The Deadliest of Ideas

One of the deadliest thoughts,

is also extraordinarily common;

"I know everything that I need to."

Whether conscious or subconscious, we live in the midst of this well established lie.  We breathe in the air of this idea so often that we cannot comprehend the desperation of our situation; we walk every day, blind to the depth of our own ignorance.

The antidote may be found in the humble confession of and repentance for our foolishness, and in the beginning of a new journey onto a new path; purposeful lifelong learning.  Relentless are the portions of Scripture which teach about wisdom, and the pursuit thereof.

Eternity may in fact be forever learning about and increasing in knowledge of the Almighty, that we might evermore experience new reasons to praise him.

The beginning of wisdom of this: Get wisdom,
and whatever you get, get insight.
- Proverbs 4:7

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
- Proverbs 9:10

Weighty Wisdom

"Probably all the failures of my life 

can be laid at the feet

 of my failure to be happy in God."

- Dr. John Piper

3 Gifts For You...

If I could give each of my children only 3 gifts; 

these would be identical to the gifts that 

I would give to my closest friends, 

and beloved family members alike.

These same gifts I would offer to a stranger.

Indeed these gifts I would hold out to an enemy.

First

First, I would give you Jesus.

Yet I cannot, for He alone gives the gift of Himself.

Yet I would tell you; Jesus is God (John 1:1, Col. 1:15).

He is the great treasure hidden in a field (Matt. 13:44).

Sooner or later you shall find that He is the King of Kings.

I pray that it may be sooner.

Second

I would give you a thorough knowledge of the Bible.

The church throughout history has held that this 

book contains the very words of God himself.

That this book is the self-revelation of God.

Those who have been found by Christ, have

dearly loved the words found in this book.

Our Declaration of Independence

was literally birthed of it's ideology.

Many people have died simply

for possessing one.

Multitudes have suffered for it,

in various ways throughout history.

So powerful are it's messages, that some 

governments even today outlaw it.

Yet sadly often it sits unread

and dusty upon so many shelves.

Third

I would give you the wisdom of a hunger to learn.

Countless inspiring and interesting people have lived and

innumerable books have been written either by them or about them.

History has devastatingly important lessons to teach us,

if only we are willing to sit at it's feet.

To peer into the past through literal pages 

as if through a lens. 

The unique thing about each of these gifts,

is that I cannot give any of them to you.

Yet you could have them if you desired.

The beginning of wisdom

is this; Get wisdom.

And whatever you get, 

get insight.

- Proverbs 4:7

The Subordinacy of Wisdom

"The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom."
- Proverbs 4:7a ESV

Scripture indicates that Solomon was the wisest man that ever lived.  Yet his life turned out quite messy.  For all of his wisdom, he neglected to put God above all else.  His many wives turned his heart away from the Lord.

Solomon's book of Proverbs is full of illustrations of the tremendous value of wisdom.  His book also has a great number of illustrations of the tragedy of foolishness.  As providence would have it, Solomon's life, like his great writings also demonstrated the value of wisdom and the tragedy of foolishness.  Thus evidence that is possible to be at the same time both wise and foolish.

Wisdom is to be sought after, yet wisdom is not ultimate.  Christ is ultimate.

One may seek wisdom and find it, yet fail to find Christ.  Yet one may never find Christ and not also find wisdom, for He is wisdom incarnate.

A Prescription for Wisdom

Whoever walks 
       with the wise 
            becomes wise

- Proverbs 13:20a ESV

Afraid to Fly

My gray haired friend and mentor, full of wisdom, shared with me what I perceived to be one of the most important lessons he had ever learned.  

The gravity of his words weighed heavily on me from the moment he spoke them, and they still do.  In fact I hope I always feel the weight of this lesson upon my shoulders.  

For years I was privileged to meet with this dear man one on one.  For hours at a time I endeavored to soak up his wisdom.  Yet it was more than wisdom alone that I was drawn to.  This friend bears a stunning Christ-likeness the likes of which I have not encountered elsewhere, ever.  

For years my silent prayer request was that I would be able to grab ahold of and incorporate the lessons that this man had learned through a lifetime of ministry.  For years I wanted ask him what is the most important thing you have ever learned, yet I didn’t, for every time I met with him I learned more than I could retain.  

What a painful moment it was for me when he advised that he would soon be moving away, out of state, in order that his wife and he could be closer to their kids and grandchildren.  I endeavored to meet with him more frequently until they moved.  

During one of these meetings over a poor quality Chinese buffet lunch, I first felt the weight of the lesson.  I was more nourished by the wisdom that he shared with me that day than I have been by a thousand meals.  He spoke from deep and personal pain.  Sometimes a tear would reveal itself and then slowly disappear down his face.  

