“Who is wise and understanding among you?” (James 3:13).

If I were the one to whom the Apostle James was asking this question, I would hesitate to raise my hand. The question is really convicting for me. I want to be wise, but do I dare to think I am? What is wisdom anyway? Is it someone who always has a pithy comment to make, who always says the right thing at the right time? Is it someone who is seasoned with experience?

The Book of Proverbs is known as the Book of Wisdom. Solomon wrote it “for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair…” (Proverbs 1:2-3). Solomon wrote these words of wisdom, or borrowed them in some cases, earlier in his career. From a study of Solomon, we can deduce that just knowing words of wisdom will not make one wise, because Solomon did not heed many of his own words of wisdom. He made many mistakes, especially later in his career because he did not heed his own teaching.

I imagine that you, like me, want to know the right way to speak and act with our spouses, children, and those that we work with and for here at Nashville Rescue Mission. The next few devotionals will be devoted to this concept of wisdom.

For now, we will try for a simple way to understand what wisdom is so that we can be more alert to its use and misuse. Sometimes the best way to understand a concept is to explore its opposite: in this case, foolishness. What does the Bible say about foolishness or folly as contrasted with wisdom?

A foolish person despises God; he rejects God’s Word and pays the moral consequences for not fearing God.

• “The fool says in his heart, there is no God” (Psalm 14:1).

Foolish people do not listen to others because they love to hear themselves talk.

• “The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly (Proverbs 15:2).
• “Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions” (Proverbs 18:2).

A foolish person demonstrates a lack of self-control displayed in words of temper.

• “Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult… The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing” (Proverbs 12:16, 18).
• “Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly” Proverbs 14:29).

A foolish person has an attitude that they have all the answers.

• “The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice” (Proverbs 12:15).
• “To answer before listening— that is folly and shame” (Proverbs 18:13).
• “Do you see a person wise in their own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for them” (Proverbs 26:12).

Ponder these descriptions and make some observations based on these standards. Remember, God alone is the righteous standard for what is wisdom and foolishness, and he ensures that we have access to this standard through the Holy Scriptures.

A foolish person delights in doing evil. But “Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men….” (Proverbs 2:14).

In Christ,

Judy

“In his right hand he held seven stars” (Revelation 1:16).

Can anything be more personal than holding or being held in someone’s hands? I used to sit with my grandmother in church and I loved to hold her hand, rubbing the wrinkled back and squeezing her fingers. Is there anything more precious than having a child place their hands in yours? It is such a gesture of love and trust.

The opening passage is from Revelation, first chapter, where John is describing the vision of Christ. He writes in verses 12-16: “I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.”

The seven stars are the representatives of the seven churches, possibly angels or church leaders. The point is that he is holding them in his right hand; in all his majesty and power, he is holding the representatives of the churches—in other words—all believers—in his right hand.

There are many ways that God could choose to lead, guide, direct, and protect us. In His sovereignty, he can do anything anyway that he chooses. That he chooses to do so in such a loving personal way tells me how much he values me.

The book of Genesis tells us that God spoke the world into existence, including the earth, sky, sun/moon/stars, plants, and animals. However, when he decided to create man, “the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man because a living being (Genesis 2:7).

David wrote in Psalm 139:9-10 “…if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”

And Jesus reassured us in John 10:28-29 “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.”

Take some time today to rest in that fact. God has you in His loving hands and He will keep you there, no matter what.

In Christ,

Judy

P.S.: If you would like to talk more about any of these devotions or matters that concern you, please stop by my office, or call or text me at 615-804-3453 to arrange a time, and I will be happy to speak with you.

“Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

Our God is unique in that He demands our 100% devoted, undivided affection. Every other “god” (if there is even truly such a thing), is dedicated to certain aspects of life. There were many Greek and Roman “gods,” one for everything of importance to those people (war, wine, agriculture, etc.). Many of the pagan nations of the Old Testament were happy to acknowledge our God; they just added Him to the pantheon of their Baals and Ashtoreths. And of course, in our day we are inclined to make idols or gods of many different things, all at the same time.

The problem is it just does not work that way. Just because we make something a “god” does not mean that it has true power or even our best interests at heart. Think about it this way: Can you really trust a god that only has the power that you give it over your life? The one true God created us with a desire to worship, and He created us with a will to choose. The One True God makes it clear that when we choose to worship or serve any other god, it is the same as rejecting, or failing to choose, Him. Jesus also emphasizes this when he says, “Whoever is not with me is against me….” (Matthew 12:30).

