JACKS DAILY DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS
(Psalm 26:3 ) ‘Your loving kindness is before my eyes.’
The story’s told of a little boy who was asked, “Do you say your prayers every night”?
He replied, ‘No… some nights I don’t need anything!’
We smile, but the point is painfully obvious.
If the only time your husband or wife communicated with you was when they were in trouble or had a need they couldn’t meet on their own… how long do you think your relationship would last?
There must be a balance between your praise and your petitions.
Now you might be thinking, “If the Lord is big enough to create and run the universe, I doubt He’s bothered when somebody as insignificant as me fails to say thanks.”
Oh but not so!
When Jesus healed ten lepers and only one returned to give thanks, He asked… “Where are the other nine?” (Luke 17:17)
If God dealt with you solely on the basis of His righteousness and your proclivity for unrighteousness, you’d be sunk!
But He doesn’t.
He says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself” (Jeremiah 31:3)
I love David’s assurance to us from (Psalm 103:10-14) “He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear him… as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him… for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust.
Realizing this, the Psalmist wrote in (Psalm 63:3-4) “Because Your loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus, I will bless You while I live”
Again the Psalmist writes: ‘I will…praise Your name for Your loving kindness and Your truth… for You have magnified Your word above all Your name.
In the day when I cried out… You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul” (Psalm 138:2-3)
Someone quipped, “God doesn’t mind getting invoiced as long as He gets thanked”!
The amazing thing is that His love is steadfast and unmovable.
“I have loved thee with an everlasting love”, (Jeremiah 31:3)
Nothing warms a fathers heart more than when his children, (and wife included) draws close and tells them, “I love you daddy… Thanks for all you do”!
So, take a moment and recall God’s loving kindness to you… and then take some time praising Him and thanking Him.
You’ll be amazed at what it does for your soul and spirit!
Good Day!
(Psalm 119:11) “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”
When it comes to wisdom and knowledge, a lot of people like to express their opinion despite how much they think they know about whatever matter or topic at hand.
I’ve been asked many questions in my life time/ministry about a myriad of subjects and what my opinion might be.
But I have to be frank and say that I really hesitate giving my thoughts on any subject except that pertaining to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And the reason for that is that we are living in a society that has rejected sound counsel and advice, simply because it seems every one has a better idea, with nothing or no support, or truth or evidence to argue their ideas or philosophies.
We live in a society where “absolutes” have been tossed out the window… and every man and or woman is living and acting out according to (Judges 21:25), “and the people did what seems right, in their own eyes”…
“In their own eyes…”
Found in the pages of the Book of Wisdom called Proverbs, twice the writer states “There is a way that seems right unto a man but it’s the way of death”! (Proverbs 14:12) and (Proverbs 16:25)
Listen to me when I say… “the wisdom of men”… does not hold the answers many are looking for in life.
Why can’t I quit smoking?
Why can’t I quit drinking!
Why can’t I get ahead financially?
Why can’t I seem to find any joy in life?
Why can’t I experience one day with out any anxiety or stress in my life?
Why, why, why?
For many Christians there is the question, “why can’t I stop sinning”, committing the same sins over and over again?
My answer?
It’s the only the ones without any “absolutes” that cannot change.
Here’s your answer… “soak your mind in God’s Word”!
Just like you soak a sponge in water and it comes out filled to capacity, and dripping… we must soak our mind in scripture until we are filled to the max, leaking out with God’s Word.
Then, when you’re facing temptation, your first recourse will be a ‘Spirit and Word’ empowered response.
Not your “opinion”, which wavers and is influenced by the many philosophies and carnal influences and attitudes of this world.
If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting the same results.
So if you are sick and tired of living in defeat, if you are sick and tired of being sick and tired… here’s a time-tested prescription from God’s Word for making you whole…
(Psalms 119: 9 - 11) “How can a young person or an older one stay pure?” “By obeying the word of God”!
Jesus told His disciples ‘You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you’ (John 15:3)
(Ephesians 5:26) tells us “That He might sanctify and cleanse you with the washing of water by the word”
(Hebrews 4:12), “The word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit…joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”
(Jeremiah 15:16) ‘Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart… for I am called by Your name’.
Folks, there is only one source of counsel that stands true and does not change.
