Got Wisdom?

Friday, October 6, 2023

The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul.  The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.  The commandments of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart.  The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living.  Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever.  The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair.  They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold.   They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb.  They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them.  How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?  Cleanse me from these hidden faults.  Keep your servant from deliberate sins!  Don’t let them control me.  Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin.  May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.  Psalm 19:7-14

King David taught his son Solomon what wisdom looked like.  Soaking-up all the truth of Scripture, David summarized wisdom by the qualities God’s Word will become in a believer’s heart:

     ·       God’s Word is impeccably-perfect…reviving the soul

     ·       God’s Decrees are trustworthy…making the simple person wise

     ·       God’s Commandments are right…making joy flourish in the heart

     ·       God’s Commands are clear…light on life’s path

     ·       Reverence towards God is pure…an eternal blessing of clear conscience

     ·       God’s laws are true…making fairness an everyday experience

Knowing God’s ways bring life, wisdom, joy, insight, and permanence; His way and blessing are available to all who will worship the true, living God.

David concluded his prayer recorded in Psalm 19 with a question and answer. 

The question:  How can I understand my own heart…all the sins hidden there?

The answer:  Humble confession that I can’t know the depth of my own heart’s sins merely by my own wisdom.  I must place my heart in God’s hands…ask Him to forgive and cleanse me, so my proclivity towards sinning won’t control me.

David closed the prayer with one final request:  Lord, whatever I’ve laid before You, O Lord…may it be pleasing to you…do what you will with me…you are the bedrock of all my days and eternity.

If you’ve ever wondered where to start with praying to God, go back to Psalm 19 and grasp the depth of how anyone should (and can) approach Almighty God.  This is the model for placing your life in His care, and your heart’s love at the foot of Calvary’s cross.  The result of studying God’s love letter to humanity is revival for the soul, wisdom for making decisions, joy in the heart, light on your journey as you step-out each day with a clean conscience, and a burning desire to spread justice and fairness to every creature on earth. 

Did he leave anything out?

For You Today 

David’s son, Solomon, took his dad’s evaluation of God’s Word to heart, and both history and God’s Word call Solomon the wisest man ever.  That’s not a bad place to start your day.  It will make finishing your day an adventure that won’t disappoint.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road library.

Title Image(s) courtesy of Pixabay.com                   

Images without citation are in public domain.  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©   

Safeguarding the Faith

 

Friday, April 1, 2022

Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord.  I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith.  Philippians 3:1

Paul had just sent Epaphroditus back to Phillipi.  He had risked his life to come to the Apostle’s aid while in prison.  He was at the point of death, but God spared him, and Paul sent him back home. 

Re-reading that passage reminds me of those I’ve known in ministry who serve Christ, as Christ served, personal comfort, and even safety set-aside for the sake of the Gospel, safeguarding the message of faith.  Epaphroditus was a treasure to Paul, and Paul didn’t mind telling the homefolks at Phillipi just how much that faithfulness gladdened his heart.

Some who profess faith at the start don’t turn out that well.  In AD 337 the great Constantine died.  He had spent his life conquering and "Christianizing" the known world.  One of his grandsons was named Julian.  He was not seen as intelligent or considered a threat to the throne.  Julian grew up in the company and tutelage of monks and Christian scholars.  He learned the faith and participated in leading worship services.  His regular duties included copying religious books and building chapels for worship. 

Unfortunately Julian's main teacher was a "closet pagan."  Mardonius was a Christian on the outside, but his whole mental development was based on the ideas of Greek paganism.  Later Julian met Maximus, a well-known teacher of the worst kind of paganism (Neo-Platonism).  Under Maximus' influence Julian formally renounced Christianity to embrace paganism.  When he ascended to the emperor's throne in AD 361 he used his power to return the whole empire to pagan worship, beginning the active persecution of Christian believers.  His grandfather must've turned over in his grave!

(We should all heed this caution to be careful who teaches our children in schools and church.  Our grandfathers would turn in their graves to see the pagan mindset that passes for education these days).

The question presents itself about Julian, as to his motivation to ditch Christ for the teachings of paganism.  What was his complaint with Christianity? What went wrong with young Julian? 

In his memoirs, Julian, the former worship leader, scholar and Christian builder wrote:  Have you looked at these Christians closely?  Hollow-eyed, pale-cheeked, flat-breasted all; they brood their lives away, unspurred by ambition; the sun shines for them, but they do not see it; the earth offers them its fullness, but they desire it not; all their desire is to renounce and to suffer that they may come to die.

Julian had a right to shudder when he thought of Christianity; especially a faith that looked like death.  For all the trappings of organized religion, Julian looked at the lives of religious people and thought just like the two little boys who were standing outside the church as they watched a long-faced preacher arguing with a sourpuss member...Said one boy to the other, "Man, if that's what 30 years of Christianity will do for you, I want out NOW!" 

For You Today

As one scholar wrote about the "God is dead" movement:  Men looked at a dead church and assumed its owner was also deceased.  If you really have the joy of Christ pulsing through your bloodstream, maybe it’s time to see if your face has gotten the memo!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title image: Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©