Wisdom Matters

The Apostle John is referred to as the “beloved” disciple. In many ways, he was the follower of Christ who most understood what it meant to love the Lord. One of the best pictures of John’s love for the Lord is seen at the foot of the cross. John was the only disciple with Christ that day. John is also the disciple Jesus chose to visit with the prophetic words of Revelation. John loved Jesus even while imprisoned on the island of Patmos. John knew, even then, that he was loved by his Lord.

We don’t use the word abide in our daily conversations very often. The word is a verb and means to accept or act in accordance with someone or something. The Apostle John, the beloved disciple, wrote that when we abide in God’s love, we abide with God and he abides with us. John understood what it meant to abide with Jesus, even in the worst of times.

How do we abide with God? We know and believe in the love God has for us. We recognize that the God of the universe adores his children. Christians are loved with a powerful, unending love.

We can draw near to God by knowing and trusting his great love for us. We can know God’s voice by understanding that God desires to speak with us. We can experience God’s love by abiding in his presence. God is love, so everyone who knows God can know his love.

So then, why do we sometimes not sense his love in our lives? The key is in the definition of the word abide. To abide with God is to choose to accept or act in accordance with God. When we don’t act with God’s love, we are choosing not to abide with God. No wonder our prayers can feel like they’re bouncing back at times! We shouldn’t be surprised by our dark thoughts, feelings, and attitudes if we have stopped abiding in the One who is light.

When you feel distant from God, rush to abide in his love and you will rush into God’s presence. Be confident in the belief that you are loved by God and you can be filled with his love for others. 

God is love. John knew that at the foot of the cross and on the island of Patmos. If you want to abide more closely with God, choose to abide in his love whatever your circumstances. God gives his love to you so you can then provide it to others. Abide in God so that he will abide in you. That’s how we come to know and believe in our loving God.

To know God is the beginning of wisdom. To know God is to want to abide in his love.

Every human being experiences God through his creation. Paul said that no one has an excuse to walk through life ignoring the fact that there is a higher power at work in our world. Nature reveals the infinite greatness of God. Human nature is a consistent revelation that all people have limits. Everything created has a Creator.

The most convinced atheist has seen God’s eternal power and divine nature. The most educated scientist understands how much is still not understood. The most remote cultures and people groups have perceived the power of God. The created world reveals the Creator. Everyone will stand before God someday, without excuse.

The world around us exists to remind us of God’s creative genius and infinite power. The quiet serenity of an open field blanketed with fresh snow. The soft breathing of a sleeping infant. The brilliant colors of a sunrise or sunset. The thunderous sound of a river or waterfall after a huge storm. The unceasing roll of waves onto a shore. The night sky filled with unreachable stars and planets.

What in nature causes you to pause and think about the infinite greatness of God? Now, consider this: most of God’s attributes are invisible. Creation is just a glimpse of God’s eternal power and divine nature. 

Scripture teaches that everyone has glimpsed God. Even a person who is blind has experienced the winds and the scents found in nature. A person who is deaf has viewed the miraculous colors in creation. We are moved by the powerful combination of sounds and rhythms that form our favorite music. How many senses has God given that enable us to know and experience his greatness?

Everyone has seen the Creator through his creation. No one has an excuse for unbelief.

Knowing God is the beginning of wisdom. You can know that God gives everyone the ability and opportunity to know they have a divine, powerful Creator.

Every generation has marveled at a sunrise and sunset. Everyone has been startled by a loud clap of thunder. We pause to look at the beauty and wonder in nature because God created all of us with the desire to know him and his unfathomable greatness.

There is a difference between the things people create and the things only God could create. God’s creation is infinite and beyond human ability. God made man in his image, giving him abilities and imagination. However, everything that humans create is finite, having a beginning and an end. 

God wanted us to know his eternal greatness so he created this world to display his power and glory. Humans can only create from what has been created by God’s will. 

We should take great care in our lives to honor and worship the Creator rather than the created. Only God is worthy of our highest praise. He is Lord. His righteous right hand created our world to display his glory. We will love what we extol.

The angels in heaven surround God’s throne saying, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power” (Revelation 4:11). They know he is holy, Almighty God “who was and is and is to come” (v. 8).

Mankind has created some amazing and impressive things, but nothing that has been made is comparable to the work of the Creator. Only God is worthy of our worship. Worship him as the angels in heaven are worshiping him today. He is your holy, Almighty God, worthy of all praise.

Knowing God is the beginning of wisdom. Know that God is worthy of glory and honor and praise.

From the beginning of time, people have worshiped Jehovah God, but there will never be a time when all people will choose to walk in his ways. Adam and Eve’s unbelieving son killed his brother, who had been faithful. Some of King David’s sons worshiped God and others did not. Judas betrayed Jesus, God’s one and only Son. God is perfect and his word proves true. Those who don’t understand or disagree with that fact will always be proven wrong.