That is the Word of God!
These scriptures all lead to one conclusion… if you’re serious about wanting to walk in victory, you must get into God’s Word and get God’s Word into you.
Jesus said “man shall not live by bread alone but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Luke 4:4)
There was a time in my life when I wondered about my future and my eternity.
Though I was a believer in Christ I really did not know His plan or His will for my life.
I was like the little ball in a pin-ball machine ricocheting off of every situation, bouncing out of control from one thing to another… often laying in bed at night unable to sleep as I cried asking God why, why, why?
But there came a time when the reality of my “out of control” life began to cause me to come to my senses, and I began to realize there had to be something more than the pain, the stress, and the anxiety of not being sure or where I was heading in life.
There had to be some answers.
There had to be some “absolutes” that could set my feet on the solid path of life.
And it was then that I started to surrender to Gods Word, rather than letting my thoughts or my opinions that were formed upon here-say and heresy, run my life.
(Psalm 119:105) says, ‘Your Word O Lord is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path’.
Friend there is no other way to find pure counsel and to find your way thru this life of dark corridors, confusing directions and an uncertain future.
(Psalms 119:105) gives us a question that is asked and answered.
“How can a young person stay on the path of purity”?
The psalmist answers in the same phrase… “By living according to your word”.
Believe me folks there is no better way…. His Word never changes and His Word never lies!
It is yes and amen.
It is absolute!
And it has stood the test of time thru many changes in culture, history, and attacks on it by the Kingdom of Darkness that has tried to discredit it.
Yet still, it is the top selling book of all time.
That’s because it is more than a book!
It is Gods Word, His love letter to you and I.
His instruction manual!
To help us circumvent and find our way thru the ungodly philosophies of this world, that cause us so much heartache and pain.
Listen folks, with our leaders lying to us, with our professors and teachers of higher learning waffling on subjects they claim to be authorities on,
With the wicked and evil philosophies that have been unleashed on our world… as the wisdom of men… there is only one place to go for answers that are solid and unchanging.
It’s the Word of God.
(Colossians 3:16) encourages us to “let the Word of God dwell in you richly”.
The question was asked in (Psalm 119:11), “How can a man find his way”?
The answer… let the bible be your instruction manual, let the Word of God be your guide.
It is “a lamp unto our feet” and “a light unto my path”!
Good Day!
(Proverbs 13:20) ‘Spend time with the wise and you will become wise.’
God’s plan for our lives requires us to “connect with people” and be a light of hope and examples of faith in their lives.
But we must be wise or careful whom we allow to be an influence in our lives.
Sitting beside Jesus at the Last Supper were John, who loved Him, and Judas, who betrayed Him.
We can have people around us who love and support us, but also people who bring us down and go behind our backs.
We need to be aware of who is influencing us and who is speaking into our lives.
The Bible says, “Spend time with the wise and you will become wise”.
(Psalm 1:1) says “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take, or sit in the company of mockers”.
The relationships we choose to invest in, have a direct effect on how we live and how we develop or grow in our faith.
Having said that, we need to be very careful whom we allow into the inner sanctum of our lives.
We need to be careful that those we yoke our selves to (be they friends, business partners or future mates)… are people that we can walk together with in unity .
People whom will strengthen faith… not tear it down!
Now on the other hand we are not supposed to separate our selves from having relationships that are in the world.
Our main purpose or goal in life should be an attitude or intent of infecting the lost with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We are to be lights, and an influence in this world!
How many friends do you have that don’t know Christ?
Better put, how many people who are not Christians would call you their friend?
The statistics are clear.
Once the average person becomes a believer in Christ, he or she loses contact with all unbelieving friends within two years.
Some shed themselves of their former relationships with unbelievers on purpose and some as a consequence of their new life.
True, Paul’s encouragement to the Church in (2nd Corinthians 6:14) is something we need to consider as we live out our lives rubbing shoulders with the world around us… “do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?”
Therefore, many believe that to be Christian… means that we must lose all association with unbelievers.
But this is a wrong interpretation.
Paul is not telling us not to have unbelieving friends, but not to “join” together with unbelievers in their practices and worldview.
Yoking together means pulling together… to join with them in their lifestyle and belief system, therefore, becoming like them.
