Walk in Wisdom

 Walk in Wisdom

The apostle Paul writes,

“Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” Colossians 4:5,6

Paul here is warning us to use wisdom toward unbelievers. To be gracious toward them. Sadly many calling themselves Christians don’t do this. They try to force there faith on someone.

One commentary I read said,

“The metaphor suggest speaking in an interesting stimulating and wise way” 

Paul here assumed the church is involved with the local community and interacts with many non-Christians.

We must always respect the views of those we present the gospel to. Even if we don’t agree with them. It all comes down to what Jesus said,

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” Matthew 7:12.

Treat others with the respect you expect to be treated with.

If you claim to be a Christian. A true follower of Christ Jesus. Are you treating others the ways you like to be treated?

Please think about it.

 Living a Godly life

James the half brother of Jesus writes,

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.  

But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.  

Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.  

For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.  

Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. James 3:13-18.

James here contrasts earthly wisdom with Heavenly wisdom. He notes that bitterness and selfish ambition do not come from God.

Wisdom that comes from God is “pure peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”

Individuals who possess this kind of wisdom according to James, “sow in peace and raise a harvest of righteousness.” 

If we claim to be believers in Christ Jesus then we must take a look at our lives. We must take a look at our actions and see if we are exhibiting wisdom from God. 

If we are not then we need to make the changes immediately.

We must cry out to God in prayer, and ask Him to show us what we must do to live a life as close as possible to the ideal life He would have us live.

Please think about it.

A garland of Grace

A garland of grace

In the book of Proverbs we read,

"Get wisdom, get understanding; 

do not forget my words or swerve from them. 

Do not forsake wisdom,

 and she will protect you; 

love her, and she will watch over you. 

Wisdom is supreme; 

therefore get wisdom. 

Though it cost all you have, 

get understanding. 

Esteem her, 

and she will exalt you; 

embrace her, 

and she will honour you. 

She will set a garland of grace on your head 

and present you with a crown of splendour." 

                                                                      Proverbs 4:5-9.

I read the other day that,

"Wisdom is the acquired skill of applying knowledge rightly"

I was always taught that we should do our best to learn something new everyday. I was also told that we can have all the knowledge in the world, and if we don’t know how to use it correctly it will either amount to nothing, or amount to catastrophe.

I fully believe that as Christians, as believers in Christ Jesus we should be praying daily and asking God to impart wisdom to us through the scriptures and through daily life lessons.

Please think about it.

Pray for wisdom

 Pray for wisdom

In the book of Ecclesiastes we read,

“For wisdom is a shelter, and money is a shelter, but the advantage is that wisdom keeps the one who has it alive.” Ecclesiastes 7:12.

In the book of proverbs we read,

“Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. 

Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. 

Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. 

Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honour you. 

She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendour." Proverbs 4:5-9.

Wisdom is supreme. Yet far too many Christians don’t ask for it. Instead they ask for the wrong things. Then wonder why they don’t get what they are asking for.

We as believers in Christ Jesus need wisdom. It keeps us safe and it can show us how to present the Gospel message to those around us.

Therefore as the writer of proverbs tells us “get wisdom”. 

How do you pray? Do you ask God for wisdom in all you do?

Please think about it.

Get Wisdom

 Get wisdom

In the book of Proverbs we read,

"Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. 

Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. 

Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. 

Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honour you. 

She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendour." Proverbs 4:5-9.

What is wisdom? Here’s one definition I believe sums wisdom up, 

“the ability or result of an ability to think and act utilizing knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense, and insight.”

When it comes to being a Christian. A true believer in Christ Jesus. We need to ask God to give us wisdom in all situations in life.

One of the best ways is to pray and study the scriptures, not just read them. Pray and ask God to show you the truths held within the Bible. At the same time look at what various people in the Bible did. How they overcome problems.

Question... Do you ask God to give you wisdom, especially when dealing with other people?

Why not take some time right now to pray and ask God for wisdom.

            Please think about it.

Use Wisdom

Use Wisdom

In the book of Colossians we read, 

“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.  

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:3-6.

