Wisdom Matters

The word holy means “set apart.” Christians are supposed to stand out and be different from others because we have been given the presence of Christ in our lives through his Holy Spirit. We have been changed or “born again.”

We are called to be holy because the presence of Jesus in us makes us holy. Jesus taught us to be in the world, but not like the world. Paul said “we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). We are going to think about things differently if we think about them like Christ. We are going to believe differently about some cultural issues because we believe God’s word has provided the right answers.

When God made us his children, he called us to be holy. God often told his people, “Be holy because I am holy.” But is it realistically possible to live a holy life in an unholy world? Should we develop a monastic lifestyle, avoiding any exposure to ungodly thinking? Do we just put our heads down and plow through our lives, trying not to see or hear what is being said around us? Do we vote quietly, or should we picket with loud voices? 

There are answers to those questions, but there is not “an” answer.

God called us to be holy and then gave us the Bible and his Spirit so we could be. Galatians 5:25 says, “Keep in step with the Spirit.” The phrase “keep in step” is a picture word that can mean soldiers marching in perfect unison or two dancers moving around the dance floor with coordinated grace. The point is this: We have each been given God’s Holy Spirit, and he will call out our individual marching orders, or lead our dance. Each of us will be led to live a little differently than someone else. 

But it is important to remember that the Spirit will never lead us in a way that contradicts Scripture.

If we want to be holy, we need to move through our lives in step with God’s Spirit and in tune to the marching orders we find in Scripture.

Did you live a holy life today? It depends on who led your dance or whose commands you marched to. We know this: We are called and equipped by God’s Spirit to be holy. Tomorrow the music will play and the army will march. Whom will you follow? 

He called us to be holy, and now it's up to us to follow his lead. The joy is that a holy life is a great dance. It's a march that ends with the words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

Knowing God is the beginning of wisdom. Know that God is holy and we are too—when we choose to follow his lead.

We lost some of the potency of Timothy’s verse when we began to consume God’s word from electronic devices. I’m grateful for the ease that technology has provided because the internet helps us find a verse quickly and provides good study helps as well. That said, there is still something powerful about holding a leatherbound Bible, the entire word of God, in our hands.

All Scripture, every word of it from Genesis through the Revelation, was “breathed out,” authored by God himself. The Holy Spirit enabled imperfect people to speak and record a perfect document that has remained profitable for God’s people throughout human history. The Bible doesn’t tell us everything we want to know, but it tells us everything we need to know in order to find favor with God and favor with man.

Scripture is a God-created manual for training people to be righteous, meaning right with God. God wanted us to know exactly what we needed to know in order to ensure our eternity with him in heaven. The more you know and live God’s word, the more righteous your life can become.

Christians should want to live a life God is able to bless. God wanted you to know how to live that life so he “breathed out” his thoughts through his Holy Spirit. We can read the very thoughts of God every time we open his word.

We call the Bible God’s word, but do we listen to him speak the verses? 

The best way to learn to recognize God’s voice is to hear him “breathe out” his thoughts in Scripture. If God said it before, he would say it again. If it was perfect truth for King David, Peter, and Paul, it remains perfect truth for God’s people today. 

Scripture is profitable for those who will accept it as truth, discipline, correction, and encouragement. The Bible contains the right answers for anyone who wants to be right with God.

But there is a warning in the first word of 2 Timothy 3:16. That word is all. God breathed out his perfect words. God never called anyone to be his editor. In fact, the book of Revelation warns against adding to or taking away from God’s word (Revelation 22:18–19). That passage warns of the consequences to those who do. 

The Bible is a holy word provided by our holy God. Let’s be wholly faithful to use it and teach it as it has been taught and preached for centuries. If it was profitable truth for Paul, it's equally profitable for us today. Let’s live as his words teach.

Knowing God is the beginning of wisdom. Know that every word of Scripture is proven, profitable truth.

It's easier to be a faithful friend to someone who has been that kind of friend to us. We often hear about our need to remain faithful to God, but Paul reminded the church in Corinth that God is faithful to us. Those words often get lost from 1 Corinthians 10:13 because we become more focused on the message about temptation.

Maybe we should be focused on Paul’s phrase “God is faithful.” Consider the overwhelming message in those words. The God of the universe, the Creator of all there is, is faithful to us. In 1 Peter 5:7, Peter writes that God “cares for us.” It's that relationship with God that will provide our “escape” from the common temptations of living in this fallen world.

Nothing is perfect here. Options are possible, even if they aren’t for our good. We know that God cares for us and won't allow us to be tempted beyond our ability to overcome. He provides our way of escape. So why then do we succumb to temptations?

Could it be that we have forgotten that God is faithful to us? If we truly understood his eternal love and care for us, we would be less likely to throw it away on a temporary temptation this world offers. We can be faithful to God’s plan because he has been faithful to provide his way as the best option.

Psalm 119:105 teaches us that God’s word is like a lamp to our feet and a light for our path. It's good to study Scripture because it's God’s faithful, loving direction for our lives.