But we are called to do the opposite!
And that is to influence them by our love for them and our life of faith in their midst.
If we don’t, how else are they to know the truth that will set them free as you have experienced.
You might be the only bible they will ever read.
Christians should be building relationships outside of the household of faith!
Let me give you four reasons why Christians should be intentional about having friends that do not know Christ.
#1) They are sick and in need of hope.
Today more than ever we live in a world of hopelessness.
People today are searching for something to believe, they just don’t know what and they don’t know where to go. That’s where you and I come in.
The “religious leaders” of Christ’s day had this philosophy of “pagan friend shedding.”
Seeing Christ eating and drinking with unbelievers (befriending them), they began to look down upon him.
Christ responded by saying that “it is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick (Matthew 9:12).
#2) They keep you real.
Many of us have been in Christian circles so long that we don’t know what it is like in the world outside of Christianity.
Our terminology and thought patterns can quickly turn into “folk theology.”
“Folk theology” is having a belief or practice and not knowing why we have it or what it means.
In exclusive Christian circles, you may be able to get away with saying, “the Spirit moved,” but an unbeliever would challenge you saying,
“What do you mean that the Spirit moved?
Having unbelieving friends keeps you real authentic.
Believers sometimes feel that it is “unchristian” to ask tough questions or challenge the world on their terms or turf.
This should not be the case.
Believers should always be the first to ask the tough questions.
“How is this, or how is that working for you” should be the challenge we place for the many in our world whom are looking for answers… but you can usually only ask that question in the midst of an authentic relationship with another.
Unbelievers struggle and have real tough questions that believers should pay attention to, and be ready with answers of faith built upon the bible… not personal opinion!
#3) Because Christ had unbelieving friends.
Christ was on a mission to reconcile the world to Himself.
He had both unbelieving friends and believing friends.
He sought to win the lost and to disciple the won.
If you want to follow Christ’s example, then we must “associate” with those in need.
I said associate… not join, or yoke ourselves to them.
We must associate with them… and be a light and a positive influence, not the opposite!
The Kingdom of God is coming… it will be here soon.
Let us keep our focus straight.
The one thing we won’t be able to do in heaven is bring an unbeliever to Christ.
So lets start today!
Here’s a great prayer to pray… ‘Lord, I pray for the people You’ve brought into my life and placed on my heart. Please bless the healthy relationships, and give me wisdom to handle the difficult ones, in a way that pleases and honors You.
If there are friendships I need to walk away from, show me what to do and give me the grace and courage to do it.
If there are relationships that are draining and distracting me from Your plan and purpose, I trust You to bring them to an end or change them for the better.
And when I’m the one who needs to change, show me, and work in my life by Your amazing power.
I need Your wisdom to recognize the friends I should choose.
Help me to avoid relationships that lead me away from the path You’ve laid out for me.
Send people into my life who are godly and wise, and help us to bless and encourage each other… in Jesus’ name I pray.
Good Day!
(Psalm 51:17) “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart… these O God, You will not despise”
As we talked about yesterday, God is looking for a people… you and I, His children, His Bride, His followers, to have “a different attitude” than the world around us.
As I have pointed out in the past, God wants to conform us to the “image of His Son Jesus Christ”
(Romans 8:29) “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be “conformed to the image of his Son”, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters
To understand more about why God wants us to have “a contrite heart”… in contrast, notice the kinds of hearts God is not happy with.
These are all symptoms of deadly “spiritual heart disease” or a bad attitude!
1) A hard heart.
Start with Pharaoh of Egypt who enslaved the Israelites and wouldn’t let God’s people go.
Even in the face of God’s great power through the 10 plagues… again and again Pharaoh’s “heart grew hard”.
(Exodus 7:13) highlights the continuing resistance of Pharaoh despite witnessing God’s miraculous signs.
It demonstrates the sovereignty of God, the consequences of pride and stubbornness, and sets the narrative for the plagues that God sent against Pharaoh, illustrating the unfolding of God’s plan to deliver the Israelites from Egypt
2) A stony heart.
(Ezekiel 11:19) tells us that God wants to remove our stony hearts
3) A heart that’s lifted up.
(Deuteronomy 8:1-2) Moses warned of the dangers we can face when we have been blessed materially.
