Sometimes love is described as a feeling, but, biblically, it is an effort. If we think carefully, we will realize that our most significant “loves” in this lifetime have been those relationships we’ve deeply valued. That is why the commandment is to “love the Lᴏʀᴅ your God” with great effort. God knew if we truly loved him, we would value and worship him as our King.

Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). The best way to align our lives with God is to love him, with “all” our heart, soul, and might. Our most important effort isn’t trying to be obedient; it is choosing to love God. When we love God, our devotion to him is likely to follow.

We shouldn’t be surprised that the world has defined love differently than Scripture. We don’t always feel love for the people we love. In fact, the deepest loves are those whom we love and who love us despite the way we make them feel at times. Most parents love their children every moment of their lives, even when love isn’t what they are most feeling or thinking about at the time. That is the way we are loved by God all of the time. God’s love is born of his perfect character, and God is love. 

God’s priorities are always wisdom and always motivated by his love. He made the supreme effort to show his love for us by giving us his Son. God has called us to love him for the sake of our souls so that we will desire to know him and value his wisdom. 

Will you make every effort to love God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might? 

That priority is wisdom and worth every effort.

In the 1960s, Charles Hummel wrote a small book that quickly became popular with business leaders—especially with Christian business leaders. Tyranny of the Urgent taught that our greatest danger in life is allowing the urgent things to crowd out the things that are most important.

I remember reading that small booklet as a young, busy mom and pastor’s wife. God used Hummel’s words to speak better priorities into my life. Our lives are easily consumed by those things that are urgent. Our calendars tell us where to go and when to get there. Our work schedules drive our choices. The physical needs of our family can often take precedence over their spiritual needs. The same is true in our own lives.

Christians are often tempted to live with the urgent priorities the world suggests rather than submit to the important priorities God has given us in his word. Our children’s souls matter more than their grades. Our treasure in heaven matters more than our bank accounts. Our ministries matter more than our hobbies. Sometimes urgent priorities control our lives and our time more than what matters most.

God’s first commandment was, “You shall have no other gods before me.” Sometimes we think that because we aren’t part of a cult, we don’t have another god. We need to define an idol as Scripture defines it. An idol, a false god, is anything that controls your choices other than God.

Our wrong priorities can become false gods in our lives when we honor them with our time instead of fulfilling all that God would call us to accomplish. When urgent things control our choices, we have stepped away from the important relationship of God as our King. 

Are there some false gods in your life, urgently demanding your time and focus? 

Now is a good time to examine your priorities in light of all that God has said is important. God’s priorities are wisdom. What idols should you delete so that you can live wisely submitted to your King?

This month we will “look carefully” at God’s priorities in the Bible. His priorities are wisdom and will guide our lives. We make thousands of decisions each day. Knowing God’s priorities will help us make choices that align with his will. 

Paul told the Ephesians, “Look carefully then how you walk” and taught them to make the best use of their time. Knowing God’s will and his priorities will help us to live wisely and with his blessings.

God’s priorities are wisdom. Let’s carefully study all that matters to God so that we can be certain his wisdom is our priority as well.

Jesus was speaking to the crowd gathered by the Sea of Galilee. His Sermon on the Mount is considered central teaching for his entire ministry. Jesus taught the crowds gathered there how to align their priorities with God’s purpose for their lives.

He taught this key lesson: if we will make God our King, we can live a righteous life filled with all that he would add to our days.

Our American culture doesn’t have a king. Democracy is about electing people who are supposed to honor and obey the will of the people. It’s difficult sometimes not to think of God as our governor or president. God is not an elected leader; he is a sovereign King. His children live to obey his commands.

The highest priority for every Christian is to “think carefully” about God’s role in our lives. Is God your King? Is obeying his will your only goal?

When we “seek first” the kingdom of God, we are seeking his righteousness. God’s priorities are wisdom. When our highest priority is to make God our King, we will gain the wisdom we need to live an obedient life, filled with his blessings.

As we age, the list of our friends in heaven will continue to grow. There are people we look forward to seeing again in heaven. There are many brothers and sisters in Christ who invest their time in our spiritual lives, and they are likely the people we are most grateful for today.

The author of this proverb spoke about the gifts we receive in this lifetime that we are grateful for. “Oil and perfume” can be defined as the finer things in this world that we are always thankful to receive. A great gift makes our lives sweeter and our hearts glad. The greatest gifts make our hearts and lives stronger. The proverb says, “The sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.” 

Sometimes we are afraid to tell our friends the whole truth, even when they most need it. Earnest counsel must come from an earnest counselor, a person who deeply cares about God’s work and will in your life.

To have friends who truly want to help strengthen our walk with God is a great blessing. A friend who deeply cares about God can offer us God’s care. That friend’s “word of counsel” is often important advice and God’s great blessing for our lives.

A good friend’s counsel is sweet, earnest, and intended to be our best help. A good friend is one of God’s richest blessings on earth.

