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. 17H AGO

    Do you allow the love and forgiveness of Christ to flow through you?

    Paul had just listed many of the sinful human behaviors that were causing divisions in the early church and damaging their witness. Then he provided the solution for fixing those natural human behaviors. Paul didn’t say, “Act kind to one another.” Rather, he said, “Be kind.” Another translation could say “Become kind.”   The work of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to change us, to help us become more like Christ each day. Scripture often refers to that growth process as our sanctification. God doesn’t want children to simply act kindly toward one another. He wants us to be kind. If we apply that thought to raising our children, we can easily understand the difference. Kindness shouldn’t be measured by our actions; it should become our character.  Paul then used a word that is rarely used in Scripture and is difficult to translate. But his first-century readers would have understood completely. It's the word tenderhearted or, in some versions, compassionate. It's worth knowing because embedded in that one word is a measure we should each use for our own lives.  How do we know if we are truly “tenderhearted” toward others?   To be compassionate means to “feel with.” People in Paul’s culture understood what it meant to walk by a person who was hurt, see their wound, and have their stomach clench. They knew when their hearts ached with the grief another person was feeling. They understood the physical, visceral sensations associated with “compassion,” or feeling with, another person. That sensation had a word in the original language of Scripture, and Paul used that word in his letter to the Ephesians.   We have become tenderhearted, compassionate Christians when we care enough to feel with other people. A person who cares like that has become a Christian who will know how to love and forgive like Christ.  Allow the word of Christ to dwell in you richly and become the tenderhearted, forgiving character of Christ to others.

    3 min

  2. 1D AGO

    Do you live with the peace of Christ?

    The “peace that passes all understanding” is never fully understood, except through experience. It isn’t the peace we can work hard to achieve. It isn’t the result of our efforts or the consequence of a choice. The peace Christ has left with us is unique because it's only experienced as a gift received from his Holy Spirit.  Jesus left us with his Spirit so that we would have his gift of peace. When our minds won’t rest from our troubled thoughts and when we fear the possibilities that exist while living on this side of heaven, it's difficult not to be anxious and afraid. In fact, it's likely that our minds will be troubled at times.  But Jesus told his disciples to make a choice during those difficult times. He said, “Don’t be troubled.” How is that possible? If we knew we would inherit a fortune next month, this month’s bills wouldn’t trouble us. If we knew we were immune to disease, we wouldn’t worry about what the doctor might say. If we knew we would always be safe, we wouldn’t fear what might happen. The peace the world gives is only temporary. The peace of Christ is anchored in eternity.  We know we have all the promises of heaven, but we want those promises now too. Jesus promised us his peace. We can live with confidence in our inheritance, our health, and our security. The peace that passes all understanding comes from keeping our hearts and minds fixed on Christ, not by focusing on the things of earth.   Christ died and rose again and is now seated at the right hand of God. We have proof that the circumstances of this world are all temporary. Christians will rise again, just as Jesus did, and enter into our promised land. That is the peace that is ours in Christ Jesus, the peace only Jesus can give.    Allow the word of Christ to dwell in you richly and the peace of Christ will follow. Jesus left us with his peace because he left us. He ascended to heaven and promised, one day, he would take us too.

    3 min

  3. 2D AGO

    Do you live with the contentment of Christ?

    How would our lives be changed if our highest goal was contentment with all we have?  Getting ahead is a great goal unless you are getting ahead of God in the process. Jesus told his disciples to take up their cross and “follow” him. It’s easy to lose sight of Christ in our lives when we are focused on things that, in that moment, we want more than what we have.   Our goal is to be content with what we have and live a life that is free to follow Christ. We are content with what we have when we are content in the knowledge that Christ's presence dwells with us continually through his Holy Spirit, providing all that we need. Jesus said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  When we consider the monumental blessing of our salvation in Christ, the things of this world seem to pale in that light. We will never have everything we want. Even if we did, that would change tomorrow. We do have the ability to be content with what we have. We can’t love God as we should when we love money and possessions more than we should.  How many emails would we simply delete if we were content with what we have? How many choices would we adjust if we didn’t feel a need for greater success but simply wanted to enjoy the success we have achieved? Do we define “enough” as “just a little more?” If so, place Jesus on the throne of your life and follow him as Lord.  Allow the word of Christ to dwell in you richly and the contentment of Christ will be your result.

