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. 1D AGO

    Do you choose to abide in God’s truth?

    A short letter, 2 John is most likely addressed to a church with which the apostle John had a pastoral relationship. John describes himself as an “elder,” or overseer, and the church as an “elect lady,” a reference to them as God’s chosen people. The children would likely be the members of the congregation.  This church was loved by John and others who understood the “truth” of God. In John’s greeting to this church, he teaches something about God’s truth that all Christians and all churches need to know: “the truth abides in us and will be with us forever.”  God’s truth is permanent and should never be changed. Because Scripture is truth, it applies to everyone in every situation. Times change but God’s truth doesn’t change with the times. John said God’s truth “abides in us and will be with us forever.”  Many aspects of God’s creation reflect his eternal nature. The moon we see each night is the same moon people have viewed throughout history. The olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane today are produced from the same roots that existed when Jesus was there. The ebb and flow of the oceans have continued since the time God separated the land from the seas. God’s truth is eternal as well.  People will always try to adapt God’s word to their beliefs, but only those who know the truth will abide in the truth. John loved this church and her members because they were aligned with the truth of God’s word. God’s truth for the first-century congregation remains his word for congregations today.  The Lord gives wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. He will always give those blessings to those who abide in his truth, which will be true forever.

    3 min

  2. 2D AGO

    Do you choose to approach God in repentance and truth?

    Psalm 51 is one of the most powerful passages in Scripture. King David wrote it after he had sinned with Bethsheba. It has been said that David’s sin with Bathsheba broke every one of the Ten Commandments. King David had every reason to expect God’s wrath, but he asked for God’s forgiveness and restoration. The psalm begins, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions” (Psalm 51:1).  King David knew God and understood God’s desire to redeem even the worst, most unforgivable choices. David also knew God required what brought God “delight.” When we approach God with “truth in the inward being,” God is delighted to hear.  When it's necessary to confess, the first step is to come to a place of complete truth in our own hearts. God knows our thoughts, even our deep and dark thoughts, and that is where confession begins. God teaches his wisdom to our “secret heart,” that place in us that only God is fully aware of. It’s to our “secret heart” that God will teach us his wisdom.  Back then, the Hebrew people had limited knowledge of science. But, they did know that when a heart stopped beating, life was gone. They understood the most powerful moments in life caused their hearts to beat faster. In Scripture, the heart indicates the center of life, passions, and motivation. King David asked God to teach him wisdom for the very source of his life—his secret heart.  God accepted David’s honest repentance and granted him a restored life. David lived with the consequences of his sins but did not remain separated from God because of them. God restored David’s heart until he could redeem David’s life eternally.  The Lord gives wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. Only God can apply those blessings to our secrets. He will blot out our transgressions when we receive his word into our inward being, our “secret heart.” You can draw near to God with your true repentance, knowing you will be received and welcomed into his presence because our Father delights in truth.

    4 min

  3. 3D AGO

    Do you choose to live in the light of his truth?

    The psalmist was calling out to God, asking him to send out his light and his truth. It’s so important to remember that if God has led the way, opened a door, or spoken a word, we can know that it's truth. God cannot act apart from his holiness.  If something is only partially true, it’s not fully God. When something compromises our character, it’s not God. When something must be accomplished “in the darkness,” then God’s light is not present. Sometimes a decision is as clear as this: if it isn't pure, complete truth, it isn’t of God.  God sends out his light and his truth so that he can direct our path. That path, according to the psalmist, leads to his holy hill, his dwelling. Those words are a reference to the highest, holiest place on earth.   The Jerusalem temple was built on the highest point, and the Holy of Holies, the place that held the Ark of the Covenant, God’s holy seat, was there. The psalmist taught that God would send the light and the truth to draw us to his presence.  When we feel distanced from God, we can pray the psalmist’s prayer. God’s word leads us into his presence. Scripture is the voice of God, and we need to hear the words as we read them. We can ask for God to reveal his light, his direction, through Scripture. We can ask God to lead us with his truth as we make our decisions and plans.  God provided his word to us so that we could be drawn to his holy hill—his very presence.  The Lord gives wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. Ask him for his light and his truth. The Creator of the universe wants to bring you into his holy dwelling and spend time with you.

    3 min

  4. 4D AGO

    Do you choose to live as a disciple of Christ?

    Jesus taught his followers the key to living a faithful life. He said, “abide in my word” and you will be my disciples. To abide in the word means “to accept or act in accordance with” all that Jesus taught. We are truly a disciple of Christ when we live in line with our Lord’s teaching.  The word disciple describes a person who was a student of a specific rabbi or teacher. We have many teachers in our lives who influence our choices and decisions. We show ourselves to be a disciple of Christ when his teaching governs our thoughts, opinions, words, and choices. We become a child of God when we accept the gift of our salvation by making Jesus our Savior. We become a disciple when we accept the teaching of Jesus and choose him as our Lord. When we abide with Christ’s teaching, we serve him as our King.  We know and love Scripture when we adapt our lives to its truth. For centuries God’s word has been proven truth. Jesus taught us how to live a life God would be able to bless now and eternally. Jesus taught us how to live in such a way that other people could see the reality of God and want him to be their Father as well.  We are surrounded by words of influence in our culture today. Jesus told his disciples to abide in his influence, his word.  The Lord gives wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. His word is the source of our influence when we choose to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

    3 min

  5. 5D AGO

    Do you choose to invest your life in God’s work?

