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. -6 J

    How can we live free from sin?

    Everyone who becomes a Christian is guaranteed an eternity in heaven. One of the most common struggles we have as Christians is balancing our guarantee of salvation with our calling to live holy lives free of sin. Christians have always been tempted to casually accept some sins because we know we have already been forgiven of them. Paul told the church in Rome, and every Christian who reads his words, that we must consider ourselves “dead to sin.” In other words, we must see our faith and God’s Holy Spirit as the power we need to resist the temptation to sin. God didn’t guarantee our salvation so that we could live unconcerned about our sins, as if they didn’t matter. Instead, Paul said we needed to remember that we are now “alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Blaise Pascal was a child prodigy who became a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher, and Catholic author. He was the inventor of what we now know as the mechanical calculator.  Physically, Pascal struggled with frailty and illness. Spiritually, he had the strength only God could provide. He was a brilliant mind and wrote this in Pensées: “There are only two kinds of men: the righteous who think they are sinners and the sinners who think they are righteous.”  All of us have personal sins we likely repeat because deep down we just don’t think of them as being all that sinful. A lot of personal sins are committed by Christians who don’t realize that all sin has consequences in the lives of others.  Words muttered in private are often uttered out loud later on. Private sins often mean another human being, created by God, has been objectified. Smaller sins often stretch the boundaries and allow us to tolerate sins with greater consequences. Paul taught us to live and see ourselves as dead to sin. From the time we become Christians, we begin to put to death the sins that cost Jesus the cross. To live free from sins doesn’t mean we live without the consequences of our sins. Rather, it means we live without the eternal penalty of those sins. The time we spend committing a sinful act is time we waste apart from God’s will. It is time spent without the eternal reward of refusing that sin. God would much rather reward our godly choice than forgive our choice to sin. We are alive to God through Christ. We walk into each circumstance of our lives with God’s Presence within us. Setting aside a sin is much easier when we realize how much we don’t want to include Jesus in that sin. Max Lucado said it well in A Gentle Thunder: “To call yourself a child of God is one thing. To be called a child of God by those who watch your life is another thing altogether.” Who will be impacted by your witness tomorrow as they watch you, God’s child?  Yielding to God’s wisdom is spiritual strength. Pray for the wisdom to live dead to sin and you will be able to walk confidently with Christ tomorrow.

    5 min

  2. 8 MAI

    What is the strength God provides?

    You have heard it said, “Don’t tell me I have a friend in Jesus until you show me I have a friend in you.” That phrase isn’t from Scripture, but I kind of wish it was. It certainly is a good application of the verse that says “Love your neighbor as you love yourself” (Mark 12:31).  Ananias was probably part of the group that had fled Jerusalem after Stephen had been stoned. He knew Saul of Tarsus wanted to harm Christians and he wanted nothing to do with him or his recovery. Yet, when the Lord said go, Ananias went! We don’t have to like God’s call to choose it. When Ananias placed his hands on Saul, he called him “brother.” When Ananias told Saul he knew about his experience on the road to Damascus, Saul knew he had a brother he could trust as he was from God. When Saul of Tarsus was filled with the Holy Spirit, they both knew God had redeemed past sins for his holy purpose. But Ananias didn’t leave Saul alone. Most scholars assume Ananias baptized Saul and helped him regain his physical strength with food. Scripture says that for many days Saul joined the disciples in Damascus. Quite likely, Ananias made that possible. The passage continues: “Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by testifying that Jesus was the Christ” (v. 22). We all have one or more Sauls in our lives, people who seem antagonistic to our faith. We might think of them as hopeless prospects for the salvation and biblical wisdom we would like to share with them. Ananias didn’t just share God’s message; he also shared his love and compassion. Saul might not have received his words except that they were accompanied by a godly witness. Ananias was a wise Christian man who understood that God’s calling was not offered as a suggestion. God accepted and answered Ananias’ concerns, and Ananias accepted and answered God’s call. Human history was absolutely changed as a result. Saul became the Apostle Paul and was baptized, cared for, and strengthened for his ministry. The strength God provides is the strength needed for the task at hand. Yielding to God’s wisdom is spiritual strength. His strength has value and purpose we cannot always comprehend. Ananias had no idea what his faithfulness to God would ultimately accomplish. How might the Lord call you and strengthen you to accomplish his good purpose in the days ahead? Yield to his wisdom now and you will be ready.

    3 min

  3. 7 MAI

    Why should we pray with others?

