Tag Archive | Wisdom

Chaplain’s Corner – Godly Wisdom, part 1

Oct30

“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere (James 3:17 ESV).

Last week we pondered James’ question “Who is wise and understanding among you?” (James 3:13). This is a convicting question. I think most of us agree that we desire wisdom. We talked about the opposite of wisdom, which is foolishness. None of us desires to be fools in anyone’s eyes. So, allowing James to be our guide, we will explore the first of eight elements of wisdom and how it applies to our Christian walk.

  1. Wisdom is pure. Ivory soap was advertised as 99.4% pure, meaning that it did not contain impurities. Likewise, wisdom is wholeheartedly pure, meaning that it is innocent and free from moral fault or blame. Wisdom is also free from mixed motives, intending only good. When one tries to be wise in some areas but exhibits foolishness in others, even those that seem to be insignificant, the entire being is tainted with foolishness. “’Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities’” (Luke 19:17).
  • Wisdom is peace-loving. Godly wisdom is concerned with the truth but looks for solutions that bring about wholeness, not division. In other words, wisdom actively seeks unity. “Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other” (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13).
  • Wisdom is gentle. The quality of gentleness includes a willingness to yield to others. Jesus described himself as “gentle and lowly in heart.” Gentleness, as is peace, is a fruit of the spirit. Although not explicitly stated, it is also an element of the definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13:5 which says that love does not insist on its own way. “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…” (1 Peter 3:15).
  • Wisdom is open to reason. Being open to reason means being quick to listen and slow to speak, taking into account the views of others and being willing to defer to others when matters of moral or theological truths are not at stake. “To answer before listening— that is folly and shame” (Proverbs 18:13).

As you can see from these descriptions, wisdom is more than being able to spout pithy proverbs. Wisdom is wisdom is God-focused and other-focused (both/and not either/or). To be both sometimes takes time and effort, with reliance on the Holy Spirit for the best outcome. Remember James’ question in the opening verse—who is wise and understanding? The fifth of Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People advises to “seek first to understand and then to be understood.” We cannot ultimately be wise if we have not put in the effort to understand—to understand God’s will, our own hearts, and the perspectives of the other person.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5).

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.

Chaplain’s Corner – Wisdom of God

Apr15

Wisdom as described in the Old Testament is fairly straightforward. It includes the ability to govern well by accurate interpretation and enforcement of the law, to understand visions and dreams, to demonstrate morality and good judgment in making decisions.

Saul of Tarsus was probably considered to be wise as well as passionate. He was well-educated, highly regarded, and on the fast track to Jewish leadership. However, after his conversion to Christianity, he gained true wisdom. He, as Paul the Apostle, describes true wisdom in 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, and I am helpless to improve upon his writing (this is from the New Living Translation). I encourage you to take your time to read this passage, think about what you are reading. Read it out lout if possible.

The Wisdom of God

18 The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. 19 As the Scriptures say,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise
    and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”

20 So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. 21 Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. 22 It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. 23 So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.

24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

26 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. 27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28 God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. 29 As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

30 God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. 31 Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”

These are powerful words. In the aftermath of Easter, as we live in the light of the Resurrection, as believers unified with Christ Jesus, regardless of our past, regardless of our mistakes, know that God chose us. What an opportunity we have before us to boldly preach Christ crucified, to demonstrate the love of Jesus to the least of these.

In Christ,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – Why Wisdom?

Feb5

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3:6)

The concept of wisdom and the desirability of being wise is found early on in the Bible. The serpent used this desire to lure Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. So, does that mean that it’s evil to be wise, or to want to be wise? Of course not. There are so many scriptures that point out the wisdom of being wise. Joseph was highly favored because of his wisdom, as was Solomon. There’s an entire section of the Bible devoted to wisdom: Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes are considered Wisdom Literature.

A clue to why this strategy identified in Genesis 3:6 worked to deceive Eve is found in Isaiah 7:12-14. Here we see that the reason for Satan’s fall was his desire to make himself “like the Most High.” Satan used this same reasoning with Eve when he offered her the forbidden fruit. He told her “’You will not certainly die,’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’” Genesis 3:4-5.

The thing is that even though Satan has some power, he is still a created being. He can never be like the Most High God. He will never have the characteristics and attributes of God. He cannot ever be all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present. Any statement that he makes about himself otherwise is a lie, and every promise he makes to us otherwise is deception. Satan will always ultimately be subject to God.  No matter what we say, think, or do, we can never be God, and we will always be subject to God.