Good advice and careful instruction provide wisdom. It is fun to receive gifts from people we care about, but it is a blessing from God to receive earnest counsel from a friend who loves us and wants us to live closely with God. Will you praise God for who those friends are in your life? And will you pray to God to be that kind of friend in the lives of others?

God created us to be part of a large, diverse, eternal family of faith. We are created in God’s image; therefore, we can know we were created to love others. We were created to have a close, personal relationship with God and with others. One of the best ways to build a family relationship with your brothers and sisters in Christ is to meet with them and encourage one another to live with an eternal focus.

The family of faith should encourage one another to live with great love for others and a great passion for good works. What are “good works”? In Scripture, our good works are accomplished by doing those things the Lord has called us to do. We are to walk in obedience to his word and to the voice of his word in our lives, his Holy Spirit. When we walk faithfully in obedience to God, we accomplish good works.

We hope people will walk with God, but Hebrews teaches us to “stir up,” or work hard, to continuously find ways to be an encourager. Words of encouragement are powerful, uplifting, protecting, and full of God’s powerful guidance. 

When we gather for worship, study, or simply to fellowship, we can ask ourselves if we have obeyed the wisdom of Hebrews. 

Did we focus on God’s purpose for this time? How can we help people understand their need to serve Jesus and others?

—Offer truth to someone’s doubts?

—Offer comfort for their pain?

—Offer confidence, conviction, and power to their apathy?

The Day is drawing near. Today we are one day closer to our eternal life than we were yesterday. Are we doing all we can to invest in God’s kingdom and his eternal purpose for this world? 

Good advice and careful instruction provide wisdom. How will you share God’s love, wisdom, and encouragement with your brothers and sisters tomorrow? “Consider how” you will live your answer to that question today.

Christians in the first century believed Christ’s return was imminent. Peter wanted his brothers and sisters in the faith to understand how they could live their earthly lives with the hope of heaven while they waited for their eternal lives to begin. What can we learn from Peter’s words today, centuries later?

Peter said, “The end of all things is at hand.” He believed Jesus would come back in his lifetime. Centuries later, we know that Jesus returned throughout Peter’s lifetime, and every generation that followed. Jesus was preparing his disciples for his death when he told them, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” 

There will be a final return of Christ, as promised in Revelation. Until that day, Jesus will return again and again, to guide God’s children to their eternity to dwell with him. Every time a Christian breathes their last breath on earth, Jesus comes for them and their next breath is in heaven. 

Tradition says that Peter asked the Roman soldiers to crucify him upside down because he wasn’t worthy to share the same death as Jesus. It is impossible to understand the strength of Peter’s faith in that moment, apart from the certain hope he had of Christ’s return for him. He died knowing he was about to see Jesus again, face-to-face.

Heaven is the very real promise of Scripture and the hope God wants us to live with each day. Until Jesus returns, or returns at our death, we know how to live. 

Peter taught God’s children to be “self-controlled,” which is better translated as having our “self” remain controlled by God’s Spirit. A Spirit-led life is “sober-minded” or solemnly focused on God's presence and priorities. That focus will help us to pray in God’s will and for his purpose in our lives. 

Then Peter taught that “above all” we should love one another, our fellow Christians, earnestly. God has given us his agape love so that we can share his love with others, especially with our Christian brothers and sisters. When our intentions are driven by the love of God, our actions will be controlled by God and keep us from a “multitude of sins.”

Good advice and careful instruction provide wisdom. Peter advised us to wait for Christ’s return with the hope of heaven and live each day led by God’s Spirit and filled with God’s love. The end of all things is at hand. Live ready to see Jesus as Peter did and you will live well.

None of us will stand before God in heaven and say, “I didn’t know.” Micah 6:8 begins with the words, “He has told you, O man, what is good.” God made certain that his words and his will would be available to all people. The history of the Bible is the miraculous story of God’s inspired truth being recorded and preserved for all time. The entire creation is an illustration of the reality and existence of God. That is why all people are “without excuse” (Romans 1:20) for ignoring or denying that there is a God.

God’s word exists to help people know God and live according to his will and standards. He has “shown us” what is good. Satan and those he can influence will always “plot against” the people who want to live according to God’s statutes, his laws. Anyone who wants to live for the Lord will need to stand against the Lord’s enemies.

How do we stand for God and against those who plot evil? The psalmist taught that God’s servants should “meditate” on God’s laws. God gave us his word so that we wouldn’t have to wonder about how to live a righteous life. God gave us his word to encourage us to live as he directs so that we could have the life now, and eternally, he has designed for us. When we meditate on his design for our lives, we are much more likely to choose his will over our own.

God gave us his word, his Son, and his Holy Spirit so that we could have his counsel in our lives. Through his Spirit we can know his thoughts, his voice, and his will. The Spirit authors words of instruction, peace, comfort, and guidance. The Holy Spirit is also our protector against the enemies we will face. We are blessed to have his holy counsel as we turn our thoughts and our wills toward his.