    We have all experienced a public prayer that felt a little too public. I cringe on occasion when I hear someone say, “We need to pray for so and so . . . and let me tell you why!” Sadly, a prayer request time can quickly deteriorate into gossip if we aren’t very, very, careful. The sin of that type of prayer has driven many who need prayers to hesitate with their requests. Why does prayer time with others have such high value in God’s word and in our own lives? Jesus provided that answer when he said, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” How would it change our public prayers if we remembered that one of those bowed in prayer with us is the Lord Jesus? When we are with people who “have gathered” in the name of Jesus, we are with Jesus himself. He is a tangible presence in our circle. He is the one voicing our prayers, guiding our prayers, listening to our prayers, and interceding with God for each request. When we are gathered in the name of Jesus, we are gathered for his purpose and his glory. If every person recognized the presence of Jesus in the room, stepping outside of his purpose for prayer would be very difficult. With Jesus in the room, our natural inclination would be to offer love and grace instead of opinion or judgment. Knowing Jesus was praying with us would make it much easier to trust that our prayers would be perfectly answered. Everyone needs to be prayed for and prayed with. All of us need to pray in the name of Jesus knowing we pray in the presence of Jesus.  When King David prayed he said, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lᴏʀᴅ, my rock and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).  When two or three Christians are gathered in the name of Jesus, we should speak and pray with David’s words in mind. Yielding to God’s wisdom is spiritual strength. Gathering God’s wisdom for prayer isn’t difficult when we know Jesus himself has gathered with us to pray.

    3 min

  4. 6 MAI

    How do we pray with spiritual strength?

    When you need prayer, whom do you ask to pray for or with you? Why do you ask that person? When others need prayer, do they ask you to pray? Those questions are important because they speak to the way others perceive your walk with the Lord. There are people whom we believe can sit at the Lord’s feet and talk to him about our needs. They know God in a deeply personal way. They know God’s word so they know how to pray for his will and for his glory. They are people who pray with a heart of compassion and grace for us and others.  James said, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power.” That is biblical truth that applies to all generations. We should want to be that righteous person so we can pray those powerful prayers. A righteous person is simply a person who is right with God. None of us is perfect, but there are those who quickly seek forgiveness for imperfections and work hard to live a life God can work through and bless. A righteous person isn’t a sinless person, just a person who wants to sin less today than the day before. How do we become a righteous person who can pray powerful prayers for others? Consider James’ advice to “confess your sins to one another and pray for one another.” Christians should be a safe place for people to share successes and sins. We should help one another and learn from one another as we pray for one another. We should be a community of believers who encourage one another to become increasingly right with God, knowing the prayers of a righteous person have great power as they are working. Yielding to God’s wisdom is spiritual strength. Let’s be people who are yielded to God’s wisdom and filled with God’s love so others can trust that our prayers will be offered to the Lord with spiritual strength.

    3 min

  5. 5 MAI

    How do we live with spiritual strength?

    Sometimes talking about the power and strength God gives our lives can actually hurt our souls. There are days or seasons when circumstances seem to drain our spiritual strength and even our faith. Problems in our earthly lives can sometimes cause us to question the value or reality of our spiritual lives. Every Christian has struggles in this world, and often those struggles cause moments of spiritual struggle as well. It's so important to remember that our feelings don’t change the facts of our faith. Feelings are temporary and change with our circumstances. Our faith is upheld by the reality of the object of our faith, Jehovah God. When we find ourselves in a low moment spiritually, we need to turn toward what we know is true rather than what simply feels true at the time. The Apostle Paul had more struggles than most, and he was honest about his feelings in many of his letters. He was also honest about his faith in God. Paul knew how to seek God and find strength for his circumstances. He knew that spiritual strength was something received. Spiritual strength is a product of our desire to know God and walk with him through life.  We are only spiritually strong when we yearn for, pray for, and choose to receive the Lord’s strength into our lives. It is the “strength of his might” that gives guidance to the lost, that provides wisdom for our confusion, that brings comfort and peace to our greatest struggles. The strength of God’s voice speaks spiritual facts into our feelings. Our spiritual strength results from our relationship with the Lord. It is from that relationship we draw the “strength of his might” into our own lives.  Yielding to God’s wisdom is spiritual strength. Yielding our feelings to that fact will lead us to be strong in the Lord in the strength of his might.

    3 min

  6. 4 MAI

    How does God strengthen us each day?

