Wisdom Matters

God created us with the freedom to choose and, therefore, we like to be given choices. We enjoy a menu that offers a variety of options. We want to select our seats for a long movie or plane trip. We can’t imagine living in a culture that insists on “arranged” marriages. 

But, sometimes a doctor has to tell a person surgery is their only option. When the polio vaccine was developed, people didn’t ask for another choice; they were just grateful they didn’t have to worry about getting the disease. 

Sometimes there is only one choice because only one choice is needed. So it is with our salvation. 

When Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth and the life,” he was saying, “I am the only way, the only truth and the only life.” His next words make his point absolutely clear. 

Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” God didn’t need to send “several” sons into the world so that people could be saved. He only needed to send one because only one was needed. Jesus is the only option God gave because he is the only option that will save people from their sins. 

We all know people who didn’t like the option of a COVID vaccine. We probably know someone who died because they didn’t get a vaccine. We all had the right to choose, but the vaccine didn’t help the person who didn’t take it. The COVID vaccine didn’t seem perfect to some and they wanted other options. 

Thankfully, there are some. That isn’t true about the choice to be saved. 

Jesus is the only way, the only truth, and the only provision for our eternal life. No one comes to God except through Christ. That means everyone you know is either going to heaven or still lost. 

The Lord gives wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. Everyone will choose to believe God’s word of wisdom or something less. We don’t have another choice because Christ is the only option needed. If you have doubts, ask God to help you understand.

Our culture enjoys a good debate. It’s fascinating to watch intelligent people work through an issue, verbally making a case for their opinion or position. I enjoy a good debate about theology sometimes. There are some topics in Scripture that godly, educated people disagree about. Listening to their understanding of Scripture can broaden our own thinking. 

A lot of our beliefs are accepted by faith. Faith isn’t making a guess; it’s choosing to trust what we cannot see in light of the evidence we have. 

The Bible is miraculous evidence for the reality of God. The words of Scripture have been changing people’s lives since they were spoken and written. “Faith comes from hearing” if we choose to “hear” the word of Christ. To hear means more than simply experiencing an audible sound. In Scripture, to “hear” God’s word means to experience its truth. 

The book of Romans was written in the first century when “hearing” a sound meant someone or something was close by, making that sound real. Faith comes from hearing the reality of God’s word. 

Sometimes people will want to debate our Christian beliefs and our acceptance of Scripture as the trustworthy message of God. The Apostle Paul would remind us to use God’s word in our debate. People won’t find faith through our ideas or words; they will find faith through the word of Christ. People will see the reality of our faith when they see the reality of Christ in us. 

The Lord gives wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. Let’s be careful to share the biblical message of Christ when we share our faith with others. Some will debate our faith, but others will come to know the Author of faith when we speak the word of Christ.

The GPS system in our cars has to be one of the best inventions of our lifetime! If you are old enough, you remember the days of unfolding and then trying to refold the paper maps we needed just to determine where we were and how to get where we needed to be. All of us who took road trips that way knew what it meant to be completely lost at some point in the trip. 

It isn’t as common for people to feel lost these days, and that might not be a good thing. We don’t reach for a map anymore because we have a GPS. We don’t reach for a light unless we realize it's too dark to see. A lot of people don’t reach for Christ because they don’t realize they are lost without him. 

People usually don’t admit to being lost until they realize they aren’t able to find their own way. We would rather wander around for a while, hoping to figure things out for ourselves. We might just give up and decide not to go if it seems too difficult. That describes the spiritual lostness of a lot of people in our culture today. 

But there is one destination that draws a person out of their pride to ask for direction. People are quick to ask for help when they are trying to get home. God’s word is more than a light to our path; it's a light for the path God most wants us to take. A light doesn’t help us very much if we are using it on the wrong road. On the other hand, if we want to stay on the road that leads home, God’s word will guide the way. 

In biblical times, a “lamp” was small and filled with oil. It gave light to a person’s next step or two, but not much more. God’s word gives us the light we need for the present and the promise that we will arrive home. We don’t know what the path looks like later on, but we know where our next steps should be. 

God’s word is our map for this life. God’s Holy Spirit is the voice of our spiritual GPS. We just need to program in the right destination and choose to trust his voice instead of thinking we know a better way. We need to ask for the help we need to arrive home. 

