Wisdom

Ephesians 5:15-17

“See that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

I used to think that God was complicated and that His word could not be understood. I used this as an excuse to get away with doing whatever I wanted to do, whenever I wanted to do it. One huge area in my life that I did this in the way that I did my homework. In my head I knew I was supposed to do it diligently as unto the Lord, but in practice I only did it to cross it off the list of things I had to do in order to not get in trouble. Procrastination was my specialty and I never did anything until I absolutely had to or it wouldn’t get done. In the same way that I treated English assignments in high school, I have been putting off doing the daily IBS (Inductive Bible Study) verse until the very last second. When you add my procrastination and short attention span to our insanely packed schedule, I never find enough time to do it the way it’s supposed to be done. My desire is to take advantage of the time I have here and to use it wisely, not to foolishly waste the opportunity I’ve been given. God’s plan for me is to know Him more fully, and that is going to mean sacrificing time and/or sleep. So instead of waiting until the very last minute to do IBS, I am going to start getting up 30 minutes earlier in order to have time each morning after doing my own personal devos to do IBS. I am going to ask the other girls if any of them would like to commit to this with me in order to keep each other accountable to redeeming the time. 

Wisdom

2 Corinthians 1:12

“For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you.”

When I read this verse I am reminded of the song “Simplicity” by Rend Collective. This song is all about the simplicity of having a pure love for Jesus and the way it compels us to sing of His love. When everything else is stripped away, we are able to go back to our first love: Jesus. Webster’s Dictionary defines simplicity as: the state of being simple. That didn’t really mean much to me until I read the definition for simple: easy to understand or do; plain and unadorned, as clothing or food; having nothing added: the simple truth; free from affectation (calculated or elaborate pretense; an artificial manner). When I was first applying for Ignite a large part of why I wanted to be here was because I just wanted to get out of my hometown and have a once in a lifetime experience. I’ve been here less than 3 weeks, but God has shown me that the sole reason He brought me here was so that I could know Him more, everything else is just a tool He will use to teach me to seek His face. As I go out to serve the people of Costa Rica in a few weeks, my prayer is that Abby and I would operate in simplicity and godly sincerity. It is only when we are resting in His grace and mercy that we will be able to pour it out on the kids we will be working with.  

Wisdom

James 1:5

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

We are told that if we have faith the size of a mustard seed we can tell a mountain to move and it will move. Its common among Christians to act as if God doesn’t really have enough wisdom to know how to run their lives, so we take control and try to do it our own way. I am so guilty of doing this! I am way too quick to run to the world’s wisdom or even my own “Christian wisdom” when I have a problem. And yet God assures us in James 1:5 that He will give us His wisdom “liberally and without reproach” if we just ask it of Him. I say this all the time, but, I’ll say it again. When we ask God for something He has promised to us He won’t just shrug His shoulders and say good luck. Again and again in my own life I have experienced the truth of this. Often with one of my siblings and friends I am completely lost as to how to react to certain actions. But, the times where I’ve stopped and asked God for wisdom before I do anything, He has shown me ways to de-escalate the situation instead of making it worse like my flesh wants to. Going to God for wisdom is humbling, it forces you to admit that you can’t figure something out on your own. Saying that asking God for wisdom is one thing, but doing it is another. The application for James 1:5 is found in the very next verse. In all decisions, I need to ask God for wisdom in faith, not doubting that he will be faithful to give it liberally. The next time I have a decision to make and the time after that and, by God’s grace, for the rest of my life I will not lean on my own understanding but I will trust in God’s wisdom above my own.

Wisdom

Psalm 111:10

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.”

Earthly wisdom stems from self-preservation and the worship of self. But through a healthy fear of the Lord, the simple become wise. The fear that believers are to have is not the same fear you have when you narrowly avoid getting in an accident or a dog growls at you. This fear is “the beginning of wisdom.” It isn’t a fear that cowers in the corner but one that knows that it needs to stay submitted to the Lord’s voice out of love. When I am in that position of complete submission, I know I can boldly go into the presence of God expecting Him to speak to me. In my flesh I do not want to obey His commandments, they all go against what I feel like doing. And yet He promises wisdom to those who fear Him. So how does this apply to my life? I cannot rely on my own wisdom any longer. I cannot act like me running my life will ever end well. When my heart begins to wander and worship anyone other than God, my first reaction needs to be to go before the Lord and repent. He is so faithful to give us the strength we need when we need it. The Lord will be praised forever, whether I choose to bow to Him in this life is up to me. But man, I cannot imagine a better way to live this life than to live it doing what the Lord tells me to. Right now, I’m living in Antigua, Guatemala because this is where God has called me. To obey the Lords command to “go” and to choose to praise Him the whole time is such a sweet adventure. 

Wisdom

James 3:13-17

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. 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.”

These verses are packed with conviction and encouragement; funny how those two so often go hand in hand. Wisdom and meekness cannot be separated, the perfect example of this is found in Jesus. Jesus had all the wisdom, and yet it didn’t puff Him up or cause Him to have any pride in Himself. Philippians 2:6-8 sums this up perfectly. It says: “…Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.”  Through Christ, our eyes have been opened to the truth of who we are and who Christ is. Therefore, believers should not be known as bitterly envious, self-seeking, or boastful liars. Verse fifteen describes these actions as earthly, sensual, and demonic. When Christians allow their flesh to rule their lives, confusion and evil abound. This is seen so clearly when churches are divided based on non-essential doctrinal issues. I am so thankful that “where sin abounded, grace abounded much more (Romans 5:20)!’’ When we live a surrendered life, Christ is able to transform our minds and change our earthly wisdom to His wisdom.