Wisdom Matters

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Welcome to Wisdom Matters, the chance to reflect on a Bible verse or two each day for the purpose of living and thinking biblically. Wisdom is a gift from God that enables us to know how to filter and use all we learn for God’s higher purpose. I hope you will join me for Wisdom Matters.

  1. 17 hr ago

    What are your least valuable possessions?

    Cleaning out and bagging up clothes you haven’t worn in a while always feels good. It is especially fun to bag up the clothes that make us consider, “What was I thinking when I bought that?!” There is something about restoring order and simplifying our lives that is good for our souls. Maybe the Lord is trying to tell us something during those times. Getting something new, trendy, interesting, or beautiful is fun, but it’s even better when we realize we have just bought or received something of great value. Jesus talked about “treasures on earth” at a time when most of his audience had very little in the way of possessions. Almost everything the first-century audience owned was a necessity of some kind. Yet, Jesus still referred to those things as “treasures on earth.” Our culture doesn’t value our necessities very often, unless we find ourselves missing one. We define our treasures as those extra things we enjoy having. In many ways, Jesus’ words to his first-century audience are even more profound to our culture today. If we were forced to limit our possessions to only what would fit in our car, what would we choose? I’m reminded of a friend who faced a similar predicament. A wildfire was racing toward her home. She knew she was about to lose everything, so she grabbed her computer, her wedding band, her dog, a family picture, and her purse. She shut the door and left. She is just fine today and would tell you that, in many ways, that moment was profound. She will always remember that there is very little we possess that truly matters in the deepest sense. Our least valuable possessions are those things that we will not need forever. The “stuff” of this world is fun, and we should enjoy God’s blessings. But only the souls around us are eternal. God’s priorities are wisdom. God’s priorities are also eternal. Enjoy your treasures on earth, but wisely store up the treasure that you will own eternally.

  2. 1 day ago

    Why should we claw our way to the bottom?

    The priorities of our culture are often at odds with the priorities of God. The world teaches us that the road to success is clawing our way to the top. Jesus taught his disciples to claw their way to the bottom. Success isn’t gained by stepping over or on others. Instead, it is gained by becoming the “servant of all.” Wise priorities are the result of learning to think biblically. God sent his Son to the world so that the world might be saved, but Jesus is also our example and teacher for how to live in this world. God’s people wanted a king, someone to look up to on earth. Eventually, the kings would become one of the reasons the promised land was divided and finally defeated by conquering nations.  God’s people didn’t need a king because they already had the King of kings and Lord of lords. It’s never been easy for God’s children to recognize the greatness of God in a servant. Jesus came to model that great truth to the world, and many didn’t recognize their Messiah. They still wanted an earthly king rather than the greatness found in the Servant King of all. Jesus said, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all.” How can we learn to trust those words and then serve our Lord by clawing our way to the bottom?  If we consider Jesus’ words to his disciples as our high priority, how would that change the way we serve him and others?  How do his words change the way you value or admire others? If we learn to think biblically, our priorities will change. When we learn to value what God values, we will change. Jesus taught us to claw our way to the bottom because, in doing that, we will find him. God’s priorities are wisdom. God wanted his children to be servants so he sent his Son as our example. Let’s work hard to claw our way to the bottom and serve God and others as Jesus did. He was the Servant King of all.

  3. 2 days ago

    Why does God care about the way we care about others?

    God wanted his children to belong to a family on earth even before they became a family in heaven. We were created by God to need and enjoy relationships with him and with other people. A lot of Scripture teaches us how to live on earth as we will one day live in heaven. Paul taught each Christian in the Philippian church to “look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Imagine belonging to a church that genuinely appreciated and enjoyed the diversity of interests within its congregation. God wanted us to enjoy many things, not just the few things we find interesting ourselves.  We are more likely to join a church that has the music we like. We are more likely to join a class on Sunday that has people who talk, think, and act like we do. We probably won’t even visit churches we know are not like us.  Christians in the first century didn’t have those options. There was probably just one gathering of Christians in the city. Some of the members had grown up in the synagogue learning Jewish rules, customs, and behaviors. Other members had grown up in the Greco-Roman culture and had an entirely different way of life. It was difficult for the early Christians to find common ground. And Paul told them to care about the interests of others willingly and joyfully. Many in the early church obeyed Paul’s words, and their witness to the culture was profound. What would happen if our churches did the same thing today? Would the church become known for the way diverse people could find common ground and enjoy one another’s interests?  Americans live in an increasingly diverse and divided country. What should we do with Paul’s advice the next time we enter any church? How can we care about the interests of others and encourage them to do the same?  God’s priorities are wisdom. He created us to be a diverse family of faith that embraces and enjoys our variety of interests. Our witness will be strengthened if we embrace and live the wise priority that Paul taught the first-century church in Philippi. Wisdom is knowing that our interests matter to God, and so do the interests of others.