He explained that it becomes easy to forget that “blessings come from God”, and to be careful in believing we have achieved success through our own efforts and self righteousness, self-sufficiency, and pride, which are all hallmarks of the heart that’s “lifted up”
(Daniel 5:20) Nebuchadnezzar serves as a powerful example of someone whose “heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride”
Other hearts God does not want include… A perverse heart, a proud heart, a wicked heart, a defiant and rebellious heart, a sinful heart, deceitful heart, an adulterous heart, an impenitent heart, a veiled heart, an evil heart, and an unbelieving heart ,
What can be done about all these symptoms of deadly spiritual heart disease?
God wants us to experience “a change of heart”.
God said in (Deuteronomy 5:29), “Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!”
That “change of heart” starts with repentance.
Repentance is an action inspired and motivated by sorrow over and for sin, and its ugly hold on our lives.
God desires for each of us to humbly repent with a broken, contrite, crushed and sorrowing heart.
When we recognize our inability to fix ourselves to overcome sin and we see the filth it produce in our hearts…
Then we can pray, as David did, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).
(Acts 2:37) we read where early believers were “cut to the heart” by the realization of their sins, and asked what to do about them.
Peter gave “a call to repentance” and the steps needed for becoming a wholehearted follower of Christ…
“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins… and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
God promises to change our hearts, if we will let him, if we will respond to Him.
He promises to give us a new heart and a joyous future.
As God said in Ezekiel: “Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 11:19)
Our hard and stony heart must be replaced by a “broken contrite heart” so God can create in us a clean, pure, healthy heart that is wholly devoted to God.
The beauty of this as well, is that we don’t have to do it on our own.
According to (Isaiah 28:10)… God sends the Holy Spirit to lead us, quicken us, remind us and strengthen us to cleanse our hearts and starts a process of changing them spiritually… little by little, line up on line, precept upon precept.
All we have to do is be a willing and obedient recipient.
Paul says that God wants to write “His beneficial laws” on our hearts.
(2nd Corinthians 3:3)… says, that He will (through the Holy Spirit) “write on tablets of flesh”, that is, “of the heart”.
This healing, this heart transplant, is only possible because of God’s love and Christ’s sacrifice.
Jesus said, “He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted” (Luke 4:18).
By doing this, He fulfills the wonderful promise of (Psalm 147:3) “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
Broken, bruised, repentant hearts are necessary for the transformation and healing God has in mind for each of us.
If we approach Him “contritely”, (when we approach Him with the right attitude), ”He can create in us pure, sound, living, “peaceful hearts” that will rejoice forevermore”.
Jesus said “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).
(Psalm 105:3) tells us that In the end, “our hearts will rejoice”.
(Philippians 4:7) says that we will experience “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding”
While (Psalm 16:11) says that we will and find “fullness of joy” and “pleasures forevermore”
In my travels, I meet many whom are searching for answers continually.
Maybe your one of them today reading this blog/devotional, and your wondering what it is that is “eluding you”, keeping you, from experiencing all the that Heaven will allow?
As Paul talked about in His encouragement to the Corinthian Church, (1st Corinthians 2:9) “the eyes has not seen and the ear has not heard nor has it entered into the heart of man all the things that God has prepared for those that love Him”.
Perhaps your like King Solomon who wrote the Book of Proverbs and the Book of Ecclesiastes… and you have come to the realization that “life is folly” or meaningless, there’s something missing!
(Ecclesiastes 2:23) “So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun.
For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it.
This too is meaningless and a great misfortune.
What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun?
All their days their work is grief and pain… even at night their minds do not rest… this too is meaningless”.
John wrote, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1st John 3:1)
Jesus said His followers don’t need to “be troubled in heart”, because He is going “to prepare a place for you” (John 14:1-2)
The God who inhabits eternity and dwells in the high and holy place, wants to live with us and in us!
(Psalm 51:17) “a broken and contrite heart… these O God, You will not despise”.
What about you… have you had “a change of heart”?
Do you need a “spiritual heart transplant”.
Do you consider yourself a “Christian” or a “child of God”?
Then you must have a heart like God, not a heart filled with the nature of the world.
(2nd Corinthians 5:17) “if any man is in Christ He is a new creation, old things pass away and behold all things become new”!
