"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise."
-Psalm 111: 10

Wisdom

Have you ever thought about some of the wisdom given to us by God? Here are some examples..."But many who are first will be last, and the last first." (Mark 10: 31) "But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you...(Matthew 5: 44) "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." (Matthew 23: 12) "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8: 32) God's wisdom often runs contrary to the world's idea of wisdom. Not too many people in America are seeking to be 'last' but most are striving very hard to be 'first.' How many of you 'love your enemies' and 'pray' for them? There are many people who spend a lot of time 'exalting themselves.' Just watch professional sports and all the celebrations that occur by athletes to draw attention to themselves. I bet the O.J. Simpson defense lawyers would laugh about the bit 'the truth shall set you free.' In our culture we are taught that it is important to be first, we rarely love our enemies, and humility is considered a sign of weakness. Yet God's wisdom tells us differently.

The author of the Book Of Ecclesiastes has an interesting viewpoint on wisdom. "I thought to myself, 'Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than those who have ruled in Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge. Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom and also to the madness and folly, but I learned that this too, is chasing after the wind. For with much wisdom comes sorrow, the more knowledge, the more grief.' " (Ecclesiastes 1: 16-18) He is right, if you are talking about wisdom from the world's point of view. Wisdom is meaningless without God. Take God out of the equation and all the wisdom of the world amounts to nothing more than 'chasing after the wind.' However, if you place your trust in the Lord, that changes the story. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3: 5) Now that is good advice! :)

So how can you find this 'wisdom' from God? Just ask Him for it! "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the seas, blown and tossed by the wind." (James 1: 5-6) What is God's advice? Trust in Him and believe that He will provide for your needs. Now that is wisdom! I wonder if this world will get it? How about you?

Take a moment and encourage someone this week.

I pray that all is well with you. Please let me know if you have any prayer concerns or praises. Have a great week and remember to smile :), the Lord loves you!

In Christ,

Shan D. Hartsough

"But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding."
-Jeremiah 10: 12

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