    3 min

  4. 3D AGO

    Do you hand your worries to God?

    We usually talk about the subject of prayer when we discuss this verse, but it's also important to look at these words from a different perspective. Paul was telling the Philippians to pray about everything. But this verse is also about God, your Father.  God doesn’t want us to fret and worry. We don’t have to be anxious about anything. Why then are we anxious so much of the time? What are you worried about right now? Paul would say, “Take it to your Dad!”   Why do we need to make requests “known” to God, who already knows everything? The answer is simple: God wants us to know we have given our requests to him. When we leave our requests, our worries, and our concerns at his throne, we can be grateful that they are now safely and securely in God’s hands. The same hands that created the world are more than able to handle our requests.   Maybe our most amazing thought is the knowledge that we have been invited to come to God’s throne. Approach him as a child. He is your Abba, your loving dad. He wants you to bring him all of your hurts, bothers, guilt, and worries. You can be joyful knowing God wants to do whatever is perfect. He can forgive, comfort, counsel, and direct. Be thankful that you have an Abba who wants to help.  Jesus was praying for the strength to face the cross when he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will” (Mark 14:36). Even Jesus needed to lay his worry at the foot of the throne.  Allow the word of Christ to dwell in you richly. Allow Abba the chance to assure you that every prayer is heard and held in his mighty hand.

    3 min

  5. 4D AGO

    Do you escape your temptations?

    Temptation existed in the garden before Adam and Eve chose to sin. Temptation isn’t a sin; it’s only the possibility or opportunity to sin. Therefore, we shouldn’t think about all the things in our lives that tempt us as much as we should think about the actual choices we make.  Martin Luther summed it up this way: “You cannot prevent the birds from flying in the air over your head, but you can prevent them from building a nest in your hair.” In other words, we can’t keep Satan from making suggestions, but we can decide not to dwell on, or follow, those suggestions.  It's common to focus on our temptations, but Paul had a different focus. He wanted the church in Corinth to be confident in their faith. Paul told them that every time they were tempted to sin, they needed to remember an important truth. God had already given them a way to avoid the temptation or the power to endure it.  Temptations will always be a part of our daily lives. Temptation existed in the Garden of Eden! Birds flutter and squawk overhead, but they can’t build a nest in your hair unless you allow it.  That’s why we allow the word of Christ to dwell in us richly. God has provided us with a way of escape and the strength to endure. His word will chase away that bird!

    3 min

  6. 5D AGO

    Do you live with the freedom of Christ?

    God created each of us with free will, and we are each designed to desire freedom. Yet, every generation has had people who are enslaved in some ways. Some have been enslaved, but most submit their freedoms because of their personal choices.  Paul described slavery as a “yoke.” The yoke was a heavy burden placed on the neck of an animal so it could then be forced to walk a certain path and work for someone else. Another type of yoke during that day was used to keep prisoners chained.  When Paul wrote to the Galatians, he was speaking to some who had been unable to lay down the many Jewish laws of the Old Covenant and step into the freedom Christ had provided in the New Covenant. Paul was also speaking to some who had come to the Christian faith from a Gentile background. Before their salvation, they had been “free” to behave in some pagan practices they now knew were wrong. Their desire to keep some of their pagan practices had enslaved them to their wrong choices. The same is true for God’s people today.   Our sin entangles our lives, and our consequences burden us with a yoke of slavery. If we stand firm in our faith, we can be free of those burdens.  Paul encouraged all of them to seek the freedom Christ offered. Christians have freely chosen Jesus to be our Savior and Lord. We are truly free when we stand firm in our faith, when we choose to walk through life “in step with God’s Spirit” (Galatians 5:25).  When you allow the word of Christ to dwell in you richly, you are most able to stand firm in your faith and live as the Lord intended. It was for freedom that Christ has set us free.

