Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here's what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It's the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn't wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn't wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn't wisdom. It's the furthest thing from wisdom—it's animal cunning, devilish conniving. Whenever you're trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others' throats.
Real wisdom, God's wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.
I wish I could take credit for these wise words but I cannot. These words are straight out of the Bible (specifically, The Message translation) from James 3: 13-18. God is working something in me right now...learning from my own stupid actions and the unfair treatment of others towards me has been a painful process in the last couple of months. My hearts cry is to not be a prideful, arrogant know-it-all and refuse to bend...or possibly break...with this new wind that is blowing through my life (the wind blows away the chaff, after all). I remind myself that when I ask God to give me His heart, to teach me His ways, to grow me to a greater measure of faith that what I'm really asking for are opportunities to test myself in each of these areas. And, because I want to go deeper and deeper still, I have to accept that the situations I face may break my heart a little, test my compassion a lot, and bring outrageous blows to my pride. And, instead of whining and pouting, and asking why me? (stomp, stomp), I have to draw on my Father's strength to respond to people with gentleness and reason and to be overflowing with mercy and blessings even when they would love nothing better than to see me flat on my rear! That, in itself, is a lesson in humility. I thank God for the gift He gave me to use words, but if my heart is not pure, humble, and full of wisdom what use is my tongue (or typing fingers, for that matter)???
I want a beautiful life and I want to leave a legacy of righteousness and prosperity to my children...but this may well be one of the most costly endeavors of my life, leastways costly to my flesh (flesh is religious speak for the earthly, weaker, baser part of what makes a person vs. the spirit which is superior OR, for comparison, the flesh is more ignorant and frail compared to the possiblities of our spiritual nature).
Proverbs 4: 3 tells this little story, "When I was a boy at my father's knee, the pride and joy of my mother, He would sit me down and drill me: "Take this to heart. Do what I tell you—live! Sell everything and buy Wisdom! Forage for Understanding! Don't forget one word! Don't deviate an inch! Never walk away from Wisdom—she guards your life; love her—she keeps her eye on you. Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom! Write this at the top of your list: Get Understanding! Throw your arms around her—believe me, you won't regret it; never let her go—she'll make your life glorious. She'll garland your life with grace, she'll festoon your days with beauty."
I don't want to be one of those people who boasts the wisdom I have, which is usually precious little, while twisting the truth to suit my own selfish purposes. And while I have faulted some others with this nastiness lately, I have come to realize that we all are guilty of this at some point. Including myself, (A little lower, Lord, and lower still ;) And because I desire to be better than this (without the mean-spirited ambition mentioned above) I have resigned myself to the fact that it is going to take a mad and relentless pursuit of my Father through the trials of life to GET WISDOM and compassion, humility, and all other manner of good things.
And yet another thing that God is teaching me is how to use wisdom in ministry...for while it is wonderful to have applicable wisdom at use in your own life, it is another thing altogether to know when to share that and how. Proverbs 9: 7 says, "If you reason with an arrogant cynic, you'll get slapped in the face; confront bad behavior and get a kick in the shins. So don't waste your time on a scoffer; all you'll get for your pains is abuse. But if you correct those who care about life, that's different—they'll love you for it! Save your breath for the wise—they'll be wiser for it; tell good people what you know—they'll profit from it. Skilled living gets its start in the Fear-of-God, insight into life from knowing a Holy God. It's through me, Lady Wisdom, that your life deepens, and the years of your life ripen. Live wisely and wisdom will permeate your life; mock life and life will mock you." This is one that I still haven't grasped (I've been slapped and kicked in the shins lately...lol) except to know that I never want to be a scoffer myself and want those with more wisdom than me, in whatever area of life, to pour into me! Thanks to my recent pourers!!! I LOVE you! Keep pouring!
It is a misconception that wisdom is gained through age and experience...because we all know people who continue to make the same stupid mistake over and over, no matter their age...wisdom is gained through the insight that the Father gives to His children who diligently seek Him (through time with Him in prayer and in His word). So, I know that my continued efforts will be made in prayer and in reading God's word...and gleaning from those God has placed in my life. I also know that I will continue to face challenges and growing pains...that I will still occassionally be kicked in the shins and slapped...that the more Godly wisdom I get, the more unpopular with some I may become and the harder it may be for me to swallow..But that these things are necessary for the work God is doing in me!
I shared this with you so that you will keep me lifted in prayer and also to encourage you to not grow weary in your own quest for Godly wisdom. I know (gosh, do I know!) that growing in wisdom and faith can be painful; but, with all that I have in me, I know it is worth it. One final happy thought 1 Corinthians 2: 6
"We, of course, have plenty of wisdom to pass on to you once you get your feet on firm spiritual ground, but it's not popular wisdom, the fashionable wisdom of high-priced experts that will be out-of-date in a year or so. God's wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of his purposes. You don't find it lying around on the surface. It's not the latest message, but more like the oldest—what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us, long before we ever arrived on the scene. The experts of our day haven't a clue about what this eternal plan is. If they had, they wouldn't have killed the Master of the God-designed life on a cross. That's why we have this Scripture text: No one's ever seen or heard anything like this, Never so much as imagined anything quite like it— What God has arranged for those who love him. But you've seen and heard it because God by his Spirit has brought it all out into the open before you."
We cannot even imagine what things God has in store for us!!!
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