  4. 3 days ago

    Why is caring for our possessions a wise priority?

    God loves to bless his children with prosperity. Some of our prosperity is defined by the things we own or possess. God gives us possessions, and those things can give us peace of mind, contentment, and a sense of safety for the future—until they don’t. God taught Adam and Eve how to take care of all that he had given them. He wanted them to enjoy the beauty and tranquility of the Garden and their relationship with him. But their attention was drawn away from God and toward the serpent. They knew what God had told them, but they wanted to believe what Satan was saying even more. So, they ate the fruit and sin entered our world. They knew what God had given to them, but they didn’t pay attention to what they had. And, they didn’t enjoy having enough when there was more. Sin is often the result of ignoring our blessings and not caring for all we own. That’s why the author of this proverb taught us that we should “know well the condition” of our flocks. We should give our attention to caring about and caring for all that God has provided in our lives.  God’s priority goes beyond just taking care of our blessings. God wants us to enjoy them as well. We have all given a gift that remained unopened and unused. It’s sad to see it in the corner of someone’s closet while knowing it has never been enjoyed. That is a small taste of what God must feel when we don’t use the spiritual gifting he gave us in the Holy Spirit. We might think we don’t need the Spirit, but God knows we haven’t paid attention to all that he has provided. What gifts have remained unopened or underappreciated in your life?  Let’s make it our high priority to turn our attention toward God’s blessings and faithfully care for all we have been given. God’s priorities are wisdom. God’s gifting is his priority for your life. Wisdom is living with God’s high priorities, giving careful attention and complete gratitude for all of our blessings.

  5. 4 days ago

    Why is it important to fear God?

    A lot of us grew up with sermons that caused us to “fear God,” but not in the way the Bible intended. We heard about heaven on Sunday mornings, but we also heard about the reality of hell. At the end of the sermon, we were either glad we were going to heaven or we wanted to feel that confidence.  We don’t hear as many of those sermons these days, which can be both good and bad. When the Bible tells us to fear God, we are being taught to live in reverent awe of his immeasurable greatness. To fear God is to understand that his wrath is the result of his love for all of creation. God’s wrath falls on those who refuse to acknowledge they have a Creator who loves them enough to give them his Son. The psalmist wrote, “The fear of the Lᴏʀᴅ is the beginning of wisdom.” To live daily in reverent awe of the Creator God is to begin to understand who he is and all that he is capable of. The beginning of wisdom is coming to the realization that the Source of all life deeply loves every life. When we want to gain God’s wisdom, we must take an important first step. We must spend time knowing who God is and all he is capable of so that we will live in reverent awe, willing to submit ourselves to his abundant perfection. According to the psalmist, “Those who practice” knowing God in that way “have good understanding.” The Creator God—the One we know and fearfully, reverently follow—has been “praised” from the very beginning of time and is still praised by his followers today. Those who are depressed can find joy in his love. Those who are worried can receive his peace and comfort. Those who are ill or elderly can find their purpose for each day. All of us who fear God will praise God for who he is. God’s priorities are wisdom. The beginning of wisdom is knowing God at the deepest levels. God wants us to fear him so that we will want to walk with him.  Can you take a few minutes and consider the question “Why do I fear God?”  Those answers can be the beginning of your path to new wisdom and holy priorities.

  6. 5 days ago

    Which priorities will guard and guide your entire life?