God wants to change your heart…
Will you let Him?
Good day!
(Psalm 51:17) “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart… these O God, You will not despise”.
When King David recognized the enormity of his sin with Bathsheba and his “attempted cover-up” that ended with her husband’s death... he cried out to God in deep repentance.
In (Psalm 51) David prays, or cries out saying, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart…these O God, You will not despise”.
What did he mean by this statement or declaration?
Why does God value this kind of sacrifice much more than the traditional “burnt offerings” that were demanded as a price for sin under the Old Covenant?
David used similar words years earlier in praising God for protecting him from the Philistine King of Gath.
He wrote... “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit” (Psalm 34:18)
The truth is, God highly values those who are “contrite of spirit” or “those who have a right attitude”!
In the book of Isaiah, God shows how highly He values those who are contrite...
“For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy.
I dwell in the high and holy place with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Isaiah 57:15)
"For all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist says the Lord... But on this one will I look... on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at, (reverences), my word’” (Isaiah 66:2).
The Good News Translation puts (Isaiah 66:2) this way, “I myself created the whole universe!
I am pleased with those who are humble and repentant, who fear me and obey me.”
God loves us and wants us to change from following the way that leads to death, (Proverbs 14:12)… (Proverbs 16:25) and instead, to follow the Bible and its beneficial laws that lead to life.
That being following the way of Jesus and being obedient to “His way” (John 14:6)
God wants us to have “a humble spirit” that is willing to change, as well as to have a reverence and love of His Word, which reveals truth.
(John 17:17) “Sanctify them through thy truth… thy word is truth”.
As Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well, God is looking for true worshippers who worship “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).
So what is a contrite heart?
The Hebrew words translated “heart” referred to “a person’s inner being.
In the Hebrew culture, the heart was the seat of the affections, will, and mind.
In these passages, the word “spirit” also refers to our inner being, our disposition or our “attitude” toward life.
So having a contrite heart means recognizing our sinfulness and brokenness.
It means being humble and teachable.
(Psalm 51:17)can be translated… “chastened heart”, “humbled heart”, “repentant heart”, “sorrowful heart”.
If you have time this morning, turn to Psalm 34 and read another one of David’s “prayers of contrition” which describe vividly the humble and contrite heart, and the benefits that overtake such a one.
In essence, having a contrite heart means recognizing our sinfulness and brokenness.
It means being humble and teachable.
It means hitting bottom and realizing that only God and following “His way”, can turn things around for us.
Being crushed, bruised and broken is a prerequisite for being healed, forgiven and transformed.
With all of these descriptions of “contrition” or “contrite of heart”, we must understand that the Bible is talking about our attitude.
A contrite heart is a heart with the right attitude!
God called David a man after His own heart (1st Samuel 13: 14) - (Acts 13:22)
In addition to Psalm 51... here are quotes from a few of David’s other heartfelt “Psalms of repentance” and “contrition” that we can learn from.
His was and is an attitude with which we would do well to copy or imitate in our society today!
“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
When I kept silent (about my sin), my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long.
For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer.
I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, and You forgave the iniquity of my sin” (Psalm 32:1-5).
“There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your anger, nor any health in my bones because of my sin.
For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. … For I will declare my iniquity; I will be in anguish over my sin” (Psalm 38:3-4, 18).
“For innumerable evils have surrounded me; my iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up… they are more than the hairs of my head… therefore my heart fails me” (Psalm 40:12)
“Thus my heart was grieved, and I was vexed in my mind. I was so foolish and ignorant… I was like a beast before You.
Nevertheless I am continually with You… You hold me by my right hand.
You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory” (Psalm 73:21-24).
Take some time as well to read Job’s heartfelt prayer in (Job 42:1-6) and Daniel’s prayer of repentance in (Daniel 9:3-19).
These great Patriarchs and hero’s of faith all had one thing in common... a contrite and humble heart before God!
They had “a right attitude.”
Unfortunately we live in a society to day that is puffed up with arrogance, pride, and selfish ambition and willfulness!
It’s a selfish me, me, me, mentality… that continually thumbs it’s nose at God and anything to do with submission, obedience, or self denial concerning our perceived “right” to pleasure.
