Thursday, December 29, 2005

Wisdom is Available

Wisdom is not hidden for a specific few. See Proverbs 1:20, 8:1. We all have access to the wisdom of God. All we have to do is seek for it and we will obtain it. See also Proverbs 2:1-12. Wisdom is of great benefit to the one who has it and, as I said previously, it is available to all.

Friday, December 16, 2005

Keys to Discretion

Solomon gives us a key for wisdom and understanding. This Godly divine writing is a key to us obtaining wisdom and understanding from God. See Proverbs 1:1-6 for the statement. I strongly recommend that you read the entire book of Proverbs for words of wisdom, insight, and knowledge.
Proverbs 9:10 also tells us that the reverence of God is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of him is understanding. This is very important because it places the essence of wisdom and understanding on God. The knowledge of God is not solely based on facts or a familiarity with Him. The knowledge of God involves a personal experience of God. Knowing God is to experience him intimately to the point where He is the primary influence in your life. Knowing God is to be connected to Him. Solomon also stated:
(Proverbs 15:33 NIV) "The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor."
There are two principles revealed in this verse. The first is that the reverence (fear) of God leads us to wisdom. Also we see that humility precedes honor. We must practice humility in order to be honored by God or man.
Proverbs 11:2 teach us that humility is also important in the acquisition of wisdom. Humility in this verse references submission to God or man (those who are wise and upright). See also James 3:13
Solomon informs us, by inspiration of God (See 2 Timothy 3:16,17), that discipline is important in obtaining the knowledge that comes from God.
(Proverbs 12:1 NIV) "Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid."The word discipline here refers to training by word or deed according to the Ryrie Study Bible Commentary

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

THE WISDOM OF GOD

James gives us some insight into the wisdom that comes from God.
(James 3:17 NIV) "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere."
The wisdom of God is undefiled (pure) in that it contains nothing contrary to the nature of God or His word. The wisdom of God is geared toward peace (order, calmness). That is, the wisdom of God will not produce or feed strife or discord. The wisdom of God is also considerate (gentle, submissive). That is, it is not harsh and insensitive to you or the needs of others. It is not a cold law that produces a desired result no matter what. The wisdom of God is full of mercy and it produces good fruit in the end. It is also non-biased and sincere for the desired outcome from God.

Monday, December 05, 2005

Discernment From God

(1 Kings 3:9 NIV) "So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?""
(1 Kings 3:12 NIV) "I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be."
This is consistent with what James said about wisdom.
(James 1:5 NIV) "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."
(James 3:17 NIV) "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere."
(Proverbs 2:6 NIV) "For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding."

See also Psalm 119:124, 1 Chronicles 22:12, and 2 Chronicles 1:10.
The point here is that the ability (or power) to discern rightfully comes from God. We have no wisdom of our own. We must rely on God for proper judgment or discernment. Therefore, if you need to make a decision then trust God who has all wisdom and knowledge.

Friday, December 02, 2005

The Divisions of the Spirit of God

This particular passage of scripture (Isaiah 11:1-3) has been for a long time disputed. Some believe that this passage lists the spiritual components of the Spirit of God. Others believe that there is another component which is the Spirit of The Lord itself. However, I simply believe that the following passage simply is a list of components of God’s Spirit and are not necessarily all of the components. The emphasis in this scripture appears to be judgment and these attributes seem to center around that point. What does this prophecy say that Jesus will have—having the Spirit of God?

· The Spirit of wisdom
· The Spirit of understanding
· The Spirit of counsel
· The Spirit of power
· The Spirit of knowledge
· The Spirit of the fear (reverence) of the LORD

Jesus was anointed with the Spirit of God and so are we (Christians). Therefore, we can rely on the Spirit of God to guide us to truth. We can rely on the Spirit of God to direct our lives (paths) via the decisions that we make.

Consider that we do not have sufficient wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge, and fear of the Lord to affect anything. For example, the Bible says,
(Isaiah 64:6 NIV) "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away."
(John 15:5 NIV) ""I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
Therefore, the wisdom, knowledge, understanding, etc. that are referred to above are from the Spirit and is nothing that we have of our own. It would seem appropriate to say that we can judge effectively or even rightly because of the Spirit of God within us. It therefore becomes important that we do all we can to get into agreement with the Spirit of God and be guided by the Spirit.

Thursday, December 01, 2005

The Component of the Spirit of God

I would like to propose that the Christian has another information source and processing basis then the senses and facts. The scripture above says that the Spirit of the LORD would rest upon him (Jesus). We have this same Spirit IN us to guide us to all truth.
(1 John 2:20 NIV) "But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth."
(John 16:13 NIV) "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come."
What the Christian has is the Spirit of God. We are taught to live by that Spirit. This means that we have to incorporate the Spirit of God in our decision making process since it is one of the most important aspects of our lives. We don’t have to judge by what we see, hear, understand, or the plain facts. We can judge rightly by listening to what the Spirit of God says. I don’t believe that the Holy Spirit tells us the answer to every decision that we face because that would negate the necessity for knowledge, understanding, and wisdom which the Bible teaches much about. We should incorporate the knowledge and insight of the Holy Spirit in our lives since He lives in us (Christians).