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Where Is Wisdom?

Daily Reading

Job 24-28

Daily Thought

Job challenges his friends, “Where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?” (Job 28:12). Certainly not among you three is at least half the answer. The friends have knowledge, but knowledge is not wisdom, and often the more a fool knows, the greater a fool he is. Knowledge is indiscriminate, wild and promiscuous, flirting with whomever fancies it; but what of wisdom? That is Job’s question.

“I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go; my heart does not reproach me for any of my days” (Job 27:6). Job is resolute in his devotion to God, but (as Job points out) the wicked “live, reach old age, and grow mighty in power” (Job 21:7); and they seem to get away with it (read Job 24). Why then turn from evil? And, thus, where is the benefit in wisdom?

It is in suffering Job uncovers God’s wisdom, the place of understanding, “This is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage that oppressors receive from the Almighty: If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword” (Job 27:13-14). The length of life on earth is of no consequence to a Holy God. Justice will have its say in the end, “for what is the hope of the godless when God cuts him off, when God takes away his life” (Job 27:8). The number of years lived in time are of no matter, for the wicked to live long and grow mighty is only to increase evil and the Judge of eternity is righteous.

Stripped of all he has, Job discovered all he needs, “and it is not found in the land of the living” (Job 28:13), in all or anything life offers. Wisdom is found in devotion to the righteous and eternal Holy God of heaven.  

“Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
     and to turn away from evil is understanding.” ~Job 28:28

Daily Prayer

To the only wise God, our Savior, be glory, majesty, dominion, and power, both now and forever, may I live a life devoted to and delighting in You. Everything else is a gift, and You are the giver of all that is good and worthwhile. I will seek You because You are God and You are true and You are good. It’s the wise thing to do.

I want to know You more to know You better. I see the wonder of Your ways in the world. You created the heavens and oceans, the gardens and grandeur, and all that breathes. There is this marvelous world, beyond our corruption, looking forward to redemption and restoration, freed from evil, filled with wisdom, for Your glory and our pleasure throughout eternity. Beyond my dreams, what more could I hope for?

Amen

Daily Question

Can you be evil and successful?

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The Mighty Men

Daily Reading

1Chronicles 9-11

Daily Thought

“This is an account of David’s mighty men” (1Chronicles 11:11), the exploits of these fierce warriors who stood beside David in battle. They guarded David when Saul was trying to kill him before David was king, and stayed with David once he’d gained the throne. Their devotion was such that, when David yearned for a drink of water, they broke through an enemy Philistine encampment to draw from the well of Bethlehem. When handed the cup, David looked at the water, then at the men, and thought the price too high to quench the thirst of a king. They had risked their lives for his refreshment, and he would not drink it. “He poured it out to the Lord” (1Chronicles 11:18), an offering worthy only of God. These were his mighty men.

The movie “Blindside” begins with a monologue, “One Mississippi. Joe Theismann, the Redskins quarterback takes the snap and hands off to his running back. Two Mississippi. It’s a trick play, a flea flicker, and the running back tosses the ball back to the quarterback. Three Mississippi. Up to now the play’s been defined by the what the quarterback sees. It’s about to be defined by what he doesn’t. Four Mississippi. The year is 1985 and Lawrence Taylor is the best defensive player in the NFL.  There will be no Five Mississippi. Quarterback Joe Theismann never played another down of football.”

Lawrence Taylor knocked Joe Theismann out of football. Lawrence Taylor and his kind are the reason why Tom Brady gave cars to Patriots linemen at Christmas, why Saints linemen had vacations of their choice paid for by Drew Brees, why 49er linemen sported Rolex watches, gifts from Joe Montana. “Watches. Custom suits. Stereo systems. Sony Blu-ray players before they even got on the market,” Indianapolis Colts linemen show off gifts from Peyton Manning. “He takes care of his guys.” Tom, Drew, Joe, and Peyton are quarterbacks, the kings of their teams. The king does not become king, does not remain king, without his mighty men.

With one exception, one king, the King of kings, Jesus Christ. In him, the roles are reversed, for his men and women become mighty because their King fights for them. Yet, still, Jesus showers his mighty with gifts and we lay them back at his feet in worship. 

Daily Prayer

My King of kings and Lord of lords, great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who sits at the right hand of God, having finished the work of salvation and now reigns in heaven. You have called us to battle, to stand strong in Your grace, and to take Your Good News into the kingdom of darkness.

Jesus, may I be among those who, through no strength of my own, but by the power of Your Spirit, become mighty, bringing light into darkness, bringing life out of death and love to the lost and lonely. You are for me, none can stand against me.

Amen

Daily Question

What mighty act has Jesus accomplished through you?

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Time-Tested Faith

Daily Reading

Jeremiah 42-45

Daily Thought

The nation of Judah had been carried off in captivity to Babylon with only a small remnant left behind in the land of Israel. The prophet Jeremiah remained with the remnant. Fearful that Babylon would return against them, the remnant of Judah favored seeking refuge in Egypt, but requested Jeremiah first ask God if they should go. They vowed before the prophet, “Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God” (Jeremiah 42:6).

