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. 23 HR AGO

    Do you know what God is thinking?

    People are created in the image of God; therefore, we were created to “think.” So, it's important to remember that, apart from God’s Spirit, we aren’t able to think like God.   We are human beings, living in a fallen world. Many of our thoughts are formed from our own desires, opinions, and dreams. God’s thoughts are always formed from his perfection.  God is not capable of a wrong or selfish thought. Paul taught the early Christians that even as they had thoughts no one knew except themselves, so God has thoughts that no one but the Spirit can comprehend. And Christians have been given the Spirit of God. We won’t think like God, but the Holy Spirit within us will think as God.   Every day we will have thousands of thoughts, and some of those thoughts will be authored or inspired by the Holy Spirit. God wants us to have his perspective, his priorities, and his plan. We can trust that the Holy Spirit will be directing us through our thoughts. We need “only listen” to our thoughts and pray for the spiritual discernment to distinguish those which are authored by God. “No one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.”  Pause to consider the fact that you have been given his Spirit. You will have God thoughts every day. What did the Lord’s Spirit say today? You can trust that he will speak to you tomorrow.  Allow the word of Christ to dwell in you richly. Christ’s words are the thoughts of God, inspired by the Spirit of God, so the children of God can comprehend the presence of God’s thoughts in their daily lives. We can know what God is thinking through his Holy Spirit!

    3 min

  2. 1 DAY AGO

    Do you know how to have God’s peace?

    God’s perfect peace is beyond understanding. His peace is the calm that carries a grieving spouse or parent through the funeral. His peace covers the fears that are real but don’t need to control or cloud our faith. God’s peace doesn’t deny realities; it's the greater reality our faith provides.  His peace isn’t found because of our efforts to achieve it. God’s perfect peace is the result of being “kept,” or held, by his sufficiency rather than our own. Sometimes the most difficult part of achieving his peace is learning to submit our best efforts to his perfection.  We do all that we can hoping we will achieve all we want. God’s perfect peace is the result of trusting in the One who fully knows what we need. The person whose mind is “stayed” on God understands that every other resource is imperfect. When we “stay,” or fix, our minds on God, we don’t escape our challenges; we simply allow God’s peace to transcend our challenges.  Jesus said, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). When tough times come, it's common to feel like God has let us down or our faith isn’t strong enough. But the promise of Scripture is that we “will have tribulation.” We can take heart, not because God promised to spare us from trials, but because he promised that we would overcome those trials. Our peace is trusting his promises for life eternal rather than expecting that those promises are alway provided for in our lives on earth.   How can we have God’s peace? We can allow the word of Christ to dwell in us richly. Jesus said we would have tribulation, then he said we would overcome—because he did. In the tough times, we fix our eyes on Christ, fill our minds with his truth, and then we can receive the peace that passes all understanding because we trust his love.

    3 min

  3. 2 DAYS AGO

    Do you seek the presence of God and his strength?

    My favorite moment at a wedding is the look on the bride and groom’s faces when they first see one another. There are many other people in the room but only one face that each other most wants to see.  I love watching people at the airport as they are looking for that family member who has been serving overseas. Urgency changes to joy when they spot their loved one’s face. So it will be when we meet Jesus face-to-face. The skies will open up and we will see him come, eager to take us home.  First Chronicles was written to the nation of Israel as a reminder of their history and to encourage them with the knowledge that the Lord had always been faithful to them, ensuring future generations would be able to know and follow God. Why would that always be true?  There will always be people who look to the Lord and his strength. Faith is a legacy we leave to others when we “look” to him for our wisdom and strength. The verb look describes the action of looking for something in order to possess it for ourselves. Our most valuable possession is the Lord and the strength he provides.  To look for the Lord, we “seek his face always.” When a mother wants her young child to listen with focus, she takes the child’s face in her hands and says, “Look at me.” That is a picture of what Scripture means when it describes “seeking God’s face.” We are to focus on him, undistracted by anything else. We are to look for him like the groom looks for his bride. We are to seek him with urgency knowing our joy will be seeing his face. How can we seek God “always?” We allow the word of Christ to dwell in us richly. The voice of Christ is “present” in his word. When we look to the Lord in Scripture, we find his strength and we learn how to recognize his presence throughout the day.   And one day, we will meet him face-to-face. That wedding is a day to look forward to now.