God’s way is perfect, but not everyone believes that. God provided his word so that everyone would always know how to live eternally in heaven. Thousands of years later, the word of the Lord has remained true. C. S. Lewis was a brilliant thinker who set out to disprove Scripture and the existence of God. Instead, C. S. Lewis met the Lord in his word and became a brilliant theologian after understanding the Bible was true.

God is a shield of protection to anyone who will trust him with their lives. He cannot be a shield to those who refuse his protection. He created us with free will so we could be made in his image. Our choice is to trust his word and his character or trust something less. But why would we?

God is perfect and so are his ways. God’s word has been proven true in every generation. And God’s promises have been fulfilled and are still being fulfilled today. We all have a choice to make. We can make God’s way our shield and find refuge in him or we can place our trust in something less. 

God is perfectly able, perfectly true, and eternally proven. We can trust him to be our shield and our safe place of refuge. “Choose this day whom you will serve. . . . But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). Joshua trusted Jehovah God to do great things. So can you. 

To know God is the beginning of wisdom. Know God’s ways have always been perfect.

The guards at Buckingham Palace stand watch regardless of weather, crowds, or other distractions. They are a picture of the word steadfast. James said that God’s children are blessed when they remain steadfast in their faith.

Job’s faith wasn’t perfect, but it was steadfast. He endured loss, illness, grief, and abandonment, yet he remained faithful to his God. Job understood that God’s purpose is always accomplished in our lives. God’s character is compassionate and merciful, even when it doesn’t seem like it.

This life has trials, and so often our faith in God’s character can waver. Job was steadfast, and he was blessed because, regardless of his circumstances, he chose to trust God’s perfect character.

God is love. God is always compassionate and always merciful because his perfection makes him incapable of being less. We can be steadfast in our faith when we know God as Job knew him. God is perfect, even when our understanding of his ways is not. God is loving, even when our circumstances cause us pain. God is compassionate because he feels with us. God is merciful because he consistently loves us, even when we don’t feel love for him.

Consider the perfection of our loving God and your faith can be like Job’s. Remain steadfast regardless of the challenges and distractions of this world and, like Job, you will be blessed. Our faith will never be perfect, but thankfully our God is.

To know God is the beginning of wisdom. Know that God is compassionate and merciful.

Have you ever been in a worship service when someone unexpected or important enters the room? It doesn’t take long for the buzz of the crowd to make everyone aware that a notable person is in their presence.

We know from Scripture that “where two or three are gathered” in the name of Jesus, he has promised to be among them (Matthew 18:20). One of the most important moments of worship is to recognize and acknowledge that the holy presence of Jesus is present, tangible in the room, when believers have gathered in his name.

God told the prophet Zephaniah that his holy presence would be in their midst. Why does the God of heaven, the mighty One who saves, choose to be present with us, his children? 

Zephaniah said:

“He will rejoice over us with gladness.” God enjoys being with his people.“He will quiet us by his love.” God wants us to feel the comfort and peace of his loving presence.“He will exult over us with loud singing.” God’s voice is filled with joy, and he wants us to hear him sing, speak, and exult over his children.

Imagine the Creator of the world loving us in such personal ways. We are beloved, enjoyed by our great God. If we don't understand God’s promise, we will miss the joy and blessings of his presence. We will worship unaware that he is there to hear our praise. We will be distracted and disconnected from worship if we don't realize the Lord of Lords has actually entered the room and wants us to hear his words.

The next time you gather with brothers and sisters in Christ, remember that Jesus is there with you. His presence is tangible, evident in the worship of those who return his love. Take a few moments to sense his pleasure, even now, at being in your midst. You are God’s beloved, and he loves blessing you with his holy presence.

Knowing God is the beginning of wisdom. Know that God is in your midst.

The Apostle Paul lived his life and ministry knowing he had been miraculously saved by Christ. Paul had daily memories of living as the Pharisee people called “Saul of Tarsus.” He had done terrible things in God’s name. Later, God did amazing things through a man who understood the transformational power of complete forgiveness. 

Saul of Tarsus was led by misguided passions that brought harm to God’s children. When he became the Apostle Paul, his redeemed life accomplished more than he could ever have imagined. 

Saul of Tarsus was an educated, devout Pharisee who knew a great deal about God. The Apostle Paul was a humble, redeemed man who actually knew God. He had met him on the road to Damascus. Paul loved God as one who had been saved by Jesus Christ.

He described Jesus, the God he knew, saying:

Jesus is the King of the ages. He rules the world yet has offered to rule our lives. Jesus is immortal. He rose from his grave, proving we can rise from our graves as well. Jesus is invisible. Jesus is love (1 John 4:8). Like love, he is invisible but real, tangible, and powerful. Jesus is the only God. He is God and there is no other name by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12).Paul said that Jesus deserved to be honored and glorified forever and ever, amen. The word amen means “so be it.” When we think of Jesus today, we should think of Paul’s description. The Jesus Paul knew and met on the road to Damascus is the same Jesus we worship today. 

