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Heavenly Wisdom

28 Sep

Heavenly Wisdom

James 3:17-18   But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

As many of you know I entered seminary this year as a response to a call I felt on my life. I wanted to know more, a deeper understanding, yet school is against the grain of my past. I hated school and did just enough to get by. I am paying for those poor decisions now. The wisdom that James is speaking of here is not the knowledge gained in a book, but gained in a relationship and grown in the heart. The Gospel is where the change must begin, and only through Christ is the wisdom of the heart ever attained. We can fill our minds full of seminary knowledge, but unless it produces fruit from that relationship; it is a useless endeavor.

This passage in James in similar to the Gospel in that you must understand the bad news, (you are dead in sin without Christ), before you understand the good news, (Christ provided a way of forgiving that sin for eternity). The scriptures before in James show earthly, self seeking wisdom. James 3:14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. These passages speak of a prideful person who seeks the glory of their wisdom. They are more concerned with their opinions and beliefs that pointing the lost to Christ through their testimonies. This is a wisdom based in pride and straight from hell as James says.

Matthew Henry spoke of this heavenly wisdom: “It is gentle, not standing upon extreme right in matters of property; not saying nor doing any thing rigorous in points of censure; not being furious about opinions, urging our own beyond their weight nor theirs who oppose us beyond their intention; not being rude and overbearing in conversation, nor harsh and cruel in temper. Gentleness may thus be opposed to all these.” Humility is a backbone in heavenly wisdom. Pride cannot co-exist with heavenly wisdom. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6). To attain this heavenly wisdom requires no college degree, but only a humble heart and the desire to draw near. The pursuit of God and the things of God, will make you wise and tug your heart to share what you have gained with others.

 
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Posted by on September 28, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Upward climb

27 Sep

Upward climb

Matthew 10:38-39  And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

My best friend (aka:adopted big brother) ends a chapter in his life today, and turns the page on a new chapter tomorrow as a pastor of a church. He stepped out of a successful career and has endured many large trials over the past few years following God’s plan for his life. Even in this new chapter he is going where we might see as unfitting, but he knows God sees him there, and that is where he must go. God has used him in my life over the past 4-5 years to teach me obedience. A special bond and deep friendship has developed in seeing God work in the acts of that obedience.

Why would God call you to where you were comfortable? How could God be glorified if it just seemed to “fit in” to your abilities and lifestyle? Following God will always require change. That change begins at Salvation with a new heart, and the lifestyle you lead before Him should remain in the past. Becoming a disciple of Christ requires these acts of obedience; Romans 6:16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?(ESV). God created you for a relationship with Him, but He requires an obedient heart in that relationship. You are rewarded for that obedience here with a peace and joy living in His Will for your life.

The steps of obedience lead up the ladder of a heavenly relationship. You must obey on the first step, to move to the next step closer to Him. The next step may be more difficult; may be requiring more sacrifice; may be requiring less of you and more of Him. Each step brings you closer to Him, and the ability to hear His voice becomes clearer. John 10:27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. Christ spoke of these steps of obedience in the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). Each step of obedience draws you closer to Christ. Matthew 25:21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ The testing of your faith climbing the steps of obedience is the only way you will ever move your relationship forward with the One who created you for it. Seek, listen, and obey.

 
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Posted by on September 27, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Rudder or Sail?

26 Sep

Rudder or Sail?

John 5:39-40   You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

They were missing it; missing the Messiah they had been looking for that was standing before them. The Jews searched the scriptures, yet didn’t open their eyes to see God witnessing of Himself in their midst. What do you find yourself searching for? When that is asked the most common answer would be happiness. Another might be answers to questions; for those answers might bring happiness. Are eternal questions something that you seek? You are wired with that inquisitiveness by your Creator. You have that need to know to question of life after this one, embedded in your soul. We all have it for God “placed eternity in their hearts” (Ecc. 2:11).

“You are what you believe” a best friend once told me. That drive is what propels us down the road of life and affects every decision that we make. If we are pursuing happiness in careers it drives the ethics of decisions; if it is through possessions it drives the debt and idolatry; if it is through sexual pleasure it drives the hearts we destroy; if it is through Christ it blesses those He places in your path. Our faith should be the rudder of life, not the wind that drives the sail. Search your heart to find that core and examine it. Pray that God will reveal it to you, and change it through Him.

John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” Christ was speaking to Martha, and He was about to go raise her brother Lazarus from the dead. But in these scriptures is the Gospel, or the Good News of Christ. When you believe in Him you gain everlasting life. He demands a humble, repentant heart of your life as a sinner. Luke 13:3 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. When you gain this Salvation, your heart is transformed, your faith is changed, and your eyes opened. You should see life in a different light, and should be humbly moved to a life of thanksgiving to the One who gave you eternal life. A life lived in that faith is a life headed down the path as a disciple of Christ and those daily decisions are made through the discernment He provides.

 
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Posted by on September 26, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Are you in the right gear?

25 Sep

Are you in the right gear?