Good advice and careful instruction provide wisdom. God knew we would need protection from the “princes” of this world so he gave us his word, his Son, and his Holy Spirit to guide us toward his perfect will. We “delight” in those things that draw us closer to the righteous life God has designed for us to live now, and eternally.

Paul gave good advice about giving advice in Ephesians 6:4. His words were aimed toward fathers, but his advice applies to all Christians. We may or may not be parents, but all Christians have spiritual children as well. Spiritual children are those God has brought into our lives to encourage, teach, or mentor in their faith. Paul’s words of wisdom are good advice for all of us as we give advice to others.

Parents have the God-given responsibility to raise children who can function in this world on their own. As Christian parents, we also have the responsibility to raise our children to know and love the Lord so they can live a life God is able to bless.

The single best advice we can give our kids is to teach them to walk with God and listen to his wisdom. The challenge for parents is to quickly and effectively teach our children to seek God and his guidance for themselves. 

We are to bring our children up “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Most of the time, when we provoke our children “to anger” it is because we offered our own words of advice and direction instead of teaching them to listen to God’s. That is often true for our spiritual children as well. 

When we give advice, we assume we know something the other person needs to hear. Paul would teach us to give advice that causes the person to understand their need to seek God and his unique direction for their life.

God has an individual plan for each of his children. We aren’t called to give God’s advice as much as we are called to encourage people to seek their own personal walk with their heavenly Father. We can help people know God’s voice through his word and through his Holy Spirit.

Good advice and careful instruction provide wisdom. The most important advice we can give our children, and our spiritual children, is to help them seek God’s guidance for themselves. Good parents teach their children to walk, and then we teach them to walk with God. Our words of advice should lead them to God.

Those who do the work of the ministry understand that we are increasingly at “war” with the values and goals the world teaches. One of the earliest pictures in Scripture is the battle between Cain and Abel. Throughout Scripture we see God’s people advancing his cause through battles and defending their cause for the sake of his Kingdom purpose.

Paul wrote, “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10). If you want to serve God, it will be difficult not to accrue some animosity along the way. That’s why the advice of Proverbs 24:5–6 should be considered and highly valued.

The proverb teaches God’s people to be wise because that places us at a position of strength and might. A person who knows God has increased their spiritual power so they can “wage war” against the world’s ideas that are counter to God’s plans and priorities.

Satan has always been and will always be at work in the world perverting or redefining God’s word and will. God’s wisdom is our best guidance that will help us wage war against Satan and his armies. We don’t wage war alone. As the author of the proverbs says, “In an abundance of counselors there is victory.” 

The armed services have a “ranking” system for a reason. Some soldiers have the wisdom and experience to lead others into a battle and are given positions like sergeants, generals, or admirals. Others go to battle by following the direction of others. Victory depends on everyone fulfilling their important role.

You have probably sung the hymn lyric, “Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus, going on before.” Christians are to follow our Lord into whatever battle he calls us toward. We are called to be soldiers and serve our General. We serve in an army that has already been promised victory. Good advice and careful instruction provide wisdom. As we gain wisdom, we gain spiritual might and, when necessary, we are able to wage war against anything that stands against God’s truth. 

We can sing the wisdom of the hymn hearing the call, “onward Christian soldier.” Wisdom is our powerful weapon in an important war.

Doctors suggest an annual check-up in order to remain healthy. Our car’s dashboard will light up when we need maintenance. Our monthly bank statement helps us to know if we are spending and saving like we should. We need “checks and balances” in our lives, and Paul suggests that we know the same is true for our spiritual lives as well.

How long has it been since you placed your spiritual growth under a bright light to determine the health of your soul?

Paul said, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise.” You are reading or listening to Wisdom Matters because you understand that your soul needs to be strengthened by the wisdom of God’s word. But living for God is different than simply living with a knowledge of God. We need to examine our actions and our choices and discern how closely and carefully we are living according to the wisdom of God’s word.

Thinking and carefully measuring our spiritual growth takes time. Are you more likely to consume spiritual meat or spiritual milk? Meat is the time you spend searching God’s word for yourself and listening to God’s voice of direction in your own life. Milk is the amount of time you spend listening to the words and ideas about God that someone else has provided. 

I’m glad you are part of Wisdom Matters, but my hope is that my thoughts will drive you to search the Scriptures for the thoughts God wants to author just for you. We all consume both meat and milk. Paul used that picture to describe what a mature Christian should be consuming more often. Babies take in only milk. You are strong and growing when you learn to consume God’s word for yourself.

Paul said, “Make the best use of time, because the days are evil.” We live in a busy culture that doesn’t leave us much time for quiet, prayerful, individual study of God’s word. The days are evil because this world is Satan’s kingdom. Each time you step away from the world to spend time with God, you have made the best use of your time. 

Good advice and careful instruction provide wisdom. Allow resources like Wisdom Matters to draw you into God’s word so that you can then pursue his will and wisdom for yourself. We all need “meat” to grow and stay spiritually strong. I’m happy to provide the “milk” as a healthy beverage on the side.