Jesus said,

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” Matthew 10:16.

When I look at these two portions of scripture I see a cautionary note. We are called to proclaim the Gospel. While at the same time we are called to be cautious. 

There are people out there that don’t want anything to do with Christians or God. Some are outrightly hostile to the gospel message, as such we need to be cautious around them.

When we present the gospel we need to be respectful. We need to respectfully listen to them and answer their questions. Pointing them to the saving grace of God through Christ Jesus.

If you consider yourself a Christian is this how you proclaim the gospel message?

Please think about it.

Be wise in the way you act

 Be wise in the way you act

In the book of Colossians we read,

“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.  

         Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." Colossians 4:5,6.

One thing I find many Christians are not good at is being wise with regards to non-Christians.

Many Christians don’t communicate the gospel correctly. Rather than being graceful toward the non-Christian, they tend to want to force their faith on others.

We need to remember what Jesus said,

"Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Luke 6:31.

We need to think would I want someone to present their faith to me the way I am presenting mine to them?

Spent a few minutes in prayer asking God if you are presenting the gospel message in the right way?

Please think about it.

There is a way

  There is a way

In the book of Proverbs we read,

"Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. 

Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. 

Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. 

Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honour you. 

She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendour."

Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her." Proverbs 4:5-11.

When I look at the world around me here in North America be it at political leaders, religious leaders or the average person on the street. It seems to me that wisdom is lacking.

It seems particularly politicians and religious leaders lack wisdom and understanding. Everything they do it seems is a knee jerk reaction to things going on around them.

These leaders don’t it seems take time to evaluate to consequences of their actions and sadly the average person is following their example and doing the same thing. The result I feel is our society is running toward the abyss that is filled with fire and brimstone.

In Proverbs we read this warning,

“There is a way that seems right ot a man 

but in the end it leads to death.”

                                                            Proverbs 14:12.

Please think about it.

Sadly Christians forget

  Sadly Christians forget

In the book of Proverbs we read,

"Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. 

Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. 

Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. 

Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honour you. 

She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendour." Proverbs 4:5-9.

Sadly I think Christians forget what is said here. They don’t get wisdom or understanding. Instead they rely too much on others to whom they think are wise and understand things, better than them.

Being a Christian, a follower of Christ Jesus is a continuing learning process. A journey in which we should grow day by day. This not only includes studying the scriptures but studying the thing in the world around us. Observing people reading as wide a range of books as we can.

Christian life is not lived in a bubble. It is lived in a world filled with things both for and against what we as believers Christ believe. And the only way we know how to act toward them is by understanding why the world around us is they way it is.

Studying the scriptures in addition to studying the secular world around us, studying human behaviour, science, history, social behaviour or other things makes us wise. And shows us how we can best present the word of God.

If you consider yourself a Christian, when was the last time you studied the scriptures for yourself? When was the last time you looked at the world around you and studied what was happening?

Please think about it.

About Wisdom

  About Wisdom

In the book of Proverbs we read,

"Get wisdom, get understanding;

 do not forget my words or swerve from them. 

Do not forsake wisdom, 

and she will protect you; 

love her, and she will watch over you. 

Wisdom is supreme; 

therefore get wisdom. 

Though it cost all you have, 

get understanding. 

Esteem her,

 and she will exalt you; 

embrace her, 

and she will honour you. 

She will set a garland of grace on your head

 and present you with a crown of splendour."

                                                                   Proverbs 4:5-9.

Here’s one definition of wisdom I have found that I think sums it up correctly it states,

"Wisdom is the acquired skill 

of applying knowledge rightly"

                                             Author unknown.

It is particularly important for a believer in Christ Jesus, a Christian to apply the Biblical knowledge they have correctly, especially when dealing with non-believers.

Too many believers have with good intentions, misused the word of God and thus turned people away from belief in God.

I see this in the so called “Hell fire and brimstone preaching”. Where preachers again with the best of intentions remind people there is “a Heaven to gain and a Hell to shun.” 

While this may seem logical to a Christian. To someone who doesn’t believe in God or Heaven and Hell it’s meaningless.