Ecclesiastes 3:10-12   I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives,

Solomon, the wisest man to ever live is believed to have written Ecclesiastes. He is believed to have written it near the end of his life after his return to God through confession and a repentant heart after falling into deep sin. The book points to the very real pursuit of things of this world, things without God, and the futility of a life without God. It is full of wisdom just as many of the Proverbs, and speaks to our world today in the pursuit of all things that do not pertain to God. In the commentary it states this book should be read in the light of it’s conclusion: 13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.

I have pursued all the stuff that the American dream dictates we do: careers, money, materials, success, excess, idolatry, and the list goes on. I have tried and poured my heart into these pursuits which may have brought temporal pleasure, but it always faded or failed entirely. I was in the end always disappointed in these pursuits. When God starts stirring in your heart you tend to loose the drive for these pursuits. You discern the eventual disappointment that will come, and your bent to Him that does not disappoint. That joy and understanding of a heart bent towards God and the things of God will drive you to verse 12; I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives.

11 Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. By God’s design you are wired with an internal drive for your destiny of the future and eternity. This is a gear that drives the motion of your life. This is in everyone, and a heart that recognizes God in their plans is a heart that desires to follow God’s Will for their life. This small understanding of His Sovereignty produces hope, and this hope does not disappoint as earthly pursuits will. Romans 5:5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. What are you going to pour your heart and energy into today; temporal or eternal?

 
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Posted by on September 25, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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I wanna know more

23 Sep

I wanna know more

2 Peter 1:2-4  Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,  by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Has your life changed since you came to know Christ? Has their been a desire to know more, to seek Him out in prayer and His Word? Are you hungry for the wisdom that you hear so much about? It is all available to you, and it all began with your faith. The faith that you had in the saving power of Christ is the same faith that begins your walk into the pursuit and understanding of the things about Him. The first step of faith began your walk, and the next steps are leading you away from sin and down the path to eternal paradise.

Wisdom is the understanding of the things God reveals to you; knowledge is the application of that wisdom. Peter lays out the steps of your path in these next scriptures. 5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. Giving God our best (all diligence); is a desire to lead a better life; to take into application the wisdom that we are gaining in our prayer time and His Word. This knowledge leads you closer to Christ every day and He begins to reveal Himself to you more and more. Look at the promise of verse 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. The growth of your faith and wisdom is directly related to your pursuit of God. This world will provide you every distraction imaginable to keep you from dedicating your life to God. Satan will entice you with an ulterior motive in those distractions, but recognize that The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. (John 10:10). Satan is only out to rob you of what God has promised you, and the more time you spend seeking God and the things of God, the more clearly you can discern Satan’s tactics. That knowledge will provide you a peace in an out of control world, and a light unto your path to eternal paradise.

 
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Posted by on September 23, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Get up and get God

22 Sep

Get up and get God

Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

Here where I live it used to be in the country. Our family farm was very large and the area was very rural. The only consistent noise was the low drone of air compressors in the milking barns. At night and early morning it was peaceful and still. Progress caught us the last 15 years and finding a quiet time is next to impossible. As I sit hear early each morn I get only rare moments when cars are not speeding down the road to destinations unknown. I am up early each day for my alone time with God; to seek that peace only early morning time brings; and with it intimacy.

1 Kings 19:11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. The great prophet Elijah was fleeing for his life, running from the pressures of life, desperate to hear God. He got alone and God came to encourage him. God is not in the static of the world, but in the peace of it. He demands a heart that seeks Him wholly, not a heart of flippant prayer and petition. He demands your undivided attention and He is most likely using circumstances in your life to get your attention. They are not by chance, but by His allowance or design.

Jeremiah 29:13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. All that noise and distractions in your life is like the speeding cars down the highway to nowhere. Satan provides all the daily distractions to keep your heart focus away from God. Do you rise late when all the distractions already have begun? Do you seek to find God in five minutes with the TV on; with the kids awake; with the cell phone at your side, etc? How can you hear the still small voice in the midst of all the winds, earthquakes, and fires? Be like Elijah and get alone and seek God. When you find Him, your ability to rise early will never be a problem again; but a expectant passion for your Creator to speak to you.

 
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Posted by on September 22, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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I am…….

21 Sep

I am…….

Romans 12:1-2  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

The apostle Paul had spent the chapters leading up to this addressing the differences in Israel and the Gentiles, and the lack of difference. God had allowed much of Israel to fall away and presented the Gospel to the Gentiles whom where beginning to believe. Many wandered if God had forgotten Israel. He has not, and His plans for Israel are to be fulfilled in eternity. Romans 10: 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Paul is trying to explain how we must be moved to a place of worship and reverent fear for God’s grace and mercy. In the middle of this writing he is moved to praise. 32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all. 33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! 34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?” 35 “Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?” 36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

The next verse is Romans 12 above. When the Bible was written, there were no chapters, or breaks in chapters. Paul has been building to show God’s glory on all mankind and how that realization should move you to a place of humble, sacrificial worship. That work you feel inside of you once you realize your spiritual state of sin, will knock your knees out from under you with that realization.  The mystery is revealed and you realize you are nothing without the One who created you, and the One who saved you. 1 Corinthians 8:6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. If you have not come to the understanding of sin, and the need for a Savior from that sin, the Gospel of Christ has not done its work in your heart.