This principle is why God includes the prohibition of adultery as one of the Ten Commandments. To “love” or to seek another at any level when one has entered in marriage vows with our spouse is adultery. It is unfaithfulness. In marriage, we promise to cling to each other. You cannot cling to two different things, or you will be stretched in two compromising both sides. You cannot grab onto one thing without letting go of another. This is why God uses marriage to represent our relationship with Himself. This is why we call the Church the Bride of Christ.

I love the language of “choose for yourselves this day.” I used to believe that it meant a once-for-all decision, and it does at the most fundamental level. When we trust Jesus as our Savior, he promises to never let us go. We are eternally secure. But “this day” also means today. We must continually choose to be faithful—in every thought, in every word, in every deed. Faithfulness is a moment-by-moment decision to love God with all our heart, mind, and strength.

As humans, we will never be perfectly faithful; however, when we continually compromise our faith with our idols of the heart, our hearts can become hardened. Let this be our daily prayer “Search me O God and know my heart…see if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:3-4). And let us be thankful for God’s grace and mercy and repent when we fall short: “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4).

In Christ,

Judy

“You yourselves have seen everything the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the Lord your God who fought for you. Remember how I have allotted as an inheritance for your tribes all the land of the nations that remain—the nations I conquered—between the Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea in the west. The Lord your God himself will push them out for your sake. He will drive them out before you, and you will take possession of their land, as the Lord your God promised you” (Joshua 23:3-5).

The devotional last week related how God precisely allotted as a personal inheritance to the Israelites all the land between the Jordan and Mediterranean Sea. God himself drove out the inhabitants so that the Israelites could take possession of the Promised Land. But now what? What are the Israelites to do? Just because they have been given this land does not mean that they do not have responsibility. The precedent was set in the Garden of Eden. God planted the garden, and he created and placed Adam and Eve in it, and God gave them two responsibilities: 1. To increase and multiply (I don’t think I need to explain that one), and 2. To work the garden and take care of it.

Now that the Israelites are settled in the Promised Land, they also continue to have some responsibilities:

1. Remember.
2. Take possession.

Sadly, what we see in the book of Judges is their utter failure to do either:

1. They did not remember. “After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel” (Judges 2:10).
2. They did not take possession. “The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. They took their daughters in marriage and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods” (Judges 2:5-6).

Do you see parallels between then and now? I certainly do. God called the Israelites to be holy, set apart, based on their religion, their worship of the one true God. And Peter reiterates this calling in the New Testament.

• “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.” (Leviticus 19:2).
• “Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 20:7).
• “You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.” (Leviticus 20:26).
• “…Since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:16).

Instead, the Israelites slowly assimilated into the surrounding culture until they were intermarried and you could not even tell them apart from the non-Israelites. We in our own day and age have a fervent desire to fit in, to belong, so we compromise. And we rationalize about our compromising. And before long, no one can tell a Christian from a non-Christian. And worse, Christianity is “put-down” because it does look like the surrounding culture. I am guilty.

As believers, we know what to do. We must steep ourselves in the Word of God so that we remember all the good things that God has done for us. We must steep ourselves in the Word of God so that we know what true wisdom is and how we should obey. We must pray to the Holy Spirit to strengthen us. We must confess our sins and repent. Confession is not repentance. True repentance is turning away from our sin and back to God.

The real story of Judges, and of our time, is the love of God, the patience of God. It is true that his patience will one day end. In Judges, we see that “In his anger against Israel the LORD handed them over to raiders who plundered them” (Judges 2:14). In the book of Romans, we see Paul preaching “The wrath of god is being revealed from heaven against all godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth,” and many times he refers to God “giving them over to their sinful desires” (Romans 1:18:32).

But when you really stop to think about this, we must wonder with awe why he has not taken this action already. Why, when we read all the stories of unfaithfulness, didn’t God just take them out and start all over. Why hasn’t he given up on us? In Deuteronomy, he promised blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. Why have we not experienced the curse? In fact, why did he even tell us all these stories about failures?

It is because in God’s gracious love for us, he desires to keep his promises to us. He wants to save us from our sins. He gives us ample warnings. And He, in his ultimate grace and mercy, constructed a way to uphold His righteous justice along with his unending grace by giving us his son Jesus to serve as the perfect role model of obedience, then to serve as the final perfect sacrifice for all our sins, and finally then to show us eternal life through his resurrection.

One of the ways God shows his great love for us is through his patience. Let us not overlook this great gift. Let us not delay. “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4).

“Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whole land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

In Christ,

Judy

P.S.: If you would like to talk more about any of these devotions or matters that concern you, please stop by my office, or call or text me at 615-804-3453 to arrange a time, and I will be happy to speak with you.