Wisdom is a divine gift from above… joined with purity of heart and life, it’s described by eight characteristics here. The first and most important is purity. Godly wisdom is like God’s Word…the absolute and unadulterated truth. The next seven are practical applications of wisdom in our everyday life with people we come in contact with. They are also the effects of wisdom in our own lives that bear witness by how we treat others. Proverbs 4:7 tells us that, “Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.”…meaning wisdom is foundational or the cornerstone for our successful journey as Believers.
Author: kezha1
A Christian mother, grandmother, and retired nurse living in Illinois. Called into a ministry of encouraging others to find their ultimate plan and purpose in life through Christ.
Micah 4:12 ” But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord; they do not understand His plan, He Who gathers them like sheaves to the threshing floor.”
We may think we know the mind of God, but we’re only kidding ourselves. God reminds us of this all the time. “My thoughts aren’t your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways.” (Isaiah 55:8) or “Who knows the mind of the Lord?” ( Isaiah 40:13) We humans perceive things through our senses…but our senses can’t accurately ensure that we truly understand the mind of God. So instead, we superimpose human emotions onto our vision of God in order to perceive Him a little better. But just when we think we have God’s plan and purpose for us pigeon-holed and neatly tied up in a bow…something happens that we didn’t see coming. And we’re left confused, frustrated, and even miffed at God for changing our plans. But God’s Will -His plan and purpose for our life – is far beyond our comprehension, and what we see as His goal for us isn’t nearly as important to Him as the process He takes us through towards that goal.
II Timothy 3:12 ” In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted…”
When we make the decision to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior …our life will suddenly not become all sunshine and rainbows. And as we grow in Him towards righteousness and holiness life gets harder not easier. Jesus reminded His disciples in John 15 of this hard truth, “If the world hates you, remember they hated Me first…If they persecuted Me they’ll persecute you also.” But as we journey through life we can take comfort in this, “Though there is suffering in this life, there is also assurance of future blessing.” (II Timothy 1:12) We can’t be dissuaded or discouraged when bad things happen to us. Rather, we need to take our eyes off the problem and place them on the promise keeper.
Acts 6:8-10 ” Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen – Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen, but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.”
Stephen was not among the original twelve disciples. Rather, he was part of the seven appointed by them as the early Church grew. (Acts 6:5) But this obscure and little known man holds the distinction of being the first Christian to die for his belief. But why? Stephen boldly spoke God’s Message of a crucified Jesus Christ that was raised from the dead on the third day and would be coming back again someday. And with strength and favor found only in the Lord, he preached repentance and salvation to a hostile Jewish crowd that couldn’t handle the truth, let alone verbally outmaneuver him. So all they could do was falsely charge him with blasphemy. But Stephen never faltered in his faith, conviction, or obedience to the Lord…and so he was martyred for speaking the truth.
Psalm 20:7 ” Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the Name of the Lord our God.”
All throughout Biblical history the more horses and chariots a Nation had the more powerful and strong they showed themselves to others. These instruments of war were used to intimidate and show force to weaker Nations that they might surrender quietly. It was said, When peace comes over the land, the horses are put away. But in this verse it’s telling us that dependence on things created rather than in the Creator is just plain dangerous. Isaiah echoed this when he wrote that people rely on horses or trust in the multitude of chariots but don’t look to the Holy One or seek help from the Lord. The bottom line is that our trust can be in nothing else but the Lord, for it’s from Him that we receive deliverance and victory from all our battles.
Romans 12:3 ” For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.”
Paul was keenly aware of the gift of grace he had received on the road to Damascus…more so than a lot of the Believers he was writing to here. His life did a 360 on that dusty road as the Lord confronted him…and he knew without that divine intervention he would of been doomed. So Paul is exhorting his readers to not drag their gift of grace through the mud by using it as some kind of trophy with conceited pride, but to consider carefully and seriously what they would be like without the grace of God.
I Peter 5:5 ” All of you, clothe yourselves with humility towards one another…”
We are to cover ourselves with humility such that others only see Jesus. Being humble means submission to one another out of reverence to God…of voluntarily yielding our needs and desires in order to serve others. The humility talked about here comes from the deep realization of our own unworthiness in the face of God’s love, grace, and gift of salvation. For we’re just like a beggar, no better off than another, except that we’ve found some bread. Peter drove home this point when he wrote, “All of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.” (I Peter 3:8) Remember, we’re simply beggars telling other beggars where they can find bread.
Isaiah 35:8 ” A highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness.”
The Lord will never call you without first going before you to prepare the way. Case in point, His call to holiness, or sanctification here. This verse states that we have the path already in place for us to follow on that journey towards holiness…but most times we bristle at the thought of the long drawn out process. But God’s plan for your life is found embedded within that process. In Romans 6:19 Paul tells it like it is, “I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.” The only way to break old habits is to introduce new ones. And the only way to strengthen those new habits is to practice them until you are proficient. That’s why the “Way to Holiness” is a marathon not a sprint…a journey not a quick jaunt, and a life-long process not a one time application.
Mark 1:15 ” The time has come, He said. The Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the Good News.”
So exactly what do you believe? For the old saying, “What you believe is how you behave” is very true. If you believe in yourself as the sole holder of your fate…what happens when you fail? Or if you believe in luck or karma to make decisions…what happens when neither work in your favor? Your behavior will follow your beliefs and you will end up angry, frustrated, and unhappy with yourself…for there is no one else to blame. But if you believe in the Good News of the Gospel Message of Jesus, the Kingdom of God will not only be of heaven but will take up residency within your heart. And with it will come a deep fellowship and communion with the Lord…turning your new beliefs (or faith) into Christ-like behaviors.
Romans 12:2 ” Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Following along in this same vein of thinking is Ephesians 4:23, where Paul again admonishes us to, “make new the attitude of your mind.” When the Lord comes into our lives He changes a lot about us…but it’s us that have to change our thoughts and actions. That Spiritual renewal of our minds is our responsibility to work on (with the Lord’s help of course) by taking our old way of thinking, our attitudes, and moral inclinations and seeking out God’s best. But I know it’s hard when the world’s newest fads and fashions are always enticing. But we can’t allow ourselves to be influenced by the external and fleeting world view of things. We are rather to pursue a deep, ongoing inner change of our old character…a spiritual metamorphosis so to speak of our old self…into something much more beautiful.