So, what’s the point of being wise? Why should gaining wisdom be a motivation for us? Solomon, who unlike Eve was known for his wisdom, also asked for wisdom. The difference is that he asked the right person, God, rather than Satan. And he desired wisdom not for self-gain, but instead to be able to distinguish between right and wrong (good and evil) in order to have an understanding mind “to govern your people.”

Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”  The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.  (1 Kings 3:8-12)

Why might I want to be wise? So that I will be highly favored by my friends, family, and coworkers? Because I perceive that power or wealth goes along with wisdom? Maybe so; but clearly, these are not a God-honoring motivations.  We should want to be wise because the desire for wisdom is evidence of our ongoing growth in our relationship with Jesus.

Paul tells us that Jesus is God’s wisdom. “God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin” (1 Corinthians 1:30).  Paul urges us as follows: “And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). This should be our “why”—not to be God, but to be more like Jesus in order to do His will.

In Christ,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – The Beginning of Wisdom

Jan29

“The fear (awe and reverence) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” Proverbs 9:10).

A couple of weeks ago I was inspired to write about how our staff had rallied around one of our own who is going through a rough patch. The Scripture that came to mind was about how we join together for mutual encouragement, support, and strength using the analogy of joining our individual “temples” together to build the church (Ephesians 2:19-22). Then last week, continuing a similar analogy, I wrote about the mansions we can look forward to in heaven (John 14:2-3). As so often happens, in my reading last week on wisdom, the Scripture referenced another building analogy, this time a house (Matthew 7:24-27):

 “Everyone then who (1) hears these words of mine and (2) does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

By the way, this passage is the final section of the three chapters that make up Jesus’ beloved Sermon on the Mount, which closes with this admonishment:  “And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching,  for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes” (Matthew 7:28-29). In other words, Jesus knows what he is talking about; he is speaking the truth.

Jesus is comparing the wise (one who builds his house on a foundation of rock) with the foolish (one who builds his house on sand). Note that there is no in-between. In other words, if you are wise, then you are not foolish. If you are foolish, you are not wise. According to this parable, there are only two requirements to be wise: 1) to hear the Word, and 2) to do what the Word says. So, if we refuse to hear God’s Word (because we don’t read our Bibles or pay attention in church or participate in Bible study), or if we hear it but are not obedient to all the teaching, then we are foolish.

What is the result of being foolish? When hard times come, we fall/fail/give up/relapse/etc. Notice that we are not talking about a momentary slip which we recover from quickly using what we have learned from our discipleship process. We are talking about epic fails. The scripture says, “and great was the fall of it.” This is a fall that wreaks havoc, causes damage, seriously impacts others. It doesn’t mean we can’t rebuild, but it does mean that we must rebuild on the rock next time to be successful.

What is the result of wisely building on the rock? It means that when hard times come (and notice that being wise does not exempt you from hard times), you will be able to withstand temptation and stay strong.

The Rock. (Notice that the definite article “the” is used, not the indefinite “a” or “an.”) The Rock. Jesus said that our acknowledgement that Jesus is Christ, son of the living God, is The Rock on which the church is built. Jesus says that the greatest commandments are to Love God and to Love Others. He says that those who love him will demonstrate it by keeping his commandments. In other words, wisdom means obedience to the teachings of Jesus, which of course you can only know by reading your Bible, participating in Bible studies, and listening to your preacher in worship services. It’s simple; not easy, but it is simple. As so many of you have said to me, it’s making the next right decision, and being diligent day by day. The Apostle Paul reinforces the connection between Jesus as the rock in 1 Corinthians 10:3-4, which refers to Numbers 20:8-12 where the rock was the source of water for Israel when they were in the wilderness. (Don’t you just how the gospel is woven through every section of the Bible?)

I mentioned in the first paragraph that I had been reading on wisdom. Every year, I choose a word to focus my studies around. This year, the word is “wisdom.” This means that you may be hearing a lot from me this year on the topic of wisdom, beginning today.

My heart is full thinking about my great love for all of you, and this only recalls Jesus’ infinitely greater love for each of us. He asks nothing of us but our love and obedience, and he does nothing that is not for our good, in His impeccable timing. We can trust Him. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

In Christ,

Judy