Tag: wisdom

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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 Wealth of Wisdom

Daily Reading

1Chronicles 28-2Chronicles 1

Daily Thought

When Solomon became king, God offered Solomon whatever he wanted, “In that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, ‘Ask what I shall give you’” (2Chronicles 1:7). Solomon spurned riches and honor and asked for wisdom. Wealth and power would make him a mighty king, but wisdom would make him a good king, a godly king. God granted Solomon wisdom and knowledge, and then went ahead and gave him riches and possessions and honor on top of it. 

God made Solomon wise, but he also gave Solomon a challenge that would test and could strengthen his wisdom. “Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom” (2Chronicles 9:22). Would riches and possessions and honor serve God and God’s kingdom or would they serve only Solomon?

Solomon would be a great king, but not fully, not with his whole heart. Solomon was wise and could have ruled his kingdom with wisdom, but he did not rule himself. Rather, he drank the world’s riches of wealth and wine and women. At the end of his life, Solomon reflected, “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt” (Ecclesiastes 5:10, 13). Solomon, at last, became truly wise, but too late. His kingdom would be divided, as was his heart.

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” ~Matthew 6:24

Daily Prayer

My God, my Lord, my Savior, I will serve and follow You fully, keeping my eyes on You, focused on the prize, a glorious day to come when I might hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” You are what is good in life and I long to be godly. I will guard my heart against distractions. Strengthen my will and give me wisdom to choose well. 

God, You are the center of my life, and all else revolves around You. You are first in everything. I trust my life to You, knowing that a life can only be great when it is first good and godly. This is my resolve. I pray this will be my actions, as well. 

Amen

Daily Question

What stands between you and giving your heart whole and fully to God?

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Wishes

Daily Reading

1Kings 3-5

Daily Thought

My oldest was 4-years old when Disney’s Aladdin premiered in the theaters. I asked her what she’d wish for if a genie appeared–but don’t forget the genie’s rule, “ixnay on the wishing for more wishes.” Not a problem for my 4-year old. Abby said, “I’d wish for three more genies.” Abby was clever.

God said to Solomon, “Ask what I shall give you” (1Kings 3:5). It is the same offer without conditions. What would you ask for? God anticipated a request for long life or wealth or for some tortuous death of a particularly awful enemy, but no; “Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil” (1Kings 3:9).

Two women approached Solomon, each having given birth, but one child died, and whose the live child belonged to was in dispute. Solomon pulled a sword and threatened to divide the child, half to each mother. The false mother thought that fair, but the true gave her son away, if only to keep him whole. “And so the king knew the true mother, and all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice” (1Kings 3:28). It seems common sense, but I have discovered there are few things less common than common sense.

Solomon wished for wisdom. You get a glimpse inside a person in what they wish for. Solomon was already wise.

Daily Prayer

Righteous God, You are just and good. You promise wisdom if I ask for it, but You warn me to ask with a pure and faithful heart. God, may I love You with all my heart, with all my strength, with all my mind. No division. May I seek You and You alone.

Give me the heart of Your Son, Jesus, who considered others better than Himself. Better than Himself! He is God, Your Son. Yet He got on His knees and washed the feet of His followers. Father, break into my heart. Teach me the humility of Christ. Let my love for You be displayed in my care and compassion for others. Give me wisdom to serve.

Amen

Daily Question

What would you wish for?

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Forgo the Fools

Daily Reading

1Samuel 25-27

Daily Thought

David showed kindness to the shepherds of Nabal and expected kindness in return. Instead, Nabal “was harsh and badly behaved” (1Samuel 25:3). He was stingy, rude, and insulting to David. Nabal, whose name means fool, was one. David decided a proper response would be to kill Nabal and every last man who belonged to him. 

God’s law of retribution was well known, “If there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe” (Exodus 21:23-25). An eye for an eye is just, it is due punishment, giving an offender what they deserve, but not more. David, angered and offended, wanted much more.  

A man after God’s own heart must understand justice and mercy and David was due a lesson. When Jesus said, “Instead, turn the other cheek” (Matthew 5:38-39), it was not because “an eye for an eye” was unjust or cruel. Jesus was teaching mercy, forgiving and forgoing a due punishment. So God sent Nathan’s wife, Abigail, to instruct David, “Please forgive the trespass of your servant. For the Lord will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the Lord, and evil shall not be found in you so long as you live” (1Samuel 25:28). David got distracted by a personal slight and Abigail refocused him. Sometimes a fool is a danger to be fought, sometimes a distraction to be ignored. Wisdom knows the difference. David relented, at last, and chose to forgo the fools like Nabal, for there are real battles to be fought, the battles of God.

Daily Prayer

Yahweh, “I Am That I Am,” the First and the Last, Alpha and Omega, Beginning and the End, God Almighty, King of kings and Lord of lords. Your Name declares Your glory. May we declare Your Name. God is good. God is just. God is love.

