5-13-2016

Good Morning All!! 

Job 28:28; “And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

    Do you remember the TV show Kung Fu with David Carradine?  He plays a ½ American ½ Chinese man who comes to America from China to find his half-brother and avoid arrest in China.  The thing I remember about this show was the slow motion fighting and all the flashbacks that David Carradine’s character had.  They were always showing him as a young boy being trained in martial arts by his master.  They seemed to focus on the times when he needed to make a decision.  He focuses on the wisdom imparted on him by his beloved teacher who always called him “Grasshopper”. 

   A lot of people focus on wisdom and attaining it.  When a politician displays wisdom we call them statesmen; they display a quality that places the country over their own personal politics or agenda.  We often call people who have a lot of experience wise and will seek them out perhaps even as a mentor as we explore our new job.  Most of us express that there is a difference between knowledge and wisdom and would rather have someone wise making the decisions.  Wisdom seems to imply anticipating outcomes rather than just a knowledgeable decision.  When surveyed, most voters want to elect someone who is wise in their decision making.

   What about you, are you wise?  Scriptures tells us that the fear of the Lord is wisdom.  Wisdom is knowing what God desires of us.  We know this by what God has revealed to us; basically the Ten Commandments.  Wisdom comes from studying God’s Word and searching it for wisdom and guidance.  Wisdom leads us to see that God’s Word leads us to live in a harmonious and orderly fashion.  When we oppose God and his will, we find our lives out of sync, often times disrupted, filled with discontent, pain and sorrow.  Wisdom shows us that there are two directions in life; one is God’s way which gives us life and one is the way of destruction.

    Thus the Bible defines understanding as turning from evil.  We see just knowledge falls short.  Understanding requires action; understanding is turning from evil and thus turning toward God.  This choice is made possible for us by Jesus whom we see as Wisdom incarnate.  We see Jesus as healing us so that we can choose life and we can choose to live by God’s will.  So search God’s Word, learn his wisdom and live accordingly.  You will find a life of contentment in his peace.

Gracious Father, give me your wisdom.  Teach me your ways that I may know your wisdom and will.  Lead me to live the life that you desire me to live.  Lead me to walk humbly before you that your will is done.  Lead me to live the life that you desire that others will know your mercy through me.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret