How do we find wisdom in life?

1- Ask God.  Part of wisdom is realizing we need it.  We have to ask for it. 

2- Be humble.  No one is born wise.  We must receive instruction.

3 - Move past gullibility.  Now more than ever, it's hard to know what's read.  We must consider the source. 

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Proverbs 1:7

What is wisdom?  It's our intellectual life + our moral character + a faithful relationship with God. 

If you need wisdom, humbly ask God for it, seek out wise people, and listen to God's word and apply it to your life.

We're not the ones blazing trails in life- God is.  Jesus' call is "Come and follow me." How can we make sure we're on Jesus' path?  We have to let Jesus wash our feet which is to say to accept Him the One who provides the ultimate sacrifice for our sins as seen on the cross.  Jesus calls us to follow him and live a life of service. 

Jesus told his disciples that they also should wash feet, echoing Matthew 20:26 when Jesus also says "Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant." 

Whose feet will you wash this week?  Who will you serve?

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:12-18

God is good, just, and reliable- he gives us the gift of stability.  God is beyond us and we don't comprehend God, but we know that he is consistent, loving and holy and clear in his expectation that we would turn from our sin and repent and find forgiveness and welcome home. 

God has given us so many good gifts every day!  We need to develop eyes to see them.  How are we receiving, thanking, and giving in response to these good gifts every day?

Last week, we looked at Jesus' resurrection and this week, we're looking at our ultimate hope- our resurrection.  Our ultimate destination is resurrection on the New Heaven and New Earth as seen in Revelation. Now we experience bodies that are perishable, dishonored, and weak,  But when we experience resurrection, we will receive bodies that are imperishable, glorious, and strong.  We will be changed and death will be swallowed up in victory! 

More is in store for us than the cartoon image of our future as ghosts or floating around on the clouds with a harp! We can see all the bodies that God has made (elephants, hawks, jellyfist, nebulae, so is our imagination so starved that we don't think that God can affect an incredible transformation in us?  That He can't create some kind of incredible body for us? 

Resurrection means our lives matter.  God cares about how we live.  Our faith informs how we live- sin came into the world by eating something (the garden of Eden) and salvation also comes with eating something (The Lord's Supper). Jesus gives us hope as we grieve loved ones and look forward to the eternal life we have in Him.

The foundation of our faith is the resurrection of Jesus! 

Jesus' resurrection was a preview for the eternal life we have in Him. 

Jesus' resurrection gives us purpose, informing how we live. 

Jesus' resurrection is a promise for us - for new bodies and new life together.

Jesus' resurrection is a victory proclamation.  Death has been defeated! 

Hallelujah, what a savior!  The resurrection of Jesus is the bedrock of our faith.

In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul tells the church to desire gifts, but then in 1 Corinthians 13, he tells them the greater gift to desire is love.  God's agape love validates all other spiritual gifts.  Paul only uses one word here - "agape" - the sacrificial, life giving love of God.  It's not an emotion- it's an action!  The cross is the true definition of this love. 

We see in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 that without love, all the other spiritual gifts amount to nothing.  God's love illuminates and brings light.  The more we give, the more ourselves we become.  Paul uses 15 verbs in 3 verses to show us that love is an action!  We fall short, but as we grow in love, God is patient with us.  We can't love on our own, only through the Spirit can we love others.  We have the perfect example of this love through the cross.  Love is the more excellent way.  Let's unlearn the world's definition of love and learn to love like Jesus.  

On one hand, there are passages of Scripture, taken in isolation, that appear to prohibit women from leading or even speaking in worship (1 Timothy 2:11-12). On the other hand, there are passages of Scripture, taken in isolation, that appear to allow women to express a full range of giftedness by the Spirit for ministry (Acts 2:17-18). Therefore, believers can honestly and diligently engage with God’s Word and be led to different conclusions- and still cooperate together on our witness and mission. 

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female for you are all one in Christ.” Galatians 3:28

Two books of the Bible are named after women, there were at least three women prophetesses, Deborah was a judge and leader of Israel, the Samaritan woman proclaimed Jesus as Messiah, Mary was a disciple, the first witnesses of the resurrection were women, Phoebe was a deacon (Romans 16:1), Priscilla was a coworker in Christ (Romans 16:3) and a teacher of Apollos (Acts 18:26), and Junia was outstanding among apostles (Romans 16:7). 

We can disagree and work agreeably for God’s Kingdom and Jesus’ Great Commission.  We should diligently seek God’s truth in Scripture with humility.  We’ve seen women teaching, praying, witnessing, serving, leading, and prophesying in Scripture and we’ve seen the fruit of that in our lives.

The Body of Christ is living and connected, doing unseen work, unnoticed and unpraised, making the wheels turn. 

If you have professed Jesus as Lord, then the Holy Spirit is at work within you.  You've been given a gift and a calling. 

Without you and the application of your gifts, the Body of Christ is not whole. You are capable, wanted, and part of the work we are doing here at FB Shreveport. 

All of our gifts come from the same God.  In discovering our spiritual gifts, first pray and listen.  Try things out.  Seek guidance from other more seasoned believers. 

Paul uses the imagery of the body to illustrate how we are supposed to operate as the Body of Christ- in harmony, functioning together, with one mission.  Our gifts are not in competition, but cooperation.  Each of us has a role to fill.

Following Jesus in isolation doesn't work. Don't bury your gifts. We need you!  YOU are the Body of Christ!

In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 we are called to run our races in such a way to get a prize.

1 - Prepare 

Corinthians were having a problem with their freedom in Christ- they heard about love and grace, but didn't understand that because of that grace, love, and freedom, we were meant to give up our freedoms to love and serve others.  The race of the gospel is the only race that matters.

2 - Participate 

Show up to run.  Put some miles on your tires.  Get in the race like your life depends on it.  We are not bystanders.  Run the gospel race and not the "me" race. 

3 - Prevail 

We run for a crown that will last forever.  Jesus gives the gift of life, love, peace, and presence. The race is worth it.

In 1 Corinthians 10:11-13, we find this bedrock promise:  God is faithful.  He will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear and always provides a way out.  

The struggles of the church in Corinth point us to two truths:

1.  Temptation often comes disguised as freedom.  We have rights, but what is the impact on others?  It is better to be loving, to love our neighbor, than to insist on our freedoms (1 Corinthians 8:13).

2.  Temptation often grows through self justification.  God does not owe us based on who we think we are.  We must examine our hearts because idol worship can sneak up on us.  

You are not trapped.  No temptation has overcome you except what is common to humanity.  God is faithful.  Let's choose love over rights.  Choose worship over idols.  Choose the glory of God over the excuses of our hearts, to follow Christ and the example of His love to lay down his life for us.