Paul warns of this in (2nd Timothy 3:1-5) when he says "But mark this… there will be terrible times in the last days.
People will be lovers of themselves… lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous... without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good… but treacherous, rash, conceited... lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God… having a form of godliness but denying its power.
Have nothing to do with them”!
So let me ask you this morning this provocative thought.
Do you have a heart like David, Job, or Daniel?
Do you have “a right attitude” toward humble obedience and submission to the God of the ages?
Or are you still filled with the carnal, wicked, selfish, willful, arrogant, nature of the world.
Maybe it’s time to do some “self evaluation” and spend a little time before the feet of our Master, our Lord, our Saviour "Jesus Christ" ... and ask Him to show you those things that are contrary in your life to having a humble and contrite heart.
Good day!
(Proverbs 9:9) ‘Teach the wise, and they will become even wiser.’
Whether we consider ourselves to be academic or not, it’s important for us to keep learning and
keep developing wisdom.
The Bible says “Teach the wise, and they will become even wiser”
Sometimes we can come up with excuses for not developing our minds and
growing intellectually.
But God gave us minds which are capable of learning new things.
Learning is very important to God.
In fact, in (Hosea 4:6 ) God says “My people will be destroyed, because they have
no knowledge”.
Now understand that God isn’t asking us to reach a certain level of academic achievement.
We don’t need to achieve a certain grade in our exams in order to be used by God.
But He wants us to be eager to learn rather than wasting time on things that don’t help us to grow spiritually.
Formal education is only one stage in the process of becoming a wise person.
Much of life has been professionalized and institutionalized and we easily slip into the notion that it is the responsibility of some educational teacher, professor, or some institution to impart to us wisdom.
You can see this mindset in the fact that “continuing education” is thought to be only possible under the watchful eye of professionals in institutions.
The implication seems to be that wisdom and understanding are something you purchase with tuition and class fees, rather than being a daily, lifelong process of growth.
But what I want to stress this morning is that we should never be content with the wisdom we attained through formal education, and we should not think that the only way to grow in our understanding is by taking more courses.
(James 4:4) teaches us that “the wisdom of his world is at enmity with God”
(Proverbs 4:5) “When the wise man says "Get wisdom, get insight”… he does not mean, "go to school, take more courses."
That might be part of God's plan for you but for most of us it is not.
Yet the command comes to us all… "Get wisdom!"
So what does this mean, how shall we do it, and why is it so important?
The Bible says in (Proverbs 27:17) “As iron sharpens iron, so people can improve each other”
To grow and become sharp, to develop Godley wisdom we need people in our lives who sharpen us.
We need to think about who we’re spending time with.
Are they encouraging us to learn more about God?
Are they helping us move forward on our faith journey?
I believe all of humanity have one thing in common… and that is that we all want to be happy.
We don’t all all agree on what brings the greatest happiness, but we all do long to have it.
And this longing is not bad… it is good, but our pursuit of happiness is not found in attaining mans wisdom.
Evil consists in trying to find happiness in ways that displease and dishonor God.
Goodness consists in finding happiness in ways that please and honor God.
God has established this world in such a way that doing good through faith in Christ, always leads to greater happiness eventually.
How ever we are living in a world today that says we must choose between our own wisdom and God's glory to achieve happiness.
(Proverbs16:25) and (Proverbs 14:12) tell us “There is a way which seems right unto a man but the end there of is death”
God has created this world and given moral laws in such a way that the more we choose to glorify God, the happier we will be.
The reason that getting wisdom is important, is that it is through practical knowledge that we gain true and lasting happiness.
(Proverbs 3:13) says, "Happy is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gets understanding."
(Proverbs 24:13-14) says, "My son, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. Know that wisdom is such to your soul, and if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off."
Wisdom comes from time spent with God.
Having said that… to get wisdom is to saturate our soul with Godly principles His word, prayer and meditation, and the fellowship of other believers whom influence our thinking
As we do this the Holy Spirit whom lives with in each of us will help us grow in wisdom and understanding.
Wisdom comes from reading the Bible.
(Proverbs 19:8) says, "He who gets wisdom loves himself." In other words, do yourself a favor… Get wisdom! Get wisdom! Get wisdom!
(Proverbs 8:32–36) sums it all up beautifully... "And now, my sons, listen to me. Happy are those who keep my ways… Happy is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors.