This side of heaven, we will all be tempted to be less than faithful to God. God is never tempted to be less faithful to us. His holiness lifts him above every temptation we might face. 

Whatever decisions you need to make this week, consider which path will allow you to be the most faithful to God. Whatever consequences come with your faithful choices are the consequences the Lord wants for your life now—and your life eternal.

We will be more likely to avoid temptations and make faith-filled choices when we humbly realize, with gratitude, that the God of the universe is always faithful to us.

Knowing God is the beginning of wisdom. You can know that God will always be perfectly faithful to you.

January can seem to creep by at a snail’s pace. The days are short, but the weeks seem slow to pass. After the rush of the holiday season, slowing down and taking inventory is a good idea. 

One of God’s most common attributes seems to be his tendency to move at a slower pace than we would choose. We pray, and if the answer is “wait,” we feel as if something is wrong.

It's important to remember that when God hears our prayers, his answers begin. God knows immediately what he plans to do, but his answer is often a process. Often our journey to God’s answer is what matters more than the answer itself.

God’s plans always have an eternal purpose. That perspective causes us to notice his work in our lives. Peter reminded the church of God’s perspective on time, saying that one day was like a thousand years or a thousand years like one day with the Lord. God doesn’t measure time on a calendar; instead, it's more of a checklist. God is slow because God is perfectly completing our answer.

The month of January is a good month to experience the patience needed to wait for spring. So much in nature appears to be frozen and lifeless. But, the promise of spring is fulfilled each year, in God’s timing.

We wait with hope because God’s promises are always guaranteed by his character. The Lord isn’t slow to fulfill his promise. He is perfectly working to bring it about. Your prayers have been answered, but it's the journey to that answer that feels like the “wait.”

Every Christian is waiting for the return of Jesus. Someone will be the last person to receive Christ as their Lord and Savior, and then Jesus will return. What if the last person to be saved is the person you share Christ with tomorrow?

God isn’t slow to fulfill his promise, and he isn’t slow to answer our prayers. He is just perfectly completing his checklist in his flawless timing. It’s our journey to his answer that is often the answer itself.

Knowing God is the beginning of wisdom. Know that God is answering your prayers right now, even as you wait to recognize his work in your life.

In the first century, darkness was feared. To be caught on the road after dark meant danger, especially when the moon and stars were obscured. The Apostle John wanted his readers to know the message God had given him to preach to others. God wanted his children to understand him as their pure light.

The book of Revelation tells us that, in heaven, “night will be no more” (22:5). Imagine never needing to rest or recover. Imagine an existence with no darkness. Then, imagine what those words meant to the first-century audience. Our world is rarely in complete darkness. It takes a power outage for us to experience darkness. Even then, we are usually able to grab a flashlight powerful enough to light the room. 

God is always visible light, and gives us what we need to see our way through the darkness in this world. In the first century, light meant direction and protection, so God described himself as light. Darkness, on the other hand, meant fear and danger to a person who was lost and couldn’t find their path home.

The Apostle John taught that those who are without God in this world are “lost” in a spiritual darkness, unable to find their way to heaven. Those who have God know him as their light. They are safe as they journey through this world, knowing one day they will dwell in heaven, a place where night and darkness no longer exist.

When the darkness increases in our culture, we can trust that God is the light of truth who will lead us. But, we also recognize that those who don't have God walk in spiritual darkness. They are lost, needing his light. God’s truth is the light for their path too. So “let your light shine before others” (Matthew 5:16) so that they can find their way home too.

Knowing God is the beginning of wisdom. Know that God is our light in this world and our lives can provide the light of God to others as well.

It’s impossible to go through life without fear. We are human, limited by our choices and the choices of others. Yet, God commands us to “fear not.” It seems like our nation, and every nation, is making the same mistakes of the past. If we know God’s word, it's normal to feel “dismayed” at times about the future.

The prophet Isaiah had a lot to fear. He saw the direction Israel had chosen and knew God would be true to his word. God’s desire is that all people would know him and understand their need for his love and redemption. The people of Israel, God’s chosen people, were blending their faith with their culture. As a result, the truth of God was getting diluted and weakened. Isaiah knew God wouldn't allow his truth to be lost and feared God’s discipline and judgment were inevitable.

But, Isaiah didn’t need to fear. In fact, God commanded him to “fear not.” Isaiah knew God would bring judgment on Israel and that the nation would be without his blessings. God wanted his prophet to understand that he need not feel “dismayed.” Why was Isaiah protected? Because God was with him and was his God. 

God was going to strengthen him for whatever difficulties lay ahead. God was going to help him journey through this life, upheld by the same “righteous right hand” that had created the world. 

The only way to keep God’s command to “not fear” is to daily turn our thoughts to his words of encouragement. If we know God, we can trust him to strengthen us and help us with every hardship that comes our way. We can hear him say, “I am your God.” Our faith in Christ has placed us to be firmly protected by his righteous right hand.

Knowing God is the beginning of wisdom. Christians can know God is our strength and our great help in life.

If you had to list ten significant changes that have occurred in your lifetime, what would you say? 