He said something like, “I think I’ve got it wrong for all of those years.  In fact I wonder if I ever got it right.”  Referring to his multiple decades in ministry, he explained what he meant.  He had so combined the idea of ministry and his walk with God that the two had strangely morphed into one.  Once he retired due to significant physical ailment, and his involvement in ministry stopped, he looked around to find his relationship with God was also strangely absent.  

These words were particularly shocking coming from my mentor friend whom I held in such high esteem.  How could he say this?  Why would he say this?  I had to know.  I desperately wanted to stand in his shoes and know the reality of what he was saying yet it was slipping through my hands like oil.  

We talked about it for weeks.  I had to get to the bottom of this.  What follows is a portion of my efforts to boil the lesson down to it’s essential components:

One can substitute ministry for a walk with God, even a vibrant ministry.  Ministering to people is important, it is something that we are called to, yet it is not ultimate.  Christ is ultimate.  Therefore a genuine relationship with him is vital, and of dire importance.  

A genuine relationship involves two way communication.  Is he communicating, are you listening?  Are you communicating?  Is He leading and directing?  Are you following?  

We default to going our own way, doing things our own way, not listening, not communicating, and not following.  I think this is precisely what my wise friend meant when he said he thinks he got it wrong and wonders if he ever got it right.  

In John 16:7-15 Jesus comforts his disciples about his leaving, telling them it is good that he leaves in order that he would send the Holy Spirit.  Then in verse 13 he says, “whatever he (the Holy Spirit) hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”  Jesus clearly, explicitly tells his disciples that the Holy Spirit will communicate with them, with us.  “He will speak… He will declare…”  This is crystal clear teaching of a personal God who relates in a very personal way with his people.    

Now your feathers may ruffle a bit at this, and you might be thinking, “But God speaks to us through his word, the inspired Scriptures.”  With this point I would agree, yet I would ask you this; is it possible to have a relationship with the word of God, yet miss a genuine relationship with God himself?  Here is where my old friend would say something like this, “Ah, but we prefer a comfortable distance from God.”  

Scripture itself testifies that one can substitute a relationship with the Bible for a relationship with God.  This is evident in Jesus’ rebuke of the Pharisees, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.”  (John 5:39 ESV)  It is entirely possible to have deep knowledge of Scripture and yet completely miss the point.  And what a tragic thing it is to miss the point, especially this one.   

The professional religious people in Jesus’ day got it wrong.  They dedicated their entire lives to the topic and missed the central subject.  I suspect that today this is in large part also the case with many of our professionals.  I’m certain that this has been the case for the overwhelming majority of my life as well.  My heart breaks that it may not be this way any longer.  Yet it is not as if I can pick myself up by the bootstraps and take the reigns to steer myself back onto proper course.  This is in fact the most disconcerting issue about the whole matter.  I am not the head in this relationship.  And I am so used to being the head, the granite headed way maker.  The reality however, is quite the opposite; Christ is the head.  He is leading in this dance and I can only hope to be enabled to follow.  Oh, but this is precisely what the Holy Spirit does.  He both teaches and enables us to follow Jesus’ lead.  

My gray headed friend, who only walks with the assistance of a cane or a walker, may have just taught me what it is to fly.

Words of Wisdom

I had a very helpful meeting with a good friend this week. I thought I'd share one of the many helpful insights he had to share. Just one for now. I'm guessing if I were to try to list them all it would look more like a book than a blog post - there may be more to come later:

"What you see God doing is never as important as what you don't see Him doing."

"He is always up to more than we can see. Our eyes are too dull and His work is way too subtle for us to be too comfortable with saying 'This is what He is or isn't doing.' It's kind of like the light spectrum. We are able to detect with normal vision only a fraction of the actual visual field. So i suppose that if you are fleshing out the metaphor, it means that God does His best work in the ultra-violet and infra-red."
- K.G.

Life is War!

____________________

Plans are established by counsel;

by wise guidance wage war.

- Proverbs 20:18
____________________

A wise man will solicit counsel and carefully consider the advice thereof. One who develops and engages strategic plans will be more effective than one who does not.

When life and death are on the line wisdom is especially valuable. While living in the valley of the shadow of death strategy, planning, and heeding wise counsel are well advised.

Life is war and the battle is for the affections of your heart. Therefore, with eternal consequences at stake, we must fight this battle and engage in this warfare with all diligence and with all available resources.

