WISDOM FROM GOD’S WORD

 

WISDOM FROM GOD’S WORD

            It is amazing what we find when we choose to read the Word of God and allow it to speak to our hearts. Many times, we are so busy that we neglect the treasure chest of wisdom God has given us in the Bible. Here are just a few of His treasures and how they can change our lives.

            Ephesians 4:32 tells us, “And be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you.” Kindness is one of the simplest character traits yet can be difficult to find in this world. To be kind is to be considerate or helpful. But it’s more than that. It can be as simple as a smile or taking notice of someone’s value. And it can be as complicated as forgiving a serious wrong committed against us. This Scripture describes kindness as having a tender heart toward others and forgiving their offenses against us even when we have a right to hold a grudge. Kindness always chooses not to exercise that right. A tender heart knows everyone needs kindness extended to them. And those who are the worst usually need it the most. If we extend love and kindness where it is undeserved, we just might change a heart that needs to see Jesus. It’s a little easier to extend kindness to those who don’t deserve it when we remember how Christ extended His great kindness and love to us when He took our sin on Himself and forgave us. We were guilty, but He made us righteous. Maybe you are thinking of somebody right now that could use a little kindness, but you have been reluctant to forgive them. Or to acknowledge them. Go ahead and be kind and see how a little kindness can change hearts.

            Psalm 39:4-7 says, “Lord, let me know my [life’s] end and [to appreciate] the extent of my days; Let me know how frail I am [how transient is my stay here]. “Behold, You have made my days as [short as] hand widths, And my lifetime is as nothing in Your sight. Surely every man at his best is a mere breath [a wisp of smoke, a vapor that vanishes]! Selah. “Surely every man walks around like a shadow; Surely, they make an uproar for nothing; Each one builds up riches, not knowing who will receive them. [gather them after they are gone]. “And now, Lord, for what do I expectantly wait? My hope [my confident expectation] is in You.” This passage from Psalms could be a very depressing passage of Scripture. Or it could be a wake-up call. At this stage in my life, I often wonder, how did I get to this point so quickly? Regardless of the pace of our lives, the important question is “What will we leave behind when we leave this life?” Actually, we have already begun that process. If we are only leaving things of worldly value, we may be like King Solomon who said: “Then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me. And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool?” If we want to leave something of value that will make the foolish wise, we can leave a godly heritage, a godly example that will be ever etched into the minds and hearts of those who come after us – both wise and foolish. It is certain that we will not take anything from this world into the next. But when our treasures are in heaven, we can spend them here and take them with us. Then we can leave the map behind for the next generation to follow. If you’ve been laboring for the treasures of this world, it’s not too late to exchange them for the treasures of the kingdom of God. Let your confident expectation be in Christ.

            Psalm 32:1-6 begins with a blessing. “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah (That means to pause and calmly think of that). The next verse is the turning point. “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah  For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You In a time when You may be found.”  As long as we try to cover our sins, rationalize why they aren’t so bad, or just refuse to confess them, we will be miserable. God’s hand will be heavy on us. [because loves us]. We will stagger under the load of guilt. We can’t hide our sins from God. He knows every one of them. But when we confess our transgressions, and repent, we can have that heavy load lifted and be free! Why do we wait so long before we will do what is right – confessing sin, turning from it and being free? Go ahead right now and agree with God about any sin in your life. Confess, repent and receive freedom!

            In Psalm 32 we found freedom from sin. In Psalm 40 we find deliverance from overwhelming circumstances. “I waited patiently and expectantly for the Lord; And He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of a horrible pit [of tumult and of destruction], out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock, steadying my footsteps and establishing my path. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear [with great reverence] And will trust confidently in the Lord.” Notice the first word in this Psalm is “I”. The only thing that “I” did was to wait patiently on the Lord; quietly and steadily. That’s all it took to bring about all the other happenings in this Psalm. “I” simply cried out to the Lord and waited for Him to do the rest. The Lord bent down to listen to the cry of His child. Then He brought order out of chaos. He removed him from the circumstances that had closed in on him. The Lord caused the path that was slippery and unsure to become solid. That reminds me of the song, “On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.” He will do the same for you. And when He does, you can testify to the goodness of God and bring Him glory as well as hope to those who hear your praise.

            Psalm 18:30, 32 – “As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.” God never makes a mistake. He is completely flawless and has no defects. Everything He does is perfect. God never mis-speaks. Whatever He says will come to pass and He always speaks Truth, justice and mercy. We don’t have to wonder if He will do what He says. He has proven time and again that He will. Whatever He sees that needs to be done, He brings it to pass flawlessly, exactly fitting the need at exactly the right time, without fail. It’s easy to believe that about God; but what about the part that says, He makes my way perfect? When we trust the Word of God, He is our shield. Notice it says, “It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.” It is the strength of God that does the work. Not our own strength. If we just trust in Him, He will give us the Holy Spirit. That’s the Spirit of God Himself inside of us. He comes to guide us in the way we should go, give us the power we need to overcome obstacles, to say the right things at the right time. To speak Truth, justice and mercy. He will give us the strength to do what is right. He will give us His knowledge to say what is right. We can’t make our way perfect, but God can. If we  simply trust Him He will arm us with strength and make our way perfect.

                Psalm 19:14 is a prayer. “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.” That may be a prayer that seems impossible to have answered, but it’s not. Yet how many times have we had words come out of our mouths that we wished we could take back, but it was too late. One of the ways to prevent that is to think on the right things in our innermost being. Will that cure us from ever messing up again? No. But it will lead us on the path of being more like Jesus as we learn to push out thoughts that are not worthy of consuming our minds. Satan or other people may be used to put thoughts in our minds that are harmful, whether they cause us to distrust God, to think bad thoughts about others, or to cause us to fear or be angry. Those thoughts will come, but we don’t have to let them linger there. We can replace them with Scripture or other good things. Then our mouth will speak words acceptable to God. Our words are usually contingent on our meditation.

            Psalm 20:6-8 gives us great instructions on trusting in God. “Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the Lord our God. They have bowed down and fallen; But we have risen and stand upright.” When trouble comes our way, what is the first thing we do? A lot of people try to reason it out, work it out or bring out the trouble shooters. But the psalmist here had a better, more sure way. He looks at those who put their trust in the things of this world, and he sees their end result is destruction. So, he chooses to put his trust in the name of the Lord his God. He has full assurance that the Lord will hear from heaven and save those who call out to Him, to those who put their trust in Him. The name of God encompasses His character and His authority. When we know Him personally, we know we can trust both His character and His authority.  He is the God of the whole earth. Who are you trusting in today? We can draw strength from the Word of God and put our trust in Him without fear.