A religion that does not give you the bad news is not a religion that saves. It is a religion that “tickles your ears” and feels good, which results in the leading away. Broad is the path that leads to destruction, but narrow is the gate that finds paradise.  Once God opens your heart through the realization of Him; the realization of you in sin without Him; you will be truly transformed. Becoming a Romans 12 Christian will be the sacrificial acts you naturally desire to be for eternity.

 
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Posted by on September 21, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Preach the Word…..today

20 Sep

Preach the Word…..today

2 Timothy 4:1-5  I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

The apostle Paul was in prison again and he seemed to know he was nearing his execution. There is urgency in his letters to Timothy whom he is investing so much in. He knew the society that Timothy was preaching the gospel to was a society that followed any wind that may blow. They were not strong in their faith, but followed whatever sounded good, or better yet was something that felt good. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. (ESV) A religion that does not point out the bad news has no good news to deliver. We must humbly realize we will all die in sin without God’s saving grace through Christ.

We find ourselves surrounded by a world far from God with countless religions and even the great heresy (false teaching) that they all point to God. We have a world in escalating wars in the heart of all these religions. We have here at home a heresy called prosperity preaching that says if you don’t have enough blessings in your life, you don’t have enough faith for God to bless you. God is never about materials possessions but about the heart. Once God truly comes into your life, and your humble heart begins to hear from Him, the “stuff” of this world will seem to matter now more. Your focus instead of possessions becomes accomplishing God’s will for your life.

2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. There will come a time when you feel the need to share your testimony, to share your faith, to share the difference that Christ can make with someone. The time that you spend with God every day prepares you for these times; prepares you to preach. You do not have to go to seminary to be Christ’s disciple. You are the church; and you are his preacher. You take Him everywhere you go every day, and He places before you those you can preach to. Do not be scared, but be obedient. Do not be scared to let God use you to draw others to Himself. Preach the Word to a world that desperately needs it…….today.

 
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Posted by on September 20, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Take a deep breath

19 Sep

Take a deep breath

Colossians 4:5-6  Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

Wack! Or maybe Thump, Thump, Thump would be a better description. Any ideas? We can offend and drive away those we are trying to draw near by our approach. We can come across too strong in our condemnation of sin, and become judgmental and self righteous to those who are lost. And probably even hypocritical in many ways. We can never argue a person to Christ, but we can argue a person away from Christ by hardening their hearts against Christians by our actions.  We must walk in wisdom prayerfully by protecting ourselves to not be drug down their paths of disbelief.

1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear. Adrian Rogers said we must preach in anguish and not anger. There is a BIG difference. A heart that pains for the lost soul before you pleads with them rather than screaming at them. Our speech is to point to sin, but it should be with the love and grace that Christ provides. Matthew Henry put it, “ Though it be not always of grace, it must be always with grace; and, though the matter of our discourse be that which is common, yet there must be an air of piety upon it and it must be in a Christian manner seasoned with salt. Grace is the salt which seasons our discourse.”

I lived a life so far from God for so long, it pains me to see those I know still far from God. The realization of my sins past, present, and future humbles me.  It pains me to the point of anger, but it hurts me to the point of anguish. Do you see that we are living in the last days? Do you know we must answer for our lives to a righteous judge for an eternal sentence? Do you know you may stand before that judge as white as snow, washed by the blood of Christ’s sacrifice for you? It is never too late; until it is.

He came. He died. He arose. He ascended. He is coming back

 
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Posted by on September 19, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Where was I going?

18 Sep

Where was I going?

James 4:13-15 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”

What were we talking about? Who, where, what was I supposed to remember? If I were to be open with my struggles with memory this would be a five page paper instead of a OneMinuteMinistry. My problems with memory terrify me from a genetic standpoint, and it is truly becoming a challenge almost daily. I believe stress is the nutrient that feeds the disease. I am under a huge strain like many of you, and my escape is the Word of God. It is where I find comfort and peace in an out of control world. What is your crutch?

The book of James is one of the oldest books in the New Testament, and one of the most practical books on how to live your life as a Christian. James puts much of this epistle bluntly and as a “how to” book. When you need answers for real problems we all face; the book of James is a great place to go. The scriptures above speak to me with weight as the planner and over-thinker I am. I think things to death, and always looking into causes, solutions, and outcomes. Trying to plan and see 10 steps ahead. James puts it bluntly in closing; James 4:16 :But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

James 4:1-6 speaks directly to pride, and even as a planner pride is woven deep into that fabric. Trying to plan our daily destinies leaves God out of the picture. Trying to plan without seeking God is prideful and evil. James 1:6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” A prideful heart thinks it directs its own steps and futures through its own abilities. A prideful heart is a heart far from God, but a heart that can be cleansed. James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. The next time you can’t remember where to go, remember to go to the book of James.

 
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Posted by on September 18, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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