The Lord gives wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. We just need to remember that we are lost without his word, our lamp.

Speed limits exist to keep us safe, so why do we want to drive faster? 

Most laws are written for the good of the many but might come at the expense of a few. One of the first things the Lord provided the Hebrew people after bringing them miraculously through the desert was a list of commandments to follow. Later, a lot more “rules” and practices were provided. 

There was a day when only a few people had access to the scrolls containing God’s word. It was the priest’s job to teach the people God’s word. Now, we have the entire Bible in our homes and on our phones and computers. There are very few people in the world who don’t have access to God’s holy word. 

God has written and preserved his word throughout time. It was to be taught and passed down to every generation. God wanted us to know and choose “the way of faithfulness.” 

The best way to walk with God is to know his word. The way we keep God’s rules is to make sure they are always “before” us. If we want to know whether or not we are speeding, we look for the signs ahead. If we want to know whether we are driving in the wrong direction, we look to see which way the signs are facing. We shouldn’t be reading them in our rearview mirror. 

God’s rules are always in front of us through his Holy Spirit and through Scripture. He wanted us to know how to live a faithful life. The only question is: What position do we give the word of God in our lives? Is it always in front of us? 

The Lord gives wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. His road signs are always ahead when we choose the right way, the way of faithfulness.

The Sermon on the Mount is the central teaching of Christ. The teaching in Matthew 5—7 has sometimes been called the “magna carta” of Christ. In chapter 6, Jesus taught that his followers should live in such a way that they store their treasure in heaven. He taught them not to be anxious about the things in this world and to trust the love and power of God to sustain. There are worries and trials in this life, but each circumstance now can guide us toward the peace of heaven. 

Jesus taught a perspective that should impact every choice, decision, and concern we have in life. He said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” The key to seeking God’s kingdom is to ask: 

Which decisions are for God’s greater purpose? 

Which choices honor Jesus as our Lord? 

Will we set aside our worries and trust God’s love and plan for our lives? 

How will seeking God’s kingdom perspective cause us to be righteous, right with God?

Every difficult time in our lives requires us to make one important choice first. Will we seek to make God our King and choose to be righteous? Some choices are good ideas, but will we seek God’s ideas instead of our own? Some choices seem like a good plan for our lives, but are those choices God’s kingdom plan? 

It's easier to “seek him first” when we remember that our greatest needs in this life are the blessings of God. When we have God’s blessings, the other things we need are added in as well. Sometimes God gives us what we want. At other times, God’s wisdom changes what we want. Either way, we are blessed. 

The Lord gives wisdom, knowledge, and understanding so that we can know what to seek first in this life for the sake of our eternal life. That priority will enable God to add his blessings to this life and store up our treasure in heaven as well.

Paul’s prayer for the church in Philippi was that their love would “abound more and more,” and he taught them how such abundant love could be their own. Paul said that “with knowledge and all discernment” we would be able to choose what is “excellent.” 

The more we know God and seek his wisdom, the more we are filled with his perspective and his discernment. Paul was teaching the Phillipian church that to truly love others we need to love them as God loves them. Our love for others and our actions toward them can be “excellent” when we are filled with the love of God. 

If we want to obey the command of Christ to “love one another,” we will need to pray for the knowledge and discernment of God. We cannot love others like God unless we have the wisdom of God to see others, and ourselves, with his discernment. 

Loving others is God’s standard of excellence for his children. When we seek God’s wisdom, we will aim at his high standards. Loving others well is Christian excellence because that choice will help us to be pure and blameless on that day when we meet Christ face-to-face. 

The Lord gives wisdom, knowledge, and understanding so that we can see others from his perspective. He is the source for the love we need and the love we need to have for others. God’s standards are high and holy because that is the excellent life God wants for us, his children.

People have worshipped and praised God’s name “forever and ever.” People always will. Daniel said God is worthy of all praise because he is—and owns—all things. God owns and authors every word of wisdom this world will ever need. God is mighty and able to accomplish his will and his ultimate plan for this world. 

Times change and, like the seasons, come and go. The “kings” of this world are allowed power and then their power is removed. Their authority is temporary and God’s is eternal. The God that has been worshipped and praised throughout history is the God we will worship and praise in heaven. 

