Knowledge & Wisdom

There is a difference between knowledge (having facts) and wisdom (making practical application of those facts). Without wisdom, knowledge has little, if any value on its own. The problem is that the knowledgeable are usually unaware of their foolishness.

God's Vengence

If we do not trust God to vindicate us, then we will be susceptible to hatred and self-pity. Anger and bitterness will stalk us. We can become angry at those who offend us in these ways. But we must come to the quick conclusion that when someone offends us --- it is God's problem and not mine!

Christian Living

As Christians, we are to live in contrast with our culture. But if we live life God's way ...

... we may be falsely accused or misunderstood
... we may not be truly appreciated for our genuine love
... the true value we contribute may never be rewarded
... our ideas and attempts to contribute may be ignored or discounted

The Bible tells us to stand against our culture. Oddly enough, our culture concludes that anyone who stands against it is irrelevant.

Wisdom Speaks

To be wise in our speech, we must exercise self control. Our words should be honest and well chosen. Our words should also be well measured. Often the best example of wisdom is that which is not said --- rather than what is said.

Comforting People

The best comforters are those who know something about personal suffering. Notice that when you are suffering and others say something like, "I know just how you must feel," you generally discount such statements ... unless you know they've suffered as you are. So it would seem that if I want to truly be able to comfort others, my ability to do so can only be born of my own suffering.

Assumptions & Conclusions

Wrong assumptions lead to wrong conclusions. We dare not take our limited experiences in life and jump to conclusions about life in general. We must remember that, no matter what, we never have all the facts. This is why the Bible says to, "Lean not on your own understanding." Even at its best, our understanding (of anything) is incomplete.

Righteousness

Righteousness is not the same as sinlessness. It is quite possible for someone to not sin and still not be righteous. Of course, the only person who was truly without sin was Christ --- and He was the definition of righteousness. The point is that it wasn't the absence of sin in Jesus' life that made Him righteous. So what was it that made Him righteous? His relationship with God, and the presence of God's character in Him.

Humble People

A humble person is more secure than a proud person. This is because humility provides a more accurate perspective of oneself and of the world in general. Pride is deceitful, especially when it comes to viewing ourselves and the world around us.

Knowing

It is better to know God than to know the answers to all of our questions. Even Biblical knowledge is intellectual and not worth much outside of the context of a relationship with God. Consider that even Satan has good Biblical knowledge and memorizes Scripture. But of course, Satan lacks the relationship with God that gives value to such knowledge.

Sin & Righeousness

The more that we sin, the harder it is to remember and be mindful of what God wants. Our sin blocks our view of His will. The longer that we wait to deal with sin, the greater the hold that is has on us. Finally, we "forget" what it means to do right. Are you on the verge of "forgetting?"

God Judges

God doesn't respect people or their roles or rank in life. He judges all people fairly and impartially. He judges all people.

Courageous Fighting

Christians should be strong and courageous when we are fighting our battles against evil. After all, we are fighting on the winning side!

Victory & Sacrifice

There is never any kind of victory without some kind of sacrifice. Foolishly, mankind often denies this truth and expects to achieve victory without having to pay for it. There is no free lunch. There never has been.

Submission

Submission seems to be a dirty word in our modern day culture. We are taught to stand on our own, be independent, and "take no prisoners." But God teaches us something else. We are to submit to God. We are to submit to our government. We are to submit to our employers. We are to submit to each other. Are you noticing a common theme here?

It is not possible to live for Christ unless one learns to submit for Christ.

Love Defined

1 Corinthians 13 gives us a wonderful (i.e., easy to comprehend) definition of what love is ... and what love isn't. Let's take a look.

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous. Love is not proud and does not boast. Love does not do things that are not nice. Love does not just think of itself. Love does not get angry. Love holds no wrong feelings in the heart. Love is not glad when people do wrong things. But it is always glad when they do right. Love forgives everything. Love is always trusting, and always hoping, and never gives up. Love never ends. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

Too often in this life we get confused about love. We think love is about me. I want love. I need to feel loved. I need love. I want you to love me. Honestly, have you ever seen such focus on self? Notice that there is nothing about me in 1 Corinthians 13. It is always about you!

It seems that if love has these virtues, that true love can stand up to any tests this life and this world can give it. But if it fails, then I would argue that it may never have been love in the first place.

Thrill of Forgiveness

Do you remember when you first decided to become a Christian? Most of us do. In my case, it was as a young man. The thing is, I didn't really believe that I needed a savior. I didn't take my sin too seriously, and considered myself to generally be "a good person." The preacher had convinced me though that unless I acknowledged Jesus, I would burn in hell. So I chose Jesus.