God, I am known as a Christian, a follower of Jesus. I wear Your Name. Because of this, my actions give Your Name meaning in a world that does not know You. I pray, God, that my actions are true to Your Name, that I fight Your battles, that I love the way You love, that I stand for righteousness and justice, that I show mercy and kindness. 

Amen

Daily Question

How do you determine which battles are worth fighting and which to pass on?

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Choose Wisely

Daily Reading

Joshua 22-24

Daily Thought

We all follow someone or something, each of us must choose, and there are only two choices: God and not-God. From the words of Jesus, “Whoever is not with me is against me” (Matthew 12:30), and, “For the one who is not against us is for us” (Mark 9:40). You cannot not choose. And you can’t straddle the fence.

Did you hear the one about the Civil War soldier who couldn’t decide who to fight for, North or South? He donned a Dixie gray shirt and Yankee blue pants and stood in the middle. Both sides shot him. “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15-16).

Joshua gathers all the tribes of Israel for a his final words (he is about to die), “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.” You cannot not choose, so make a choice.

“But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). And choose wisely.

Daily Prayer

Father in Heaven, make Your love the foundation of my life. May my love for You express itself in eagerness to serve, to do good for others. May I learn humility from Your Son, sacrifice from the Cross, wisdom from Your Word.

You are God, most wonderful. Your wisdom confounds the world. May I think like You. May I listen to Your Spirit. Give me the desires of my heart; that is, may I delight in Your desires.

Amen

Daily Question

Would you say you live 100% for God?

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Under the Sun

Daily Reading

Ecclesiastes 5-8

Daily Thought

Ecclesiastes is the writing of a wise man looking at life “under the sun,” life short of eternity, and he alternates between despair, and making the best of it: “All are from the dust, and to dust all return” (Ecclesiastes 3:20), so “there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil-this is God’s gift to man” (Ecclesiastes 3:12-13).

On the side of making the best of it, he occasionally offers good advice, such as, don’t go it alone; “two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). After the Los Angeles Lakers won the 2000 NBA championship, retired UCLA coach John Wooden was asked how many championships he thought Kobe Bryant could win. “None,” said Wooden. “Kobe doesn’t win championships. The Lakers win championships.” And so it is with wisdom, “though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him–a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12). We need others, we need teammates, we need friends, says the wise man. 

That being said, he adds, everyone dies. The wise man of Ecclesiastes rains on parades; do not invite him to the party, but do not ignore his words. His aim is to lift our heads above the clouds. As long as we live under the sun, life is ultimately futile, and he takes pains to point that out. Then he points upward, “for God is in heaven and you are on earth” (Ecclesiastes 5:2). Life on earth is brief and not fair; God is good and forever. He sees the way of the world, “a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God” (Ecclesiastes 8:12), so he reaches for heaven, and you should, too.

Daily Prayer

Father God, may I be heavenly-minded, my head above the clouds. May I think Your thoughts and see life through Your eyes because that is the only I will be earthly-good. You created us for relationship, with each other and with You. Teach me to value and love people the way You do, to lift their heads up and point them to Your glory and Your goodness.

May I live each day with eternity in mind. My security, God, is in You; keep me from relying on things that simply do not last. Each day is a gift, I will open it and enjoy it and let everyone know Who gave it to me.

Amen

Daily Question

Who is the wisest person you know and what was their best advice?

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That’s Just Stupid

Daily Reading

Proverbs 19-21

Daily Thought

Proverbs speaks highly of this thing called the fear of the Lord: “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline” (Proverbs 1:7). It persists throughout the book and is always a good thing, “the fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied” (Proverbs 19:23). Fear seems oddly out of place when we think of our God, full of love and grace and goodness. Why would we be told to fear? Good question, but try turning it around. Picture the guy standing tall and boasting, “I don’t fear God.” Well, that’s just stupid.

I remember December 1973, when Dad entrusted me with the keys to his brown 1963 Ford Galaxie. I loved that car! I was young, 16, and did not have a proper appreciation of two tons of steel and power and speed. And I drove like it. Now jump forward to July 2004, as I hand Abby, my first child, the keys to the family Suburban. As I put them in her hand, I feel the size, the weight, the speed, and the power. I understand, more than ever before, how fear can be a good thing. I hope she has some–it is where wisdom blossoms.

Peter had answered rightly, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God,” and Jesus responded, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 16:16-19).

The church has the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ. Our Father hands us the keys to his Kingdom. Consider the size and the weight and the power in our possession. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Daily Prayer

Great and awesome God, Almighty and Everlasting, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. That You even think about me is amazing, that You have saved me, adopted me into Your family, that I share in the inheritance of Your riches, that Your Holy Spirit has taken residence in me, that I am a child of God, welcomed to Your presence, forever a citizen of Your Kingdom. Wow. Thank You. I worship You. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty.