If we are wise, we will seek to receive God’s wisdom. When we want understanding, we will ask God to give us his thoughts. Wisdom, might, and understanding belong to God, and because of his love and mercy he wants to give those things to his children. 

Blessed is the name of the Lord, forever and ever. Blessed are those who walk in the name of the Lord because they will be blessed forever. Everything in our earthly life is temporary, except the things of God. Maybe that’s why God created the seasons as he did. 

February is the shortest month, and for most of us that’s a good thing. Februarys never last forever. Somewhere under the frozen ground are the flowers we will enjoy in the spring. God controls the seasons, and he always brings the next one. We don’t have to see God’s promises to know they will come, in his timing. 

The Lord gives wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. Bless the name of the Lord, trusting his wisdom and power are always enough for each day and every season of our lives.

There will always be unsettling times in our world, in our nation, and in our personal lives. Israel experienced the worst of times when most of her people were taken captive and enslaved. People lost their land, their families, and their futures. Isaiah was a prophet to Israel during their worst times. He brought words of discipline and words of hope. 

Isaiah taught God’s people that even though they would experience great distress, God had also provided them hope. Isaiah said that God would be “the stability” of their times. World history speaks to the truth of Isaiah’s words. God is the stability of every generation. His truth and wisdom have remained consistently relevant to every era of human history. 

God is the stability of our times, and that will be truth for all time. 

God has abundantly enabled the salvation of people throughout history. His wisdom was truth for King David and remains truth today. His knowledge is perfect; therefore, he is the perfect source for all we need. In changing or volatile times, God remains the stability of this world. 

That is why Isaiah could say “the fear of the Lᴏʀᴅ is Zion’s treasure.” To fear the Lord is to hold him in reverent esteem. It’s to know his greatness and embrace his authority. That relationship with God is the treasured relationship we each should seek to have with our Creator. 

The Lord gives wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. He always has given that treasure to those who fear him.

Because of God, Christians are “in Christ Jesus.” God “so loved” all of us, he gave us his Son (John 3:16). It's good to remind ourselves that the God of the universe loves us with a powerful, sacrificial love. God is always motivated by his love because God is love (1 John 4:8). 

When we placed our faith in the Son of God, we received our salvation because of God’s great love and provision for us. We are now permanently “in Christ Jesus.” We belong to God’s family. 

Our salvation has changed us. We are in Christ, therefore Jesus has become our wisdom from God. It’s incredible to imagine that we have been given access to the mind of Christ and his wisdom is from God. Through Christ we have been made righteous before God. Jesus is working in our lives to sanctify us, make us holy, and to bring about our redemption. 

Anyone can search for information on their cell phones. Those who are “in Christ” have received God’s Holy Spirit and can search for God’s wisdom within. The Holy Spirit of God provides the wisdom of Jesus. 

Open your heart and mind to the immeasurable love God has for you, his child. He provided for your salvation and then made certain you could gain his wisdom through Christ. 

The Lord gives wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. He did all of that for you, when he gave you his Son.

On average, a human being will have more than six thousand thoughts each day. Paul told Timothy to spend a lot of those thoughts focused on God. Almost everything we need for our lives is reachable from a computer keyboard. In many ways, the internet has replaced our need to think. 

Our best decisions require more than information. We need to know what God wants us to do with what we know. Wisdom and understanding are difficult to google. God’s leadership and discernment come from our thoughts and prayers. Paul told Timothy, “Think over what I say.” Paul’s words are considered Scripture today. The teaching in our Bibles is God’s word for our lives. 

When we take the time to think about God’s word, the Lord gives us understanding and discernment about what to do with what we know. And God’s word applies to “everything,” according to Paul. The Lord wants us to make wise choices throughout the day, and we can if we take the time to think about God’s priorities and teaching all day long. 

We have more than six thousand thoughts each day. Thinking takes time. So, when we make time for the God thoughts, God has the opportunity to guide and direct our lives. 

One of the most amazing and humbling realizations is that the God of the universe wants to be involved in our thoughts and lives. Our thoughts about God are numbered, but his thoughts about us are immeasurable. 

The God of the universe is thinking about you right now. 

The Lord gives wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. We have daily access to his perfect counsel. How many of your six thousand thoughts will include God’s thoughts tomorrow?