The problem is that when we lose sight of the seriousness of sin - or never have it in the first place, we lose the thrill of forgiveness. Unless I understand how wrong I am, it is not possible for me to really appreciate being forgiven for that wrong. 2 Peter 1:9 tells us this, but I think most people miss the point. Really, how well do you know your own sin?

Defining Widsom

Wisdom means practical discernment - or the ability to almost supernaturally know the truth about a situation - in such a way as to be able to draw right conclusions and formulate right responses. It is said that true wisdom comes from God. That is the fact. Because some circumstances require that supernatural leading of the Holy Spirit for there to be any wisdom at all.

Wisdom then begins with respect for God. It leads to right living (God's way) and results in the increased ability to tell right from wrong. But we will be unable to receive this wisdom from God if our goals are self-centered ... or if we aren't listening to Him. Want wisdom? Examine the level of respect you really show towards God.

Leader Qualifications

When we are in the position of selecting leaders (for anything), we should look for faithfulness and reverence. Other qualifications may seem more impressive, but faithfulness and reverence are character traits that stand the test of time. They endure and transcend all of the other character traits - or flaws in an potential leader.

Authority

It is never right to stand against or speak against authority that God has placed in your life. That starts with your parents, grandparents, and other senior family members. It extends to teachers, coaches and bosses. It always includes local and federal government leaders. Do you even know who all is in authority over you? Are you showing respect for them?

Worship Transformation

In subtle, imperceptible ways, we become like the idols that we worship. If the true God is your God, you will become more like Him as you worship Him. We all take on the character of whatever or whomever we worship.

Conversely, if you worship something or someone that is empty and shallow, then you shall become like your idol. So choose your idols carefully in this life.

Means To An End

The means that we use to accomplish a goal are just as important as the goal we are trying to accomplish. Said another way, the journey has significance ... as does the destination.

God's Help

Anything that I can truly accomplish in this life comes as a result of God's help. He equips me and empowers me - at the very least. Quite possibly, He may even divinely intervene in circumstances to bring about my successful endeavors. So I really have no reason to take pride in myself or my accomplishments. Instead, I have every reason to be grateful to God.

I wonder if the most accomplished people of our world know this.

Humility

Humility has an odd character about it. Mostly it allows us to be content with God's leading in our lives. Much has been written about humility in the Christian life. But I think most of what has been written has missed the most important aspect of humility's nature. We try to put worldly definitions on humility, but it refuses to submit itself to those definitions. No, humility has a mind of its own. As some will joke, "If you think you're humble - then you're not." That much is true. But the more overlooked aspect of humility are the friends that it brings with it: peace, love, submissiveness, thoughtfulness, unselfishness, generosity, mercy, joy, and others. It is as if humility were the driver of the bus, and all these other virtues were the riders on the bus. Without humility, none of them would ever get there.

Workaholic

Working to the exclusion of rest or to the neglect of relationships (including family) may be a cover-up for the inability to trust God to provide for our needs. On the other hand, it could be a sign of greed at level that is perhaps more powerful in our lives than any other motive. Do you suppose God meant for work to be at the exclusion of anything virtuous?

Effective Gospel

Many people will be glad to discuss the gospel as long as it doesn't touch their lives too personally. (For when it touches their lives personally - it usually requires something of them.) So when it gets personal, some will resist. But this is what the gospel is about - God's power to change lives. You see, the gospel is not effective until it moves from principles and doctrine into a life-changing dynamic. When someone resists or runs from your witness, you have undoubtedly succeeded in making the gospel personal.

Poor Success

I think poor people are more successful at relating to God than rich people. It's not that rich people can't relate to God. It's just the poor people are closer to their helplessness and more in touch with their need for God. Rich people seem to be insulated from these realities. Their money and their pride tend to block the view of their helplessness and need for God.

On Trust

Trust is built between people when we live our lives and make our decisions based on a set of shared values. That trust is challenged when there are unanswered questions and unpleasant surprises. If enough of it hasn’t been built before it is challenged, or if the challenges overwhelm it, the trust fails.

So live your life and make decisions based on the values shared by those you want to trust you - and you will find that trust between you will be strong. Eliminate the unanswered questions and unpleasant surprises between you and that trust will endure.

Peace Making

Peace making is not always popular. The glory of fighting is in the hope of winning. But someone must be a loser - and only one gets to be a winner. The glory in peace making, however, is that it may actually produce two winners.