Get Wisdom!

This morning my pastor taught about Getting Wisdom and I realized I’d never posted a blog entry on the subject.  As always, I lean on God for what to write and this is a very important topic that we need to explore.  Proverbs is saturated with wisdom throughout the book, but Chapter 4:1-14 really focuses on what we need to do and the benefits of pursuing wisdom.  

I don’t know about you but I want all my choices to be the right ones to better my life and the ones around me.  To that end, I need to embrace wisdom in everything I do.  I need to embrace wisdom in my family, my finances, my career and my daily life.  She isn’t one of those things you compartmentalize or only apply to certain areas.  She is the principal thing and when she is embraced she will take care of you.  Wisdom provides insight into complex situations and the answers you need, but you have to ask for her.  God will give wisdom freely when we ask Him for her (James 1:5).  

When we don’t seek wisdom and make wise choices, we suffer and we make those around us suffer as well.  Pastor said something this morning that caught me, “the more you heed wisdom, the more you will hear her.”  In Proverbs 1:20-33, the scripture describes how she will react when we consistently don’t take heed to her voice.  It describes how she cries out to us and when we won’t listen and obey, she stops talking to us.  

I know that God has a plan for us that is not our own.  It is bigger and better than anything we can imagine and His Holy Spirit gives us the power to accomplish it.  But, we need wisdom to fulfill His purpose and plan for us, so we are not making decisions on our own – we all know how those turn out.  If we pursue wisdom as the principal or primary thing (Prov. 4:7), we gain understanding and make wise choices.  Wisdom comes from God and God alone, so if we are pursuing her, we have to pursue Him.  Get Wisdom! Get Understanding! (Prov. 4:5)

God’s Plan Will Prevail

Back in December, I wrote about God’s plans not being our plans.  That is absolutely true.  Because God has all knowledge and wisdom, He knows everything and we do not (Isa 55:8-9.  The scripture says we don’t even know what to pray for (Rom 8:26).  Our capacity is not His and because of that, we can’t possibly know what is best for us, even if we are “Type A” personalities and believe we can control the things around us.   To a point we are in control of our destiny, as God has given us free will to accept Jesus’s free gift of salvation or to reject it.  The issue is if we truly accept the free gift of salvation, we also accept Jesus’s lordship over our lives.  Our problem is that we want the gift of salvation but don’t want the responsibility of following Jesus.  We want our cake and to eat it, too.  

Today, I was listening to a minister and he said something that got me.  He said God is more committed to our destiny than our desires.  That made me think about all the ways I’ve planned my life and how God has taken my life in a different direction.  His plans were definitely not mine.  When I was a little girl, I dreamed of being a doctor.  From the time I was eight or nine years old, I was going to be a doctor.  When I was twelve, my cousin passed away from cancer and I was going to be the oncologist who cured cancer.  Clearly, that didn’t happen.  But God moved me to an occupation where we can literally help prevent people from being exposed to cancer causing agents at work.  I’m still helping to stop cancer but in a different way than I imagined.  Only God could work this out, because I didn’t even know about this work until my fourth year of college.  

God is always preparing us for the next big thing in our lives.  Nothing happens by chance and nothing is wasted.  Even when we’re wasting time, we’re committing sin and there will be consequences but there is a lesson learned in that.  We grow as God is preparing us, because we can depend on God not moving us into something until we are ready.  That doesn’t mean we’ll feel prepared for it, but that God is ready for us to move into it and He is there to carry us through it.  If we’ve moved into something without God’s leading and guidance, it usually doesn’t go the way we want it to.  

Anything we can do in our own strength isn’t ultimately what God has for us.  God is going to get His Glory (Isa 42:8).  If you can do something on your own, then you get the glory for it.  When God puts the "super" on your "natural, He gets the Glory for it and you can’t take credit for anything other than your obedience to Him and His Word.  

His plans will prevail, when everything else fades away.  Don’t allow yourself to be frustrated when your plans don’t go the way you want.  Frustrations come when we have set our expectations (without consulting God) about something and then those expectations and goals fail to come to fruition.  Set aside the expectations you have and look to God who will order your steps.  If you diligently seek Him and delight ourselves in Him, He will make the desires of your heart line up with His plans for you (Psalm 37:4).  Those desires He will fulfill (Psalm 21:2). Regardless of what we want, God’s plan will prevail (Prov 19:21).  It’s so much better for our peace of mind, if we get on board with that.

Can you hear God’s Voice?