    3 min

  7. 6D AGO

    Do you live for Christ’s return?

    Christians have always known that Christ will return again because he promised he would. The first-century Christians expected it to be in their lifetime, and those expectations have existed in every century that followed. There are always those who point to certain occurrences in their day and time and become convinced that the return of Christ is imminent. One day, a generation of Christians will be correct. They will experience the prophecy of the Revelation and witness the return of Christ.  Peter has taught every generation of Christians how to live until Christ returns. Peter had just written about the second coming of Christ when he said, “Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming” (1 Peter 1:13 NIV).  Peter would tell Christians today, “Beware of the many distractions of this day.” In the first century, it was a day’s work to feed the family and try to get a load of laundry done! They didn’t flip a light switch; they had to press oil for their lamps. They didn’t hop in the car and run to a grocery store; they worked gardens, cared for livestock, and walked to a marketplace—if they were lucky to live close to one. Every generation since that time has needed to work to balance their time with their priorities. People have always had distractions.  Today, many of our distractions are of our choosing. We “set our minds” on whatever we choose to listen to, read, or use technology to search for. Our distractions aren’t limited to a time of day or a lack of resources. Therefore, if we want to be fully alert and sober, if we want to set our thoughts and hopes on the return of Christ, we must choose to do so. Our world has very little quiet. In fact, our lives don’t have to be quiet unless we choose for them to be.   We should learn to be sober-minded, measuring the moments we spend each day and giving thought to the inevitable return of Christ. When we consider the grace that will be ours in that moment, we will find that we are distracted by our thoughts of heaven and the chance to see those who have gone before us. We can imagine what it will be like to meet the Lord—face-to-face.  We have a lot of distractions in our world today. Let’s allow the return of Christ to distract our thoughts as well.   Allow the word of Christ to dwell in you richly and you will allow thoughts of his return to be your great hope.

    4 min

  8. MAR 9

    Do you live empowered by God’s spirit?

    The Holy Spirit is the living presence of Christ in our lives. After Jesus ascended to heaven, he continued his earthly ministry through Christians, who were led by his Spirit. Our relationship to Jesus is strengthened by spending time with him by abiding in his Spirit. The more we invest in that connection, the more we will come to know Jesus as our Lord.  Paul described the gift of the Holy Spirit saying, “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” When the Spirit of Christ is at work in our lives, we are not governed by our fears. Instead, we have the Lord’s power at work through us. We can think the Lord’s thoughts, speak the Lord’s words, and love a person as the Lord would love them. Scripture often uses the words self-control, but we can usually translate those words biblically as “a Spirit-controlled self.”  God loves us individually. Our relationship to God is unique and personal. That is why God chose to give each of his children his Holy Spirit. God empowers his children in different ways and for different callings. Christians have much in common, but each of us has a unique fingerprint, physically and spiritually.  God gave us all we needed when he gave us his Spirit. We underestimate our capacities when we limit ourselves to what we can humanly accomplish. The power, love, and self-control Paul was talking about isn’t human effort; it's spiritual capacity.  We read about the miracles, sermons, and accomplishments of our biblical heroes. It's important to remember that the same Spirit who enabled them indwells each of God’s children today. When the Lord is at work through his Spirit, we accomplish things because of his power, his love, and his ability to control our thoughts and actions.   We are to allow the word of Christ to dwell in us richly so that the work of Christ can be accomplished through his Holy Spirit. He is the power source for each of our unique ministries.

    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
    364
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Foundations
  • Show Website
    Wisdom Matters

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