    The Spirit of God indwells the life of every Christian. Paul was very clear about that fact when he said, “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.”  We were given the person, the power, and the purpose of Jesus when his Holy Spirit came to indwell our lives at the moment of our salvation. Jesus told his disciples, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12). He then told them about the “Helper” who would soon come, the “Spirit of truth.” The moment we became a Christian and received the Holy Spirit we were born again as an eternal child of God. We are no longer simply flesh and blood; we are people who carry within us the holy Presence of God. We have been given God’s power to accomplish his will. We have been filled with God’s strength and character. We bear God’s name. Have you underestimated your ability to serve God? Have you undervalued your purpose in the world? You are a child of the King of kings. You bear his spiritual DNA in your life. Your true “self-image” should be the image of yourself as a powerful, blessed child of God. Yielding to God’s wisdom is spiritual strength. His wisdom indwells your life through the person of the Holy Spirit. You have his strength and the ability to do “great works” for his glory.

    3 min

  7. 3 MAI

    Why is yielding to the wisdom of Scripture essential?

    Have you ever seen the phrase in Scripture “And God said” and wondered how the Lord spoke to that person? How did they know it was God? Have you ever wondered why God doesn’t seem to speak to you or others that way today? God still speaks to his children, but we have his voice in a way that those in biblical times did not. Most of us have several Bibles on our shelves, not to mention access to God’s word through our technology. In the first century, only the priests and rabbis had access to the Old Testament scrolls. In the New Testament days and beyond, only some knew how to read. The letters and Gospels were usually read aloud to groups in the churches. For centuries, the Bible was painstakingly handwritten by priests who preserved the integrity of each word. It wasn’t until the late 1800s that people were given the chance to own a Bible, and it was the 1900s before owning a Bible became commonplace.  We refer to the Bible as “God’s word.” But we could also refer to the Bible as God’s voice to his people today. We shouldn’t just read the words; we should learn to hear God speak his word, from the pages, especially those phrases that begin with “And God said.”  Jesus was in the wilderness being tempted by Satan when he said, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Jesus used Scripture to answer Satan’s temptations and taught his disciples to do the same. There are many remarkable statistics about the accuracy and history of our biblical text. Suffice it to say that the Bible is known to be a sacred and miraculous volume of historical and proven truth. The Bible is God speaking his wisdom to us from its pages. Reading the Bible is time spent listening to the word and will of God. The Bible is the unchanging wisdom of our unchanging God. When you read Scripture, you can hear the words “And God said” from each page. The Bible is everything everyone needs to know in order to know and trust God’s authority in their life and live in obedience to his will. God’s voice is the best source of his wisdom. He can speak into your life at any moment but will most often speak to you from the pages of his comprehensive, historical, miraculous word. Yielding to God’s wisdom is spiritual strength. We live for God when we study and obey his voice of wisdom, written and preserved for us in the Bible.

    4 min

  8. 2 MAI

    How do we keep ourselves from yielding to weakness and doubt?

    “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” —Philippians 4:13 Have you ever stepped out in faith only to fall flat? If so, you are part of centuries of Christians who understand, having done the same thing. It's difficult to trust Paul’s words when we have lived with past failures. How do we conquer our doubts when we are abundantly aware of our weaknesses?  Actually, being aware of our weakness is the first step to achieving “all things.” Paul taught the church that he could do “all things” because of God. It was his Lord who provided him the strength to accomplish his calling.   We know God has given us talents and abilities. We also know that we have weaknesses and fears. Paul wasn’t teaching the Philippians a lesson about self-confidence; he was speaking a message of wisdom. He wanted them to understand that the source of Christian confidence and ability is God.  Paul had committed crimes against the family of God. Paul had experienced the discipline of God on the road to Damascus. Paul had seen God do miracles and had often been persecuted because of his very successful and difficult ministry. Paul lived a grueling life with poor eyesight and what he called his “thorn in the flesh.”  Philippians 4:13 is a verse in the final chapter of Paul’s letter to Philippi, a letter written while Paul was living under house arrest in Rome. Paul wasn’t saying Christians can do anything they set their minds to accomplish. Instead, he was teaching Christians to understand that when God calls us to a task, God provides us the strength and direction to fulfill our calling.  We conquer our weakness and doubt by understanding we should doubt our abilities to accomplish God’s will in our own strength. God’s calling isn’t what he wants us to do; it is what he wants to accomplish himself through his Holy Spirit within us.  Consider Mary’s words after the angel had revealed her calling. She, a virgin, would bear a Son. Mary said, “For nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). Faith in God’s power is the key to conquering the doubts we have about our own abilities. Yielding to God’s wisdom is spiritual strength. You can do anything God calls you to do when you allow his Spirit to be your strength.

    3 min
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À propos

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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    Denison Forum
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    Foundations with Janet Denison
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    2023 - 2026
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