Yelling from the roof tops "repent or go to Hell!" doesn’t for the most part work in 2021.

Wisdom would tell us to “show the love of God to those around us.”

I’m certain when Jesus was accused of sitting with tax collectors and sinners (Mark 2:15). He wasn’t preaching hellfire and brimstone. They wouldn’t have listened to Him. Quite the contrary he probably presented the word of God in a loving respectful manner.

If you look a the apostle Pauls speech to the Athenians(acts 17:17-34). Paul met those assembled were they were at. Then lovingly and respectfully presented the gospel of Christ to them.

I believe as Christians. As believers in Christ Jesus in the twenty-first century we need to be constantly asking for God to show us the truths that are within the scriptures and the wisdom on how to apply them to those around us.

Please think about it.

What's to lose?

  What’s to lose?

The Apostle Paul writes,

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." 1 Corinthians 1:18.

Just for the record I believe what the Apostles Creed. Although not written by one of Jesus’ apostles it sums up what I and most Christians believe. It states,

1.I believe in God the Father the almighty maker of heaven and earth

2. I believe in Jesus Christ God’s on and only Son, our Lord and Saviour.

3. I believe Jesus was conceived by the Holy Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary

4. I believe Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate; That He was Crucified, died, was buried. That he descended in hell.

5. I believe He rose again on the third day from the dead.

6. I believe that he ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty.

7. I believe Jesus will one day Judge the living and the dead.

8. I believe in the Holy Ghost

9. I believe in the Church which is the communion of the saints,

10. I believe in the forgiveness of sin.

11. I believe in the resurrection of the body.

12. I believe in life everlasting.

To some who do not believe in God the not only the Apostles Creed but everything the New Testament especially states looks like foolishness. 

Even if it is what’s to loose? Blaise Pascal wrote,

“Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists. Blaise Pascal.

Please think about it.

Do you?

  Do you?

The apostle Paul writes,

“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.  

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone Colossians 4:5,6.

Sometimes I think Christians forget about wisdom, especially here in North America. They are too focussed on getting things their way. On protecting their rights.

They spend their time complaining that the duly elected secular government is giving rights to people they object too. Then when a group pushes back they complain even more loudly. This should not be so.

As Christians we should be asking for Gods wisdom in reaching the world around us. We should be engaging those we disagree with not in a positive none condemning way. We should remember the words of Jesus who gave us a bench mark to follow when dealing with others, when he said,

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” Matthew 7:12.

When dealing with those outside our faith, we should be asking ourselves; would I like to be treated the way I treated that person?  

Thus my question is: Do you, in everything, you do, do to others what you would have them do to you?

Please think about it.

Reckless words

Reckless words
In Proverbs we read,

"Reckless words pierce like a sword, 

but the tongue of the wise brings healing." 

                                                   Proverbs 12:18.

As Christians we must be careful what we say.
I believe Christians have been given a sacred trust by God to reach the world and point individuals to heaven. It is something we should not take lightly.
All too many people here in Canada and the United States tend to live in a bubble. With few if any non-Christian friends. To make matters worse they mix “their rights and freedoms” given to them by the secular government with their faith.
As Christians we must remember what we say has the potential for eternal consequences. Our words have the ability to point people to Christ or push them away.
The apostle Paul wrote,

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you,

 live at peace with everyone.”

                                                     Romans 12:18.

In order to live at peace with anyone we need to mind what we say and do. We need to reach out to others with the love of God in word and deed.
The apostle John wrote,

“Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue 

but with actions and in truth.”

                                                1 John 3:18.

The apostle Paul tells us,
"Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.  
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” Colossians 4:5,6.
Question; If you claim to be a Christian are you using your words wisely? What are your words and deeds telling those around you about Christ?
Please think about it.