    3 min

  4. 3 DAYS AGO

    Do you meditate on God’s word?

    Charles Sheldon published In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do? in 1896, and there have been more than fifty million copies purchased since that time. The book is one of the best-selling books of all time. It's a Christian classic that illustrates the truth of Psalm 119:15.  How would our lives change if we applied the precepts of Scripture and the “ways” Jesus taught his followers to live to our own lives? In His Steps is about a church that decides to ask themselves, “What would Jesus do?” and how that one choice changed their lives and their town as a result.  In the Bible, a “precept” means a commandment or an instruction. The psalmist told the Lord, “I will meditate on your precepts.” It's so important to read God’s word as the pure truth it is. It's equally important to think about God’s word until it becomes the truth we live.   What choice did the word of God cause you to make today? How did God’s laws and Christ’s teaching alter a decision you were making? That is the result of meditating on the word of God. The words become knowledge, the knowledge becomes wisdom, and then wisdom governs our lives.   The psalmist says to “consider” the ways of God. In the thousands of thoughts we have each day, how many of those thoughts are dedicated to thinking about Sheldon’s important question: “What would Jesus do?” When we “allow the word of Christ to dwell in us richly,” we allow the example of Christ to be formed in our thoughts. If the most important influence we have is the example of Christ, then we will walk “in his steps.”  Every day is an opportunity to “dwell” with the word of Christ and do those things that Jesus would do. Christians are the hands and feet of Christ in our world. We should meditate on his word so we can walk in his ways.

    3 min

  5. 4 DAYS AGO

    Do you give thought to your next step?

    Information is easily and quickly accessible, but wisdom requires some time to acquire. It seems a simple thought, but it takes time to think. Those who think wisdom is simple are more likely to believe answers they have googled. The prudent person understands that wisdom is taking the necessary time to think about what they know, to determine what they should do.  We have all made snap decisions and some of them have worked out well. Sometimes our quick choices have led us to do something we needed to undo later. We live in a culture that values quick decision making. We also live in a culture that believes the most efficient road to knowledge is the internet. But that's true only some of the time.  We also live in a culture often driven by opinion rather than truth. “The simple believes everything,” and that has become more and more evident among those whose thinking has been impacted by technology and the media.   Knowledge is most effective when it has been thoughtfully considered and prayerfully thought through. It takes time to submit what we have come to know to the One who knows all things. That is the difference between having knowledge and having wisdom.  God provided his word and his Holy Spirit so we could have God’s thoughts in our lives. Most of our choices have both a physical and spiritual perspective. If we know God’s word on the subject, we have the truth. God doesn’t always function in the realm of the practical or logical. In fact, God often leads us in a direction that requires faith. He wants us to know we are better off trusting him than ourselves.  It takes time to think about what we know in light of what God has said. That is why Scripture tells us to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly. When we are prudent and “give thought to our steps” the words and will of Christ direct our choices. It takes some time, but mostly it takes our willingness to include our Lord in our thought process.  Jesus wants us to believe him and not to believe anything which he has said isn’t biblical wisdom. That is the difference between being simple-minded and prudent with our choices. Taking time to think with God will save us from making a lot of unwise choices and help us undo a few mistakes we made along the way.  Let the word of Christ dwell in us richly so that we may discern God's truth over the world’s.

    4 min

  6. 5 DAYS AGO

    Do you think like Christ?

