Where can wisdom be found?
Job 28:12 But where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell? 13 No mortal comprehends its worth; it cannot be found in the land of the living. 14 The deep says, “It is not in me”; the sea says, “It is not with me.” 15 It cannot be bought with the finest gold, nor can its price be weighed out in silver. 16 It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or lapis lazuli. 17 Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it, nor can it be had for jewels of gold. 18 Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies. 19 The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it; it cannot be bought with pure gold. 20 Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell? 21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing, concealed even from the birds in the sky.
In Job’s day, precious metals were found by people looking in caves, bringing out rocks that had small strains of metal that were found when the rock was exposed to fire. Pearls have long been found by people diving into the oceans and harvesting oysters. Yet, for one who seeks wisdom the hiding place is neither a cave nor an ocean.
Likewise, wisdom cannot be purchased, and there is no comparison to the worth of wisdom with the worth of precious jewels. Why? Because wisdom comes straight from God. Wisdom is both a gift and a necessary tool to draw us closer to the living God and to enable us to live out our lives as He desires and He requires.
Job’s treatise on wisdom came near the end of his suffering, and we see as we near the end of Job’s trials that wisdom became a hard-earned prize. Job had proclaimed his innocence and had blamed God for his loss. Yet, Job proclaimed that if God were willing he could restore Job. When God spoke, Job finally realized that he really did not know God at all.
Do we know God? Do we have the wisdom and understanding to seek Him out while He may be found, or do we wait on Him to call on us? And, do we have the audacity to blame Him when something bad happens, proclaiming both our innocence and our worth?
PRAYER: Father, we pray that we would not have to sink to the depths of despair as Job did before we can come to know you in spirit and in truth. We ask that you would cover us with your wisdom, and that if we cannot always be protected physically that you would shield our spirits. May we come to realize that our worth is found in nothing other than the blood of Jesus Christ, and may we be ever thankful for your grace and your mercy. Amen
Wisdom
9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”
10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor.[1]
Today I am starting a series on wisdom. It is difficult to be a disciple of the Risen Lord without wisdom, yet how many of us have asked for this vital gift? How many of us have sought wisdom during tribulation rather than escape from the tribulation?
We have a Monday night Bible study and we are starting a series on the book of James. Our discussion last night revolved around how we behave during times of suffering. Do we use the time to learn of God and grow closer to Him, or do we whine and complain about our lot in life? When we pray for those in the midst of trials do we pray for their escape, or do we pray that God would increase their wisdom, understanding and acceptance of where they are right now?
No one wants to suffer. But, we cannot live in this world and escape suffering. Solomon asked for wisdom in ruling God’s people and in answer to his prayer God gave him a wisdom that astounded all around him. We need to plead for wisdom, a supernatural understanding that will draw us closer to God and man, and will help to recreate us in God’s image.
One of our government officials said, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.” Perhaps we should adopt that belief as well, and pray that God would allow us to learn from situations that cause us grief.
PRAYER: Father, you know our hearts. As much as we love you, none of us wants to be in trials. Yet, trials come. May we not waste one opportunity to learn of you and to be more like you. Help us to shift the focus off of ourselves, and onto you so that we can walk with you in wisdom and in peace. Amen
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- Holy Bible, New International Version® NIVR copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.TM Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
For His Name’s Sake
Matthew 5:10-13
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Salt and Light
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Have you ever met someone who, from the very beginning, just did not like you? There was nothing you did or said; they just did not like you.
It is uncomfortable to be around people like who behave in such a manner. But we must realize that we do not have to stand on a soapbox preaching the gospel to bring about persecution. And we need to understand persecution can be as subtle as another person simply not liking you without cause.
When you have the Spirit of God within you there is a discernable difference in your behavior. You pray before your meal, even in public. You choose to live a holy life and encourage others to do the same. You seek to lift up others and you choose peace instead of conflict, graciousness instead of gossip.
Jesus says we are to be the salt of the earth. Salt is not just something we use to flavor our food; it is a preservative. My grandparents had given up farming before I was born, but they still had several small structures on their property made of logs and mud. One of these structures was a smokehouse, and inside that house hung salted meat. Just as salt preserved that meat, we are called to preserve our world, at least our immediate world. How? By letting Christ be reflected in all we say and do.
We have all been to restaurants where the salt was so hard and caked together that it could not be used. Salt exposed to the elements does not just lose its flavor, it loses its preservative ability. If we are to be the salt of the earth, we must maintain our flavor by staying in the Word and spending time in prayer and with other likeminded believers.
PRAYER: Our Father, some preach that holy living is easy living, but we know that is not the case. We pray today for strength to stand up for the gospel of Jesus Christ while showing love and compassion in everything we do and say. Amen.
Christ is the Light
John 3:19-22
19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”
John the Baptist’s Testimony About Jesus
22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
When I was a child, I was afraid of the dark. In fact, my fear of the dark continued into early adulthood. The darkness was overwhelming, shrouding me, and images appeared that were not there at all. Sounds emerged that were normal for an older house, but frightening for a child.
I no longer fear the darkness in any room. I am now rational enough to know that only what was present when the lights were on will be there when the lights are off. But now I am made aware of the spiritual darkness, and while I do not fear it, nor do I ignore its presence.
John wrote this gospel while in Ephesus. It is different from the other gospels in that it is written in chronological order and begins with Jesus as the Word, before he was Incarnate. In today’s scripture we see that even though Jesus brought light into the world, some remained in darkness.
Why do we turn from light to darkness? Because there is sin in our lives that has not yet been addressed. Or perhaps there is an addiction that we want to put away, but we cannot
There are some things we cannot do for ourselves. One of those things is defeat sin and darkness. We must rely on Jesus for our redemption and the Holy Spirit for our help. Otherwise, the darkness becomes pervasive and the light is snuffed out.
PRAYER: Our Father, how good it is to be able to call you Father. We pray that we would seek out the light of your Word and bathe in the light of your truth. Amen
Be children of light
Living as Children of Light
Ephesians4:17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.
20 You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21 Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
What comes to mind when you think of corruption? I always think of politics and the big cities that have a reputation of being run by dishonest people, or the machine as it is sometimes called. Paul warns us here that we can become corrupted or tarnished by deceitful desires.
It always amazes me that as Christians we are can be so resistant to giving up the ways of the world. The excuse “we’re only human” boggles my mind, since we are humans empowered by the Holy Spirit. Have we forgotten that the Holy Spirit was powerful enough to raise Jesus from the grave? Shouldn’t He have enough power to enable us to walk in the light, keeping our talk pure and our actions kind-hearted?
PRAYER: Father, today we pray that you would make us mindful of all you have given us to keep us on the path to holiness. We have your Word, we have your Spirit, we have the ability to come to you in prayer and we have this institution called church where like-minded people gather to worship you and receive support for daily living. May we make use of all that you have given us and may we be drawn to the light of your love forever. Amen
Seeking Holiness 