    King Solomon asked God for wisdom, and God granted his request. It is oddly comforting to know that even Solomon didn’t live a perfect life, even though he had been abundantly blessed with God’s wisdom. Wisdom is a moment-to-moment choice, and not even King Solomon utilized his God-given strength all of the time. Most theologians attribute the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes to the wisdom of King Solomon. The book of Ecclesiastes was likely written by Solomon at the end of his amazing life. Israel reached the height of power, wealth, education, and national prominence under King Solomon. However, soon after his reign, the nation divided and eventually fell. At the end of his life, the wise king recorded that the wisdom he had gained in his life could be summed up with these words: “Fear God and keep his commandments.” Solomon said, “This is the whole duty of man.”  No man achieved more financial success in a lifetime than Solomon. No man had a greater influence on the world than the king. Yet, throughout the book of Ecclesiastes he described those pursuits as a “chasing of the wind.” Solomon epitomizes the phrase “wisdom comes with age.” Most games are won or lost in the final quarter. The same can be true of our lives. Aging is actually a blessing from God. When Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden, the judgment of God was an earthly life of work and moments of pain. The blessing of God was aging. People wouldn’t have to live an earthly existence forever.  King Solomon taught an invaluable lesson. He was by far the most successful human being to have ever lived, yet, at the end of his life, he defined successful living in this way: “Fear God and keep his commandments.” That is our whole duty as a child of God; everything else is simply a “chasing of the wind.” God’s priorities are wisdom. King Solomon, who was abundantly blessed with God’s wisdom, taught us how to live with God’s priorities, his wisdom. We can live with God’s priorities if we believe King Solomon’s words in Scripture are perfect truth. Live with reverent awe of who God is and choose to obey his commandments. Everything else is just “chasing the wind.”

  7. 6 days ago

    What is your spiritual muscle?

    God created our bodies to have muscles. Taking our muscles for granted is easy until something happens that makes one or more of them stop working. Our muscles provide a perfect illustration of our relationship with God. When we don’t “train” our muscles, they weaken. According to Paul, the same is true for our souls. Paul’s first-century Greco-Roman culture was well versed in physical fitness. Some of the most popular personalities of that time were the marathon runners and gladiators in the local coliseums. These men worked to train for their sport. As Paul wrote, that training had “some value.” Even the strongest men could get ill and find it difficult to run, or look the wrong way and be injured by an opponent.  Paul then taught that “godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” Godliness can be described as our “spiritual muscle.” The more we train ourselves spiritually, the stronger we become. Our muscle keeps us balanced and less likely to fall. Our muscle must be used if it is to remain strong. Spiritual muscle “holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” The time you spend investing in God’s word and God’s work is the way you train for the race you are running. Paul used the analogy because it was instantly understood by his readers. His words have remained a perfect analogy throughout history. He taught an eternal truth when he said, “Godliness is of value in every way.” There is never a moment in our lives when godliness is not our very best choice. Are you training your spiritual muscle as you listen to Wisdom Matters?  Does God’s word inspire your choices, control your spiritual balance, and strengthen you for the “race” you are running?  God’s priorities are wisdom. Staying physically strong is good; staying spiritually strong is of value in “every way.” Wisdom is training or investing effort in our spiritual muscles so we can remain balanced and be kept from falling. That priority will strengthen you for this life, and especially for life eternal.

  8. 12 Jul

    Are the Great Commandments your great priority?

    We know we are called to love God as our highest priority. Jesus added a second commandment to that one saying, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” We know the commandments of Christ, but do we live them? Why did Jesus command the impossible? We know what Jesus said, but how many times have you broken his commands—since yesterday? We can learn to love our neighbors, but how do we love them like we love ourselves? If we can find that answer, we can keep the Great Commandments. The key is in the word love. The Greek word Jesus used was agape, meaning the love of God. Therein lies the answer. Human love will rarely, if ever, love someone more than they love themselves. Human love is limited, and it’s the best we can do. In other words, we can’t keep the Great Commandments apart from our great God. Only God can produce agape love. He is the only source of unselfish, perfect, generous love. The only way to obey Jesus’ commandment is to know we can’t obey Jesus’ commandment without God’s love. We can’t have agape love for our neighbors until Jesus gives us that love. Only then do we have that love to give away to others. When the Great Commandments become our great priority, we will understand our great need for God. We will run to the source of agape love rather than offer our limited efforts.  Jesus was telling the well-behaved Pharisees that their love for God wasn’t working. If the Pharisees had truly loved God, they would have had his love for others.  God’s priorities are wisdom. God’s patience with sin is immeasurable. God’s love for others is perfect. When we need to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, we know how to do that. We can fill our hearts with God’s love, and then we will have his agape love for our neighbors.

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About

Welcome to Wisdom Matters, the chance to reflect on a Bible verse or two each day for the purpose of living and thinking biblically. Wisdom is a gift from God that enables us to know how to filter and use all we learn for God’s higher purpose. I hope you will join me for Wisdom Matters.

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  • Channel
    Denison Forum
  • Creator
    Foundations with Janet Denison
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    352
  • Rating
    Clean
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    © 2026 Foundations
  • Show Website
    Wisdom Matters

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