I’m the first to say that I sometimes struggle to hear God’s voice and know where He is directing me.  I believe that is because I’m sometimes so busy that I’m not meditating on His word (Josh 1:8) and spending time with Him (Rom 10:17).  I get so distracted that I don’t stay in His presence.  He’s always there, but sometimes I’m not.  What about you?  God is always speaking to us – sometimes His voice is quiet and peaceful.  Sometimes His voice is so direct it grabs you.  I’ve recently learned that sometimes He’s silent and still that is Him speaking to us.  

What is God saying to you?  What has He called you to do? What have you heard from Him? What are you doing to meet His expectations? Are you waiting for Him to move? What are you doing to prepare? What are you waiting for? 

When we hear His voice, the expectation is for us to move in the way He calls us.  We don’t have time to waste even if we don’t feel qualified to do what we’re called to or go where we’re directed.  I mentioned recently that my family started having family bible study together.  It was my idea and I have been leading it.  By no means am I qualified by any standards to lead family bible study.  Yes, I’ve had a relationship with Jesus since I was nine.  Yes, I’ve read and studied my bible over the years (I must admit, not all of it).  But none of that would really qualify me to be able to teach God’s Word – I don’t have a degree in seminary and I’ve not been to a bible school.  However, God clearly has other plans.  My greatest fear in this was that I would somehow teach something that is not consistent with God’s Word, but I remembered the Holy Spirit, who has always been with God (even before the world was created). lives on the inside of me.  He knows what God wants me to say and I trust Him (John 6:63).  When I’m teaching I surrender to Him so that I can do what I’ve been called to, since I can do nothing without His empowerment (John 14:26).  

That is what God wants from us in every aspect of our lives.  Many times, we want to separate or compartmentalize parts of our lives where Jesus is Lord and others where we still rule.  As followers of Christ, He must be allowed to be Lord over every aspect of our lives.  Only then will we be in a place to lean and depend on Him no matter what.  It’s in those times where we hear and obey that we can walk in liberty.  God will not direct us wrong.  He has our best interests at heart.  Remember, we are blessed to be a blessing to others and introduce them to the Good News of Jesus.  We are already saved.  Our future is secure as long as we remain in fellowship with God (Psalm 85:8).  So once we are saved from Death, Hell and Damnation, our job and our purpose is to spread what we have learned about Him – He is Lord and Savior – whether people choose to follow or not.  He is the only way to the Father.  Our lives should point to Him.

Seek to hear God’s voice and then wait for it.  He may not speak when we expect or may not say what we want to hear, but listen for it.  Wait to hear Him and follow His direction (Heb 3:15).  Whatever He says is truth.  Study His word so you can distinguish His voice from the others (2 Tim 2:15).  His sheep hear His voice – they will not follow a stranger (John 10:27).  Make sure you’re part of His flock and that you’re spending enough time with Him to know His voice.

We are all equal

This week, I had a long conversation about how all people are equal.  It doesn’t matter how much money someone has or how big their house is or how beautiful they are, they are no better than anyone else.  That is something that we all have to remember.  I know I’ve been star struck before or been really impressed with what someone has accomplished, but God is no respecter of persons (Romans 2:11) and we shouldn’t be either.  We have to remember that God loves us all the same.  We are to love each other in the same way.   

There are a couple of issues that arise when we see some people as being better than others.  First, we place ourselves in the place of God - judging people based on what they have and what we can see.  We don’t have the ability to judge people in that regard (James 2:3-4).  God looks at the heart (1 Sam 16:7) and will judge.  No matter what we have or look like, God loves us and give us an opportunity to choose Him.  The things we have here are temporary.  They do not transfer to where we’ll go for eternity.   

Another issue that arises is the thought that our special treatment of those who are better in our minds will result in some positive reward for us.  Will people think more highly of us because we are associated with these people who we consider better off? Will others somehow treat us better because of the way we treat the wealthy or the popular or the beautiful? Will they recognize us because we’re friends with them?  It doesn’t matter.  We are to love our neighbor as ourselves (Luke 10:27) no matter what.  If we are thinking someone is more important or treating someone better than others, we need to check our own motives.  

James makes it clear that it is sin to give any one preferential treatment (James 2:9).  In fact, if we are showing someone favoritism, we will be judged for it (James 2:12).  If we don’t show mercy to those who are less fortunate and recognize that they are equal to those with much, there will be no mercy for us (James 2:13).  No matter what someone has or does strive to treat people equally.  God is watching.