Steadfast Love, Poverty, & Dishonesty

____________________

What is desired in a man
is steadfast love,

and a poor man
is better than a liar

- Proverbs 19:22
____________________

Part 1:

Faithful and committed affection is both:
A) desired by mankind (man is the recipient)
and
B) desired from mankind (God is the recipient)

A) Desired by mankind

Steadfast love, which could also be described as faithful and committed affection, is a rare and treasured commodity among mankind. The greatest and purest source of this steadfast love is the love of God which was demonstrated most clearly in the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. He put His magnificent love on display by going through extraordinary means in order to make a way for us to know Him and enjoy Him forever.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
– Rom. 5:8

Mankind hungers for the magnificent love of God, though admittedly he may not know it. He does however endeavor to satisfy this hunger by a persistent pursuit of happiness – whether he seeks this happiness in God or elsewhere because of his ignorance of the ultimate source of true happiness.

B) Desired from mankind

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”
– Mat. 22:37

This is what the Lord desires, requires, and commands. Yet He does not leave us only to attempt obedience on our own, He enables that which He commands. As Augustine has said, “Command what you wish, but grant what you command.”

“But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
- Jer. 31:33

The Lord desires, requires, and commands this because of two reasons:
1) It honors Him
2) It is best for us – because He is best for us

Part 2:

Poverty is more valuable than dishonesty.

A great many have fallen into much trouble by concluding the very opposite of what this proverb says: that dishonesty is more valuable than poverty. Multitudes have demonstrated that they would rather lie than lose their material wealth, reputations, or positions. After all who would want to lose everything when he could simply be dishonest and avoid the hassle?

This evidences the fallen condition of creation in which the Kingdom principles are turned topsy-turvy and upside-down into the principles of this fallen world. The fallen world almost always reflects the opposite image of the Kingdom of God. In contrast, those who follow Him walk in His ways and thereby reflect rightly His glory and the glory of His Kingdom. In the midst of this topsy-turvy world, living as a citizen of His Kingdom looks quite foreign and often times even ridiculous. Does it not seem quite foolish (by the world’s standards) to be honest when it might cost you everything you own?

One famous example from recent history is President Clinton’s unforgettable lie in regards to the White House intern, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.” Apparently Clinton did not value honesty above his reputation or his position. Considering the moral decay which evidenced itself in this situation it is not surprising that dishonesty and perjury would be added to adultery – for when a wicked deed comes into the light it often brings its friends.

Offense & Good Sense

____________________

Good sense
makes one slow to anger,
and it is his glory
to overlook an offense

- Proverbs 19:11
____________________

One who is wise will have control over his temper. Overlooking offenses is an honor to one who possesses wisdom.

Seems Right Until...

____________________

The one who states his case first

seems right,

until the other comes

and examines him

- Proverbs 18:17
____________________

The first side of the story always sounds right until the other side of the story is heard. The truth of this proverb is often demonstrated in various circumstances at work. For instance when we respond to a domestic violence incident we separate the parties and begin to interview them one at a time. The first to speak always sounds right until the second party speaks. Often times the truth lay somewhere in between the two accounts.

Being Tested?

____________________

The crucible is for silver,
and the furnace is for gold,
and the LORD tests hearts

Proverbs 17:3
____________________

The extreme heat of the fire purifies precious metals, so also the Lord purifies the hearts of those who are His. Considering the context of the rest of the scriptures, this verse does not seem to be saying that He tests a heart as if He does not know what is in the heart to begin with. One example of such is seen in John 2:25 where it is made clear that the Lord does not need the testimony of men, for He knows what is in man. He who sees all need not be informed as to what is in the hearts of men.

The Lord knows us intimately, yet kindly He does not leave us the way we are currently. One of the reasons He orchestrates certain events and allows particular circumstances is to purify the hearts of those who are His. He has purposes in pain - though often we may not know what these purposes are this side of eternity. His all-knowing intentionality and complete sovereignty are massive foundations for us to rest assured that our sufferings are not in vain.

Destination Consideration

____________________

There is a way

that seems right to a man,

but its end is the way to death.

- Solomon, Proverbs 14:12
____________________


Who walks a path, and delights in it, knowing all the while that the path is heading in the direction of certain death? A great multitude imagine that the path they are on is correct, but they fail to comprehend its final destination.

The Wise & The Foolish

.

He who walks with the wise
grows wise,
but a companion of fools
suffers harm.
- Proverbs 13:20


Would you be wise? Spend time with those who are wise, sit at the feet of those who regularly demonstrate and teach wisdom. Wisdom is contagious. Those who desire it will walk with those who have it, with those who regularly pursue it. In contrast those who spend time with the foolish will succumb to the contagion of foolishness and will no doubt reap much trouble.

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