For he who finds me, finds life and obtains favor from the Lord… but he who misses me injures himself”
Let’s just make sure we’re always open to learning more about God and His Word.
As (Proverbs 16:16) puts it, "To get wisdom is better than gold… to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver."
It is a matter of life and death.
The ultimate, and eternal happiness that all people long for is truly found by those who first "get wisdom."
Wisdom must go beyond knowing and doing the Word of God.
Gods wisdom gives us a sensitive, mature judgment or discernment of how the fear of the Lord should work itself out in all the circumstances of life not specifically dealt with in the Bible.
There has to be what Paul calls in (Romans 12:2) a "renewing of the mind" which is then able to examine and approve the will of God.
He calls this "spiritual wisdom" in (Colossians 1:9) "We have not ceased to pray for you, that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding."
The wisdom we develop from knowing God's Word and the wisdom which discerns the way we live in this world when there is no clear word from God are not separate.
It is precisely by saturating our minds and hearts with God's Word that we gain the spiritual wisdom to guide us in all situations.
So in summary, when the Bible say’s "Get wisdom"… it is referring to the practical knowledge of how to attain true and lasting happiness under the direct influence of God, the Holy Spirit and his Word found in the scriptures.
It begins with the fear of the Lord… and continues in the humble obedience of doing God's will… perceived both from scripture and the guiding and influence of the Holy Spirit.
Such wisdom is essential because the person who has it finds life and joy, but the person who doesn't, finds only emptiness and misery.
Therefore, “Get wisdom”!
Pursue “Gods wisdom”!
Good Day!
The Bible says “Teach the wise, and they will become even wiser”
Sometimes we can come up with excuses for not developing our minds and
growing intellectually.
But God gave us minds which are capable of learning new things.
Learning is very important to God.
In fact, in (Hosea 4:6 ) God says “My people will be destroyed, because they have
no knowledge”.
Now understand that God isn’t asking us to reach a certain level of academic achievement.
We don’t need to achieve a certain grade in our exams in order to be used by God.
But He wants us to be eager to learn rather than wasting time on things that don’t help us to grow spiritually.
Formal education is only one stage in the process of becoming a wise person.
Much of life has been professionalized and institutionalized and we easily slip into the notion that it is the responsibility of some educational teacher, professor, or some institution to impart to us wisdom.
You can see this mindset in the fact that “continuing education” is thought to be only possible under the watchful eye of professionals in institutions.
The implication seems to be that wisdom and understanding are something you purchase with tuition and class fees, rather than being a daily, lifelong process of growth.
But what I want to stress this morning is that we should never be content with the wisdom we attained through formal education, and we should not think that the only way to grow in our understanding is by taking more courses.
(James 4:4) teaches us that “the wisdom of his world is at enmity with God”
(Proverbs 4:5) “When the wise man says "Get wisdom, get insight”… he does not mean, "go to school, take more courses."
That might be part of God's plan for you but for most of us it is not.
Yet the command comes to us all… "Get wisdom!"
So what does this mean, how shall we do it, and why is it so important?
The Bible says in (Proverbs 27:17) “As iron sharpens iron, so people can improve each other”
To grow and become sharp, to develop Godley wisdom we need people in our lives who sharpen us.
We need to think about who we’re spending time with.
Are they encouraging us to learn more about God?
Are they helping us move forward on our faith journey?
I believe all of humanity have one thing in common… and that is that we all want to be happy.
We don’t all all agree on what brings the greatest happiness, but we all do long to have it.
And this longing is not bad… it is good, but our pursuit of happiness is not found in attaining mans wisdom.
Evil consists in trying to find happiness in ways that displease and dishonor God.
Goodness consists in finding happiness in ways that please and honor God.
God has established this world in such a way that doing good through faith in Christ, always leads to greater happiness eventually.
How ever we are living in a world today that says we must choose between our own wisdom and God's glory to achieve happiness.
(Proverbs16:25) and (Proverbs 14:12) tell us “There is a way which seems right unto a man but the end there of is death”
God has created this world and given moral laws in such a way that the more we choose to glorify God, the happier we will be.
The reason that getting wisdom is important, is that it is through practical knowledge that we gain true and lasting happiness.