God responded, instructing them to remain in the land, “Do not fear the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid. Do not fear him, declares the Lord, for I am with you, to save you and to deliver you from his hand” (Jeremiah 42:11). 

That seems clear enough, yet, a short time later, “they came into the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of the Lord” (Jeremiah 43:7). The people vowed to obey, then rebelled when God answered. What happened?

The answer is found between the request and the rebellion, “at the end of ten days the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah” (Jeremiah 42:7). Israel, it seems, expected a more prompt response. In their eyes, God was late.

God is always late (it seems), because “‘my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord” (Isaiah 55:8)). In our prayers, we seek answers. In our prayers, God seeks faith. 

The silence tested their faith. God took ten days to answer, which gave the people ten days to ponder whom they feared, and they feared the Babylonians they could see more than they feared the God they could not, so they disobeyed the word of God.

Time is a test of faith. They should have waited.

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” ~Hebrews 11:1

Daily Prayer

Almighty God, You are forever faithful and true. I place my trust in You because You are the Rock, the Solid Foundation on which to build my life.

You are my God and I will wait for You and Your Word, because it is worth the wait. I will place my faith in the One who is always faithful.

Amen

Daily Question

If God would answer your prayers when you expect him to, would your faith become stronger? Why or why not?

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True Love

Daily Reading

Jeremiah 18-22

Daily Thought

God makes as a condition of Judah’s judgment their goodness to others, that they will treat well those who are lost, harmed, poor, and abused. “Thus says the Lord: ‘Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place’” (Jeremiah 22:3). Yet later, when asked why they are being judged, the answer is, “Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and worshiped other gods and served them” (Jeremiah 22:9). So, which is it that brings judgment against Judah, their indifference toward others or their idolatry against God?

Jesus was asked which commandment is greatest. He said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.” But he wasn’t finished, “And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). Two commandments, together the greatest, essential to each other, neither stands alone. Indifference is idolatry; compassion is worship.

“The righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” ~Matthew 25:37-40

Our love for God is only as true as it is displayed in our love for others, and our love for others is only as true as our devotion to God and his ways. 

Daily Prayer

Wonderful God, I am learning to love You better by learning to love others more. You are teaching me humility and service by doing it Yourself first. I would not know You unless You had sacrificed Yourself for me; You loved me that much. May I love that much.

I cannot worship my Creator without caring for those You created, those who bear Your very image. May I love actively, seeking opportunities to serve and to share. May others find You in my actions toward them, recognizing Your grace and goodness in all I do.

Amen

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GRACE>tolerance

Daily Reading

Deuteronomy 21-23

Daily Thought

God demands repeatedly of Israel, “So you shall purge the evil from your midst” (Deuteronomy 13:5; 17:7, 12; 19:19, 21; 22:21, 22, 24; 24:7). Israel was the one nation in history where God joined together Church and State, “I will be your God and you will be my people.” In that close relationship, when God’s holiness is a daily display, Israel is to bless the world as an example of God’s presence. You cannot have God in your midst and evil, too. Evil must be purged. 

For example, Deuteronomy 22:22, “If a man is found lying with the wife of another man, both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman. So you shall purge the evil from Israel.” The Pharisees used this passage when approaching Jesus with a woman caught in adultery, “Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” We like  Jesus’s answer, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” God, in the Old Testament, seemed so severe, so stiff. Jesus says, “Neither do I condemn you” (John 8:3-11). We think him tolerant, and we like tolerance. 

Our definition of tolerance is “live and let live,” but do we really want that? Romans 1 describes what happens when God lets people live in their sin. God gave them up (let them live) in their lusts (v 24), their dishonorable passions (v 26), their debased mind (v 28), and the result? “They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless (vv 29-31). It turns out God uses “live and let live” as a tool of his wrath and judgment. It turns out “live and let live” is really “let die.” It turns out an eternity of that kind of tolerance would be hell.

Rather than our idea of tolerance” I am grateful for God’s patience. “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2Peter 3:9). Rather than “live and let live,” I am grateful for God’s salvation. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23),  and death must be paid, and was. As a result, “there is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).

Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery, “Neither do I condemn you” (John 8:11). That’s not tolerance, that’s grace. That’s not “live and let live.” Jesus died for that sin. That’s the good news of Jesus Christ.

Daily Prayer

My God, at the Name of Jesus every knee will bow, above the earth, on the earth, under the earth. Every tongue will confess Jesus Christ is Lord. You reign and Your Kingdom is good. I desire nothing less, nothing else.

You are sovereign, You are King and Creator, You are God. You are wonderful. Teach me what it means, what it looks like to love You with all my heart and soul and mind and strength. Increase my love, my faith, my devotion, my delight in righteousness.

Amen