    My favorite description of the Holy Spirit is found in Paul’s word to the church at Corinth. He was writing about the wisdom that the Spirit imparts to believers. The Holy Spirit is able to know our thoughts and the thoughts of God. Paul concluded that lesson by writing “we have the mind of Christ.”  It's common for us to think of ourselves in human ways. We know we aren’t perfect and make mistakes. How then could we have “the mind of Christ”? Scripture promises that we do, but it's always important to remember that our minds are being perfected but not yet perfect. We can’t be fully like Christ until we live with him in heaven.  Humility is necessary when we want to truly know the Lord. Jesus humbled himself to be born in a manger. We need to think with the humility of Christ’s humanity.  Knowing God is our Father is necessary if we want to live as God’s child and consider ourselves the way Jesus sees us. We are “joint heirs” with Christ, his brothers and sisters through faith.    Scripture is necessary if we want to know the character and capacity of God. Jesus was present with God when the world was created. Jesus left heaven to become our Savior. There is nothing in the Bible more difficult to understand than the need for the death of God’s Son on the cross. Even Jesus struggled in the Garden. Yet Jesus knew God’s perfection and knew he could say, “Not my will, but yours.” Jesus didn’t question God’s perfection, even when he struggled to accept his plan.  Can we think like Christ? The answer is yes because we have been given the mind of Christ.    It’s important to allow the word of Christ to dwell in us richly so we can then think his thoughts and come to trust the perfection of God, who is our Father.

    3 min

  7. 6 DAYS AGO

    Do you trust God completely?

    It's more common to quote Proverbs 3:5 with verse 6 as well. Verse 6 isn’t possible without verse 5, but our focus is almost always drawn away to the good news verse 6 provides.  Verse 5 tells you to “trust in the Lord with all your heart.” The only way to trust God completely is to “not lean on your own understanding.” It's a spiritual discipline to learn to trust God as we are called to do.   Remember that in ancient days people understood that the heart was the “driver” of a person’s life. In Scripture, the heart is often associated with passion and motive. God wants us to trust him above all other motivations. We are to trust that only God’s motivations are completely pure; therefore, we should trust him more than any other. When we understand God’s motivation is pure, we are more likely to trust his will.   But trusting God stands in conflict with most of what we are taught and, truthfully, what we teach. We know it's important to “think for ourselves.” It's important to gather the facts and process them into a well-thought decision. Yet, Scripture tells us not to lean on our own understanding.  God created us, and his word encourages us to be “thoughtful” in our actions. God gives us discernment and good judgment through his Spirit. God will never contradict his word, yet a lot of our decisions and choices aren’t directly addressed in Scripture. A key to Proverbs 3:5 can be found in the word leaning.  When we lean on someone, we trust them to hold us up. When we lean a ladder against a wall, we trust that the wall won't fall. We don’t lean on something we know is weak or flawed. That is why we are to trust God with our whole heart. God can never be untrustworthy, weak, or flawed. God holds us, his children, in his righteous right hand. The same hand that created the world is able to do all things, all the time.  Then, as Proverbs 3:6 says, “you will acknowledge,” or know, God. Knowing who God is through his word makes it possible for him to “direct your path.”   Allow the word of Christ to dwell in you richly and you will likely learn to lean on it more than your own understanding.

    4 min

  8. 19 MAR

    Do you guard your hearts?

    Peace is one of the best indicators that your life is centered in Christ. It's the peace of Christ that accompanies his perspective on the things of this world. It's the peace that carries us through difficult days or decisions. It's the peace that follows a time of personal worship or prayer. God’s peace results from an awareness of who we are in Christ Jesus.  God’s peace is beyond human understanding which so often is based on the circumstances of our day. God’s peace includes the hope of our salvation and our faith and trust in the power of God.   That is the peace of God that can guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. It's comforting to understand that God’s peace “stands guard” over our lives. A guard protects from harm. A guard warns of danger. A guard stands between us and harm. We can picture God’s peace as our shield, protecting our minds and our emotions from the Evil One.  The peace of God is greater and more powerful than we can understand or explain. It has to be experienced. Only those who have asked Jesus into their hearts can truly understand and experience his peace. We have an eternal hope that transcends the circumstances of this world.  Allow the word of Christ to dwell in you richly. May the overwhelming peace of God guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

    2 min
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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.

Information

  • Channel
    Denison Forum
  • Creator
    Foundations with Janet Denison
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    366
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Foundations
  • Show Website
    Wisdom Matters

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