    Paul wrote the letter we know as 2 Timothy while confined to a prison he knew would likely lead to his death. These last words to Timothy, his protégé, have always been especially poignant. Paul was writing to Timothy about what he should expect in the “last days” from people who were godless. Paul described them as “always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth” (3:7). He then taught Timothy how to live differently from those who didn’t know God.  Paul’s lesson to Timothy can be summed up in this way: “Remember what you have learned from me, from your family, and from others. We have taught you God’s truth.” That’s when Paul reminded Timothy that “all Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable” to every area of our lives. Scripture is how God equips his children to accomplish the good work he has called us to do.  If a financial investment came with a guaranteed return, we would do our best to be included. Scripture offers our lives a promise. If we invest our lives in God’s word, there will be a profit. If we want to fill our lives with “good work,” then we should fill our lives first with God’s word.  Paul wanted Timothy to understand that the foundation of his ministry needed to be the word of God. When Paul wrote his letter he had no idea that he would continue to teach countless generations the important truth he taught his first-century protégé. The same Scripture that grounded Timothy’s ministry serves the Lord’s disciples today.  The Lord gives wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. The words of your Bible were “breathed out” by God himself, and he has promised to use them to profit your life and ministry when you invest in his truth.

    3 min

  6. 6D AGO

    Do we choose to grow up in Christ?

    G. K. Chesterton was a gifted author known for his depth of thinking. He wrote about the difference between our perception of progress and true growth in an article titled “The Romance of Rhyme,” saying, “The fatal metaphor of progress, which means leaving things behind us, has utterly obscured the real idea of growth, which means leaving things inside us.”  Chesterton’s words speak to our culture today and to our culture of faith. There is a difference between progress and growth. We shouldn’t assume that because we are advancing in knowledge, we are growing in wisdom. Could it be that our abundance of information has progressed our cumulative knowledge but stunted our spiritual growth?  Paul helped to establish the Christian church in Ephesus, a leading first-century city famous for its advanced and educated culture. His words to that group of people speak directly to our culture today.  Paul taught them it was necessary to speak the truth but to speak it with the love of Christ as their motivation. The truth was necessary for people to “grow up in every way” into an accurate and obedient relationship with Christ as their Lord. Without the truth, people cannot know God because God is truth. Without love, they won't choose God because God is love.  Paul taught the church in Ephesus, and the church today, to teach God’s truth motivated by the love of Christ. G. K. Chesterton taught that progress meant leaving things behind us while growth is marked by what we keep inside.  When we speak God’s truth with love, we “grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” God’s truth is the source of our spiritual growth as we progress through our lives.  The Lord gives wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. Keep growing in the Lord and you will speak his truth with his love.

    3 min

  7. FEB 3

    Do we choose to believe the Bible is totally true?

    I used to teach second grade, which was the year we introduced story or word problems into the math curriculum. Let’s just say those lessons were not a favorite for my students or their teacher! They had to learn to read a few sentences and pick out the math equation to solve. I taught my second graders to look for the word sum in those questions. When they saw the word sum, they would know they should add all the numbers rather than subtract.  That’s an important thing to remember when studying the Bible as well. “The sum” of God’s word equals “truth.” If we subtract anything from God’s word, we get the wrong answer. Like a simple math equation, every word of Scripture “adds up” to an answer that endures forever. One plus one will always equal two. The words of the Bible will always add up to God’s truth.  Psalm 119 is a unique passage of Scripture. In the original Hebrew language, the various stanzas represented and repeated a particular letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It’s believed that this psalm was used with young children to teach them their alphabet, as well as the importance of knowing and using God’s word to govern their lives. The first verse of the psalm provides the theme: “Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord!”  Our single greatest need in life is the blessing of God. God has taught us how to live a life he is able to bless. His word, from the first word of Genesis to the final word of Revelation, adds up to truth and our direction for living a blessed life. We can learn a lot by applying basic math principles to our faith in Scripture.  2 + 2 = 4 It always has, and it always will. God’s rules + our obedience = God’s blessings. That is eternal truth as well.  The Lord gives wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. The sum total of God’s word is truth that will endure forever.

    3 min

  8. FEB 2

    Do we choose to stand firm in God’s truth?

    Paul told the church in Ephesus, “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God” (Ephesians 6:10–11a). It’s always been a challenge and a choice for God’s people to live according to his truth rather than our own.  God’s word is the wisdom and discernment we need to make our daily choices. Scripture is our armor, our personal protection against the ideas and opinions the world imposes that can weaken our faith. We are called to stand firm against the schemes of the devil (Ephesians 6:11). It’s so important to remember that we never stand alone or without God’s protection.  We can stand firm, confident of our values and our calling, when we trust God’s word as our truth because it's the truth.  The polls and predictions are interesting and often valuable information. The opinions of others are born from their God-given right to choose. The caution and protection of Scripture is understanding that our right to choose doesn’t guarantee our choices are right. We have to fasten on the belt of truth for it to serve as our protection.  Do you truly believe something that is contrary to God’s truth? Has the culture become more convincing than Christ? Sometimes our right to choose truth becomes more important to us than choosing what is right. God’s word isn’t always popular, but it's always true.  The Lord gives wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. The Lord gives us the ability to stand firmly each day when we choose to trust his word as our truth.

    3 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
    360
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Foundations
  • Show Website
    Wisdom Matters

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