May my life reflect Your glory.

Amen

Daily Question

What does it mean to fear God? Should you fear God? Do You?

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If You Can’t Say Anything Nice

Daily Reading

Proverbs 16-18

Daily Thought

The book of Proverbs has much to say about what we say, both good, “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body” (Proverbs 16:24); and bad, “A fool’s lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating” (Proverbs 18:8). Proverb’s best advice–handle your words with care. “Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding” (Proverbs 17:27). Author George Eliot counseled, “Blessed is the man who, having nothing to say, abstains from giving us wordy evidence of the fact”; and my dad frequently advised, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” Good advice all.

“Better to remain silent and thought a fool, than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt,” has been attributed to Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, Socrates, and many others, but Proverbs said it first, “Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues” (Proverbs 17:28). Proverbs makes it clear that intelligence and wisdom are not at all the same, and frequently in opposition; no more so than when we use our words. Our intelligence is oft displayed in what we say; our wisdom in what we don’t.

Daily Prayer

Our Wonderful God, when You speak, amazing things happen. The world was created. You spoke the Law that gives us life. And Jesus, the epitome of Your Word, walked on earth. You still speak; may I listen. More than that, may I obey. May I love Your Word.

God, may I also be one who speaks in a way that reflects well on You. May I always seek to bring You glory in all I do, and in all I say, and often enough, in what I don’t say. May my words be measured, and may they be good.

Amen

Daily Question

When do you find it most difficult to find the right words to speak? 

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Turn On the Light

Daily Reading

Proverbs 7-9

Daily Thought

When you speak sin aloud, when you describe it accurately, the glamour fades. We prefer the secrecy of darkness; wisdom turns on the light. She knows what is going on, “For at the window of my house I have looked out through my lattice, and I have seen among the simple, I have perceived among the youths, a young man lacking sense” (Proverbs 7:6-7). She knows what you are up to, why you are where you should not be, “passing along the street near her corner, taking the road to her house” (v 8), and when you should not be, “in the twilight, in the evening, at the time of night and darkness” (v 9). She knows the tempting way of the wicked, “I have spread my couch with coverings, colored linens from Egyptian linen; I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. For my husband is not at home” (vv 16-17, 19). And she knows you, “All at once he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter” (v 22). 

She called you an ox. Wisdom does not flatter like that other woman, “the adulteress with her smooth words” (Proverbs 7:5).

For wisdom is better than jewels,
and all that you may desire cannot compare with her. ~Proverbs 7:11

Daily Prayer

My God, Creator of all, Author of good, Wise Judge, Loving Savior, I live this life for an audience of One. You are the crowd, it is Your applause I long to hear, “Well done good and faithful servant.” May my life be a reflection of Your grace and goodness. May I at all times be concerned for Your reputation, not my own. If I say I love You with all my heart and soul, mind and strength, may my life back up my words.

Thank you for caring enough to call out my foolishness and showing me the right path. May I choose it and stay on it. May I listen to You.

Amen

Daily Question

What are the attractions of sin?

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Lady Wisdom

Daily Reading

Proverbs 4-6

Daily Thought

In God’s eyes, and therefore in reality, there are only two ways to live, two paths, one leading to life, the other to death. In Proverbs, the two paths are traveled by two women, each to her own way. One is Wisdom, and she is a lady; “Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life” (Psalm 4:13). The other, not a lady, is “the evil woman, the smooth tongue of the adulteress. Her feet go down to death” (Proverbs 6:24; 5:5). It is we who seek shades of grey between, who want to keep a woman in each hand, but God says choose.

One woman is enticing and easy, “for the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil” (Proverbs 5:3). The pleasures are immediate, the dangers delayed, the temptation terrible. “Do not let her capture you with her eyelashes” (Proverbs 6:25). 

In contrast, the lady Wisdom must be pursued. You must want her and work for her; she doesn’t come easy. Proverbs 4:7 makes me laugh, “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom”–like comedian Steve Martin explaining how to become a millionaire, “First, get a million dollars.” It means, simply, to become wise you must want to become wise. You must choose to become wise, choose one woman over the other, because you must choose a path, and each woman has her own path. You must be willing to let go of that pleasingly available Wicked Woman of the moment and set your sights down the road.

Daily Prayer

God, forgive me the desires of the moment, of the immediate, of the attractive, of the available. Strengthen and deepen my desires, to love what is eternal and good, what never loses her beauty, what bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, what never ends.

Give me wisdom, Heavenly Father. I seek it and I will work for it. I will dig deep in Your Word and let it dig deep in me. I love the path of wisdom, the path of life, the path that leads to Your Kingdom forever.

Amen

Daily Question

Why doesn’t wisdom come easily?