Wisdom In All Things

"The General is sorry to be informed that the foolish, and wicked practice, of profane cursing and swearing is growing into fashion; he hopes the officers will, by example, as well as influence, endeavor to check it, and that both they, and the men will reflect, that we can have little hopes of the blessing of Heaven on our Arms..." - George Washington in a memo to his army

Profanity demonstrates a lack of character and a propensity for the foolish. Both are not only unbecoming behavior for a member of an army that was under the command of General Washington, but risked deferring the blessing of God.

Read the transcript of Being Choosey About our Choice of Words

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God cannot lie (Titus 2:1), and we are called to reflect that by being “truth-tellers worthy of trust.” From his book The 10 Greatest Struggles of Your Life, Pastor Colin Smith goes on to reveal that this means we are to “deal in truth rather than lies, in precision rather than distortion, and in honesty rather than deception.”

Trust truly defines our relationships, and we earn trust by demonstrating that we are trustworthy. 

Read the transcript of Developing, or Regaining, the Trait of Trust

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Here, I think, is where the pandemic provided a benefit. We were forced to give our full attention to what was most important. There was nothing to fear missing out on. The world had all but stopped.

The pandemic provided some relief from FOMO, if not an opportunity to self-correct, and allowed us to, as they say, not let a ‘perfectly good crisis go to waste’.

But in order to do that, we needed to have given our full attention to those things that are worth finishing.

Read the transcript of The Fear of Missing Out On Things We Shouldn't Fear Missing Out On

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Usually, it is the inverse of J. R. R. Tolkien’s aphorism from The Fellowship of the Ring that we hear: ‘all that glitters isn’t gold’. However, his quote more aptly points us to what we should keep in mind when investing: "all that is gold does not glitter".

We shouldn’t be fooled by what something costs. We can pay far too much for far too little–career, property, what makes us happy. Yet, there may also be opportunities where we will give everything we have to something whose value is incalculable–children, spouse, God’s kingdom.

Read the transcript Prioritizing Value When Investing

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“Without proper self-evaluation, failure is inevitable.” – John Wooden (a warning he made in Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court when our excuses interfere with our ability to evaluate ourselves.)

Wooden echoes the bolder statement made by Socrates that “the unexamined life is not worth living”. Which is to say, that a life worth living is only possible when examined. How could one argue that they are truly living if not for introspection?

Read the transcript for Live the Examined Life Through Healthy Introspection

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While God is capable of granting our every request, He is especially pleased to grant our request for discernment and understanding. Solomon first worships God before humbly approaching Him to ask not for fame and fortune, but to know right and wrong so that he may lead God’s people, and influence others, honorably.

Read the transcript for The Kind of Request That Pleases God

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Solomon’s request of God for wisdom teaches us that more important than asking good questions is that we ask the right questions of the right person. Solomon made two very important requests of God and did so after properly positioning his heart to receive God’s response.

Read the transcript for Solomon Makes His Request for Wisdom

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Solomon’s first missteps as King are a reminder to us that our obedience cannot be partial. When that is the case, our hearts become divided and our lives a contradiction to what exercising God’s power and wisdom truly looks like.

Read the transcript for Solomon's Missteps as King

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David loved his son Solomon. In wanting the very best for him, he gave his son–and us–the wisest counsel a person could ever give to someone they cared about. To realize the potential of what God has called us to be, we must heed the charge that David gives his son Solomon: walk in God’s ways.

Read the transcript for Walk in God's Ways: David's Charge to Solomon

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The rise and fall of Solomon centers on how a divided heart can destroy a kingdom. It is imperative that we follow God’s ways in order to see God’s desired outcomes.

Read the transcript for The Rise and Fall of Solomon

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