(Proverbs 3:13) says, "Happy is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gets understanding."
(Proverbs 24:13-14) says, "My son, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. Know that wisdom is such to your soul, and if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off."
Wisdom comes from time spent with God.
Having said that… to get wisdom is to saturate our soul with Godly principles His word, prayer and meditation, and the fellowship of other believers whom influence our thinking
As we do this the Holy Spirit whom lives with in each of us will help us grow in wisdom and understanding.
Wisdom comes from reading the Bible.
(Proverbs 19:8) says, "He who gets wisdom loves himself." In other words, do yourself a favor… Get wisdom! Get wisdom! Get wisdom!
(Proverbs 8:32–36) sums it all up beautifully... "And now, my sons, listen to me. Happy are those who keep my ways… Happy is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors.
For he who finds me, finds life and obtains favor from the Lord… but he who misses me injures himself”
Let’s just make sure we’re always open to learning more about God and His Word.
As (Proverbs 16:16) puts it, "To get wisdom is better than gold… to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver."
It is a matter of life and death.
The ultimate, and eternal happiness that all people long for is truly found by those who first "get wisdom."
Wisdom must go beyond knowing and doing the Word of God.
Gods wisdom gives us a sensitive, mature judgment or discernment of how the fear of the Lord should work itself out in all the circumstances of life not specifically dealt with in the Bible.
There has to be what Paul calls in (Romans 12:2) a "renewing of the mind" which is then able to examine and approve the will of God.
He calls this "spiritual wisdom" in (Colossians 1:9) "We have not ceased to pray for you, that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding."
The wisdom we develop from knowing God's Word and the wisdom which discerns the way we live in this world when there is no clear word from God are not separate.
It is precisely by saturating our minds and hearts with God's Word that we gain the spiritual wisdom to guide us in all situations.
So in summary, when the Bible say’s "Get wisdom"… it is referring to the practical knowledge of how to attain true and lasting happiness under the direct influence of God, the Holy Spirit and his Word found in the scriptures.
It begins with the fear of the Lord… and continues in the humble obedience of doing God's will… perceived both from scripture and the guiding and influence of the Holy Spirit.
Such wisdom is essential because the person who has it finds life and joy, but the person who doesn't, finds only emptiness and misery.
Therefore, “Get wisdom”!
Pursue “Gods wisdom”!
Good Day!
(Philippians 1:6) “And I am certain that God, who began a good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns”.
God is committed to the task of conforming you and I to the image of His Son.
Now understand… its not a physical transformation.
He’s not making us look like Jesus looked physically on the outside… but inwardly in character, in patience, in gentleness, in goodness, in grace, in truth, in discipline.
He’s committed to conforming our lives to the inner character of His Son.
Years ago I worked as a millwrights helper and would watch as modern technology and fabricators worked together to create certain parts and tools that were needed for the many upgrades and or repairs that were underway
One of the lathes I learned to operate was a tracer lathe.
It had an air-controlled “finger” that traced its way along a fixed template.
The template was an exact pattern of what was to be turned out on the lathe.
And as this very sensitive little finger followed along the template, its every movement caused the tool that was cutting the metal to cut that exact shape.
When it was finished, we had a finished product from the lathe that was a precise replica of the template.
Spiritually speaking… that is the Father’s specialty.
He places His finger on the template… His Son… and He watches over His workmanship.
At times the tool bites in, causing the heat to increase because of the friction.
We squirm and may even try to get away.
But we are His workmanship, and the Father won’t let us go.
He holds us tightly in the lathe of His will.
His goal is that we bear the image of His Son.
That’s the Father’s task or main purpose in our relationship with Him.
He’s committed to it.
Little by little… line upon line He’s changing us.
Another verse brimming with encouragement is (Ephesians 2:10) which says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them”
Look again at those first five words: “For we are His workmanship.”
We’re His project.
He’s got His eye on us.
He knows what our tomorrow holds.
He knows what the year will hold for us.
And He is working on His project all year long.
He’s shaping and moulding and making us like He wants us to become and He knows what we need to accomplish the task
The key to a finished product is the ability to stay in Him… let Him have His way… submit to His way… His will… and try to put Him first in every aspect of our lives.
Good Day