For most of us, choosing only ten would be difficult. Change marks each day, with one exception. The God we serve is unchanging. His character and his word remain consistent throughout every era of history.

We worship the same God King David worshiped. We pray to the same God the Apostle Paul talked to. We are led by the same God who brought Moses through the wilderness. We are comforted by the same God who comforted our great-grandparents. Everything and everyone changes, but God remains the same.

Times, trends, and cultures change, but not God’s word. Truth doesn’t change, but people’s perception of truth can. One of the most important tenets of theology is that God’s word is our timeless truth, authored by the “Father of lights” who does not change. How wonderful it is to stand with his timeless truth in our ever-changing world!

God’s word is a good and perfect gift that has been remarkably able to guide people throughout world history to know him and receive eternal life. God’s priority for people will never change: he wants them to spend their eternity with him.

King David’s courage was a perfect gift from God. Paul’s miracles were good and perfect gifts to his ministry. John’s vision on the island of Patmos was a good and perfect revelation of God. God has always had a plan to redeem his creation, and that plan will never change.

God will forgive all that is confessed and bless all that he is able. We can’t stop the evolutions in our world, but nothing has ever changed the good and perfect gifts that come from our eternal, unchangeable God.

Knowing God is the beginning of wisdom and that truth will never change.

John 3:16 is probably the most quoted verse from the New Testament. It’s been said that the entire plan of God for his creation is summarized in that one verse. God has always wanted to spend eternity with us, so he did everything necessary to make our salvation possible. Everyone can inherit eternal life simply by choosing to receive what God has offered. Heaven is promised to each person who believes that John 3:16 is truth and receives what that verse offers.

People wait in long lines to get on a fun ride at the amusement park. I’ve often taught children that heaven is like their favorite amusement park, filled with the best rides and the best friends. Jesus already bought everyone a ticket. But each person needs to understand what that ticket cost God, then ask him to receive theirs. Our earthly lives are lived gratefully, until it’s our turn to go through the gates of heaven. Everyone in this world either has their ticket, or it's still unclaimed, needing to be picked up.

John 3:16 is the message of salvation. If your ticket is securely in your possession, offer God your praise. Find peace and joy knowing that, once you have claimed your ticket, you are guaranteed admission. Enjoy considering what it will be like to enter the gates.

Picture the wonder of children seeing all the sights and sounds of their favorite place for the first time. Then, multiply their wonder by infinity. That is just the beginning of a believer’s eternity. Christians are blessed with the assurance of our salvation. We will be blessed, and be a blessing, every time we help someone else understand the perfect truth of John 3:16. End your day filled with the joy of your salvation and pray for the opportunity to help someone else receive their ticket to eternal life.

Knowing God is the beginning of wisdom and our confidence that he has promised to save.

Many years ago, I designed a bookcase headboard I wanted for our bedroom. My dad used my drawing, made a plan, and built us that bed. My dad has been home in heaven for several years now and that bed is one of my favorite possessions. He took my drawing and created something I treasure from it.

Every sunrise, storm, animal, and person has been uniquely crafted from the “understanding” of our infinite God. The entire world has been established because of his wisdom and creativity. God’s power spoke every detail of this world into reality. 

What in God’s creation did you marvel at today? 

What has caused you to glimpse the creative genius of God? 

God stretched out the heavens and filled the atmosphere with planets and stars. God separated the land from the oceans and filled the world with an abundance of living creatures. Tomorrow the sun will rise and then set because God ordained it.

God “established the world by his wisdom,” and his wisdom holds the world on his predetermined course. If things seem “out of control” in this world, we need only remember the Creator, who holds everything in his mighty hand. God is wise and his plans will always come to pass. God gave us this life and, through Jesus, life eternal for all who put their trust in him.

At the end of each day, we need only trust our Creator for tomorrow. He can take our plans and turn them into our treasure. He can take our mistakes and redeem them for our good. 

Will you take a moment and trust your thoughts and plans to his infinite wisdom, power, and creativity? 

To know God is the beginning of wisdom. Knowing God as Creator is to begin to understand his genius.

Welcome to Wisdom Matters, the chance to consider a verse or two from the Bible for the purpose of gaining God’s wisdom. Each short devotional will be a message from Scripture that you can apply to your daily life.  The goal of Bible study is to learn to think and live biblically.

Our world has been transformed by the Internet in many wonderful ways, but the abundance of information can be a source of confusion. Is the information we find true, important, relevant, helpful? What should we do with the information we acquire?

The Bible, unlike the Internet, doesn’t change with time. God’s word never changes because it is perfect truth and invaluable wisdom. God wanted us to make his word the window through which we view everything else.

I’ve often said, in a sea of information, wisdom matters. Proverbs 4:7 says, “Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight.” Wisdom is a gift from God that enables his children to know how to filter and use all we learn for God’s higher purpose.

God’s perspective is wisdom therefore, wisdom matters. Spend some time each day and “get wisdom” and “insight.” You will begin to see the world and the information around us with God’s biblical perspective. I hope you will join me for Wisdom Matters.