2023-08-23
Psalm 46:10 NIV
If Job had a weakness, it was his tongue. He talked excessively. Not that you could blame him. After being hit by calamity, there wasn’t a wall standing in his house or a loved one living. And his wife, empathetic soul that she was, told him to “curse God, and die” (Job 2:9 KJV). Then his four friends with the bedside manner of drill sergeants told him he had probably brought all this trouble on himself. We’re thirty-seven chapters into the book of Job before God speaks a word. Chapter 38 begins, “Then the Lord answered Job.” And after God got through speaking, Job said, “I am not worthy; I cannot answer you anything, so I will put my hand over my mouth” (40:4 NCV).
Notice, before he heard from God, Job couldn’t talk enough. But after he heard from Him, he couldn’t talk at all. The only thing Job got right was: “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (13:15 NKJV). Sometimes the best way to handle your problem is to trust and not talk. To submit and not speak. Job didn’t know it at the time, but God’s plan was to give him twice as much in the end as he had lost. And it happened when he stopped focusing on his own problems and started praying for his friends (See 42:10).
So, be still. Be open and willing. God is still on the throne. He is in control of every detail of your life. Even in the worst of circumstances, He has your best interest at heart. “The Lord will vindicate me” (Psalm 138:8 NIV). That’s all you need to know!
Soul food: Judg 9:34-11:40; Mark 7:14-23; Ps 119:113-120; Prov 20:25
2023-08-22
James 1:5 NKJV
Here is a time-tested and proven formula for obtaining wisdom:
(1) Acknowledge that you need it. Benjamin Franklin correctly said, “The doorstep to the temple of wisdom is a knowledge of your own ignorance.”
(2) Go to the right source. “The Lord gives wisdom” (Proverbs 2:6 NKJV). He alone can give you true wisdom, because He alone has true wisdom. Indeed, His wisdom makes ours look like foolishness. Paul says, “The foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom” (1 Corinthians 1:25 NIV). Think about that. If God were capable of a stupid thought, which He is not, it would still be wiser than the wisest thought we could ever conceive.
(3) Ask for it. God doesn’t hoard his wisdom; He is ready to give it away. Solomon says: “If you call out for insight… cry aloud for understanding… look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding” (Proverbs 2:3-6 NIV).
James writes: “If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking. But when you ask for something, you must have faith and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm. If you are that kind of person, you can’t make up your mind, and you surely can’t be trusted. So don’t expect the Lord to give you anything at all” (James 1:5-8 CEV).
Today, pray for wisdom.
Soul food: Judg 7:1-9:33; Mark 7:1-13; Ps 119:105-112; Prov 18:10-12
2023-08-21
Proverbs 10:27 CEV
Does the thought of aging make you anxious? If so, it’s time to re-examine your value system. With God, the contents are more important than the package. And in order to make peace with your wrinkles, you must come into agreement with Him. Ultimately, it’s not the number of days in your life that count but the quality of life in your days.
Jesus’ first miracle was turning water into wine. Note what the host of the wedding reception said: “Everyone brings out the choice wine first… but you have saved the best till now” (John 2:10 NIV). And that can be the story of your life too. You don’t have to suffer from gerascophobia, the fear of aging. Keep fighting, keep growing, keep moving forward.
Listen to the words of Caleb: “For my part, I wholeheartedly followed the Lord my God… Moses solemnly promised me, ‘The land of Canaan on which you were just walking will be your grant of land and that of your descendants forever’… Now, as you can see, the Lord has kept me alive and well as he promised for all these forty-five years since Moses made this promise – even while Israel wandered in the wilderness. Today I am eighty-five years old. I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. So give me the hill country that the Lord promised me… So Joshua blessed Caleb… and gave Hebron to him as his portion of land” (Joshua 14:8-13 NLT). That’s called “growing older with grace.”