Better

Better
The Solomon the writer of Ecclesiastes writes,
“Better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for all are destined to be mourned; the living should lay this to heart.” Ecclesiastes 7:2.
Here Solomon points out that entering a house of mourning a house grieving the loss of a loved one is better that entering a house that is celebrating.
The way I see it Solomon is right.
Not so long ago my wife’s younger brother died suddenly he was only in his early forties. Young by any standards. One of the common, for lack of a better expression phrases I noted from those who attended the funeral was “he was so young. It just goes to show you, you never know when death will happen.”
Solomon notes,
“The thoughts of the wise are in the house of mourning, but the thoughts of fools are in the house of pleasure. Ecclesiastes 7:4.
The way I see it is the death of someone should cause us to think about out mortality. Everyone knows that we will one day die. Yet it seems in our society especially here in the western nations we don’t plan for death. We live in “the house of pleasure”.
Tony Campolo the American evangelist said,
“When you were born, you cried and everybody else was happy. The only question that matters is this - when you die, will you be happy when everybody else is crying?” Tony Campolo.
Thus my question to you the reader. Upon your death will you be happy?
I as a believer in Christ Jesus believe you can know whether or not you will be happy upon your death. The apostle Paul writes,
“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”  
For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,  for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” Romans 10:9-13.
Please think about it.

The Beginning of Wisdom

The beginning of Wisdom
The Psalmist writes,

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; 

all who follow his precepts have good understanding.

 To him belongs eternal praise.” 

                                           Psalm 111: 10.

I believe if more people believed in God and His precepts the world would be a far better place.
In my previous blog I quoted Ecclesiastes 12:13,14 that said,
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole  duty  of man. 
For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” Ecclesiastes12:13,14.
When man loses his fear of God. Fear of ultimate judgement things can go terribly wrong. We only have to look at Adolf Hitler and the Nazis during the second world war. They did not fear judgement. They turned to their own evil ways fearing no one in this world or the next. The result was in excess of fifty-six million plus men women and children murdered in the war and genocide they were responsible for.
They had no fear of God’s judgement. They did not fear God and follow His wisdom.
Think of it if those men and women responsible for starting the second world war and creating the holocaust had just followed one word of advice of Jesus that being,

“So in everything, 

do to others 

what you would have them do to you, 

for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” 

                                                 Matthew 7:12  

If they and for that matter society in general had followed the teachings of Jesus who when asked,
  “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  
This is the first and greatest commandment. 
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40
The world would have been a much better place and fifty six million plus people would have lived.
Today in the twenty-first century it is incumbent I believe on all people to seek God’s wisdom to Love God, our neighbour and even our enemy.
I believe if we as individuals and a society would do this the world would be a better place.
Please think about it.

Riches

Riches

“Then he (Jesus) said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 
And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.  
He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ 
“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.  
And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’ 
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 
“This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”
                                                                                                                                        Luke 12:15-21.
Let me make it clear there is nothing wrong with being rich. However if your riches or your pursuit of wealth become your whole life and God is left out of the picture, ultimately you will lose it all.
Ultimately we all circum to the ultimate statistic that everyone that has ever been born dies.
Then the wealth and possessions we acquire in this life will be divided between others.
The writer of Ecclesiastes states,
        “To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” 
                                                              Ecclesiastes 2:26.
A life without God is meaningless.
If all there is in this world is what we can see, feel and hear then what use is life? There has to be more.
Atheist tell us there is no God I cannot believe that.
Peter John Kreeft states,
“Atheism treats people cheaply. Also, it robs death of meaning, and if death has no meaning, how can life ultimately have meaning? Atheism cheapens everything it touches, look at the results of communism, the most powerful form of atheism on earth.
And in the end, when the atheist dies and encounters God instead of nothingness he had predicted he’ll recognize that atheism was a cheap answer because it refused the only thing that’s not cheap the God of infinite value”
                                                   Peter John Kreeft ph.d 
The writer of Ecclesiastes gets it right when he says,
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole  duty  of man. 
For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”
Ecclesiastes 12:13,14.
When God created man He gave him a freewill. In order to be truly free to choose God even gave man the option of believing in Him or not.
That decision is yours to make. If God does not exist you have nothing to fear with respect to what you do.
However if God exists then you have a lot to fear. For God will one day judge all people everywhere.
Please think about it.