When Jesus saved your soul, you were born again. He has “raised you” to walk in a new life. The key is knowing Jesus as Paul knew him. He is our immortal, invisible King. End this day by offering your King, your Lord and Savior, your highest honor and praise. 

Knowing God is the beginning of wisdom. Know that Jehovah God is the only God.

Jesus wanted us to know how much we were loved by the God we worship. God cares about his children. Jesus was probably pointing to the many birds that, even today, fly above the Sea of Galilee. They didn’t have to work all day to have enough; they simply needed to focus on what God had already provided.

Jesus pointed to the birds and reminded his disciples that God valued people more than the rest of his creation. Our priorities get confused when we don’t share God’s values and trust his provision. 

In a culture that defines “enough” as just a little more, it's good to take inventory of our values. Do we want to have more than God wants to provide? Do we spend too much time and money on things that distract us from God’s best gifts?

Jesus taught his disciples that God values people the most. God cares more about our peace, joy, comfort, and contentment than our stuff. Do we spend too much time working for things or accumulating things that don’t have eternal value?

God called his people to work hard but not to overwork. God called his people to plan for the future but defined our future eternally. God taught that the most important successes in life would be rewarded in heaven. Jesus said God values people more than anything.

Consider the birds of the air. They take time to soar above this world, knowing God has provided for their needs. Jesus reminded his disciples that God wanted us to do the same. If we examine our lives with a higher perspective, we will understand what God most wants his children to achieve. He values what blesses and benefits his people because God values his family!

Knowing God is the beginning of wisdom. God knows and values your life.

When making a tough decision, it’s important to find the choice that provides the peace of God. God’s peace is a strong indicator that his presence and favor are at work in your life. Most choices have more than one good answer so the key is knowing which answer is God’s.

God’s peace defies explanation or understanding because it's a gracious gift more than the result of circumstances. We have peace when we remain close to God, trusting him to care for his child. But there is a spiritual discipline that supports our trust.

The peace of God occurs when we keep our hearts and minds on God, our source of all good and perfect things. When we guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our choices become more like his than our own.

Jesus spoke his peace into the storm and the wind and waves calmed. Jesus speaks his peace into our lives and we are calmed, even in the midst of our storms. Sometimes the peace of God is one prayer away, and sometimes it's the result of a spiritual process. Regardless, his peace is a continuous result of practicing his presence and power in our lives. 

God’s peace is beyond understanding and a provision of God for even our most troubled times. Our worries are valid, but they need not control our sense of well-being. We gave Jesus that control when we asked him to be our Lord.

You can focus your heart and mind on Christ Jesus and the answers he wants to provide. His peace is the gift of his favor at work in your life as you walk in his priorities, trusting him to guide your steps. 

Knowing God is the beginning of wisdom. Know that God’s peace will perfectly sustain.

The Apostle John knew Jesus well and knew he was God incarnate. Jesus wasn’t born in a stable. A body of flesh was born that Jesus chose to inhabit. There is a reason John’s gospel names Jesus “the Word.” Anytime there is a capital “W,” it means Jesus.

Jesus existed at the beginning of time and “by him all things were created” (John 1:2–3). Jesus was with God when the world was created. Jesus is God incarnate, and Jesus is the Holy Spirit that came to indwell you when you made him your Lord. 

Countless commentary has been written about the Holy Trinity, yet God’s triune nature remains a mystery to our finite minds. How can God be one, yet three? The answer to that question is as infinite as God.

Understanding God isn’t necessary to accepting him. We don’t expect two-year-olds to solve complicated math equations, and the created shouldn’t expect to understand the Creator. 

God loved us so much that he stepped out of heaven and took the form of an infant. Christmas is our living example of God’s unsearchable grace and love. He humbled himself, choosing a human existence, so he could one day bear our sins. 

Jesus is today who Jesus was in the beginning. We bow our heads and usually picture Jesus as the earthly man described in the Gospels. He isn’t that man any longer. He is the Word, who was with God, who was God, and who still is God. Jesus is also the Holy Spirit, the power of God for the salvation of man. He is our counselor, comforter, our Savior, and our Lord. 

We don’t need to understand the Holy Trinity to know the three are one God. They existed in the beginning, and they will exist forever. And those who are saved will meet the Word, face-to-face. He will stand with us on the day of judgment. He will walk with us in heavenly places. His face is what we will see when we take our last breath on earth and our first breath of eternal air.

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. All Christians will dwell with him one day. Take a moment and see the Word as he is today—glorified as he was in the beginning. That is the face of the one you will see when you enter heaven.

The Word was God, and he still is. Jesus is your Savior and your Lord. You don’t have to understand his triune greatness to worship him as God.

Knowing God is the beginning of wisdom. Knowing Jesus is knowing God.