Soul food: Deut 1-2; Mark 1:21-34; Ps 78:17-31; Prov 16:26-30
Proverbs 4:7 NIV
Why does the Bible talk so much about Solomon’s wisdom? Because it’s not human wisdom raised to a supernatural height; it’s supernatural wisdom lowered to human understanding. Lest you think the water is too deep and wisdom is beyond you, listen to what Solomon, the wisest man in the world, said: “Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Cherish her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honour you” (vv. 6-8 NIV).
Along those lines Haddon Robinson observes: “Since 1955 knowledge has doubled every five years… High school graduates today have been exposed to more information about the world than Plato, Aristotle, Spinoza, or Benjamin Franklin. In terms of facts alone, neither Moses nor Paul could pass a college entrance exam today. Yet, by everyone’s standards, even with all our knowledge… society today is peopled with a bumper crop of brilliant failures… men and women… educated to earn a living often don’t know anything about handling life itself. Alumni from noted universities have mastered information about a narrow slice of life – but couldn’t make it out of the first grade when it comes to living successfully with family and friends. Let’s face it. Knowledge is not enough to meet life’s problems. We need wisdom, the ability to handle life with skill.”
Spurgeon once said, “There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool; but to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.” Bottom line: The more information you’re exposed to, the more you need to pray for wisdom.
Soul food: Judg 4-6; Mark 6:45-56; Ps 119:97-104; Prov 18:9
2023-08-20
Proverbs 8:11 CEV
When King Solomon asked God for wisdom instead of power, fame, or riches, God told him: “You could have asked me to make you rich or famous or to let you live a long time. Or you could have asked for your enemies to be destroyed. Instead, you asked for wisdom and knowledge to rule my people. So I will make you wise and intelligent. But I will also make you richer and more famous than any king before or after you” (2 Chronicles 1:11-12 CEV).
Did God keep His promise? Well, consider this: What would you get if you crossed Mickey Mouse, an Arab oil sheikh, the president of the United States, and Socrates? The most famous, richest, most powerful, wisest person on the planet! That’s a fitting description of King Solomon in his time. He ruled the world’s greatest empire. His merchant ships plied the seas, bringing him back the treasures of the earth. He designed and built some of the world’s most important buildings, including the temple. He constructed reservoirs, parks, gardens, and vineyards. He mastered commerce, science, and literature. He became a poet laureate, a distinguished writer, and a gifted musician. He learned the incredible worth of wisdom, enjoyed all its benefits, and wrote: “Let instruction and knowledge mean more to you than silver or the finest gold. Wisdom is worth much more than precious jewels or anything else you desire” (Proverbs 8:10-11 CEV).
There are thirty-one chapters in the book of Proverbs – one for every day of the month – so here is a suggestion: Why don’t you read a chapter a day for the next twelve months and become wise?
Soul food: Eze 47:1-12; Rev 21:22-22:5
2023-08-19
2 Chronicles 1:10 NKJV
When King Solomon ascended to the throne, God told him, “Ask! What shall I give you?” (v. 7 NKJV). Imagine: Solomon was given carte blanche by the One in whose dictionary the word impossible doesn’t occur. But there was a catch! God was testing Solomon to find out what was in his heart. An arrogant person would have asked for fame. A worldly person would have asked for wealth. A self-seeking person would have asked for power. What did Solomon ask God for? “Now give me wisdom.” So, God granted Solomon’s request and gave him something more gratifying than fame, more extravagant than wealth, and more thrilling than power. As it turned out, all the material blessings Solomon enjoyed were by-products of the gift of wisdom.
An anonymous thinker wrote: “Tell me your dreams, and I will tell you the riddle of your life. Tell me your prayers, and I will write the history of your soul. Tell me your askings, and I will tell you your gettings. Tell me what you seek, and I will tell you what you are… I do not wish to know your possessions… only your wants. I do not care to know what you have, only what you have not and desire to have; not your attainments, but what you have not yet attained and follow after; that which comes to you in your victories by day and your dreams by night, the ideal you set before you, the things you approve as excellent, what you seek after and have given your heart to, these are the measure of a man.”
So, pray for wisdom.
Soul food: Judg 1-3; Mark 6:30-44; Ps 119:89-96; Prov 18:6-8
