money – we are mere mortals. In that moment, is there only terror, a feeling of helplessness? Or, do we match our smallness to His greatness, and with proper awe, find sanctuary in Him?

Here’s a word from the Word. Meditate on this truth and find the security that is found in the fear of the Lord.
"Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD." (Psalm 34:9-11, NIV) 
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." (Proverbs 1:7, NIV)
___________________

I Stand In Awe

You are beautiful beyond description;
Too marvelous for words;
Too wonderful for comprehension,
Like nothing ever seen or heard.
Who can grasp Your infinite wisdom,
Who can fathom the depth of Your love?
You are beautiful beyond description,
Majesty enthroned above!

And I stand, I stand in awe of You!
I stand, I stand in awe of You!
Holy God to whom all praise is due,
I stand in awe of You!

You are beautiful beyond description,
Yet God crushed You for my sin.
In agony and deep affliction
Cut off that I might enter in.
Who can grasp such tender compassion,
Who can fathom this mercy so free?
You are beautiful beyond description,
Lamb of God, who died for me.

Mark Altrogge
© 1987 Sovereign Grace Praise (Admin. by Sovereign Grace Ministries)
CCLI License # 810055

It’s a pain in the neck

 

For a month I have had various physical symptoms including some major pain in my neck. I took pain-killers and ignored it. “It will go away tomorrow,” I reasoned. Yesterday, I finally saw a physician who looked over my symptoms and concluded that I have Lyme Disease.  It comes from a tiny tick bite that introduces a bacteria into the body that multiplies. A course of antibiotics will likely cure the problem and relieve my pain.

Do you know that pain is a gift?  It signals that something is wrong and that corrective action is necessary.  Touch a hot surface and instantly your brain sends a messages to pull your hand away to minimize damage.  Without the pain, your hand would be severely burned.  The ache of the soul is a signal, too.  What does it mean? It might be God calling us to return to Him. It might be indicate sin is present. It might be letting us know that we are not living for the right things, wasting precious days.

Are you treating the pain symptom instead of its cause? For the last four weeks I have used Advil, Tylenol, and Aleve.  They could mask the pain in my body, but did nothing to curb the disease. My physician advised me to continue to use those things over the next few days along with the medication that will make me better.  When our hearts ache, our consciences sting, or our soul is heavy – there are things in this world that we can use to ease the pain – temporarily.  Work and accomplishment will do it, for a while.  Diversions and vacations can make us forget for a week or two.  Then, too, there are always things like alcohol and pornography, that ease then deepen the pain of the soul.

Jesus gives this prescription for our heart pain. "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Matthew 11:28-29, NLT)  It may sound too simple to accept.  But, that is where we start on the road to wholeness. Come to Jesus!  Sin-sick?  He forgives.  Enslaved to bad habits? His power brings freedom!  Emptiness and meaningless stalking you?  He invites you to work with Him in ways that matter.  Lonely?  Learning to engage in true worship with God's people as well as quiet times of personal prayer and meditation is amazingly healing. 

Almost all healing is a process. My Lymes will be cured, but only over several weeks. The ache of our soul is not relieved in an instant, either. God heals us from the inside out as we learn to live in ways that are spiritually healthy. Here's a word from the Word.  Read it thoughtfully, prayerfully today.  There's a lot of soul food in it!

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Be self-controlled and alert.
Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.  

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while,
will himself RESTORE you and make you STRONG, FIRM, and STEADFAST."  -1 Peter 5:6-10, NIV

Now, what are you going to do with those symptoms? Ignore them? Cover them up? Or, go to the Great Physician for healing?
____

What a Friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry,
Everything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear.
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful,
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
 
What A Friend We Have In Jesus
 
Scriven, Joseph M. / Converse, Charles C.
© Public Domain