VOTD

Wisdom is Peaceable – Within – VOTD.12.18.17

But the wisdom from God is always…filled with peace… James 3:17

Christ-like wisdom is filled with peace. It’s peaceable and peace-loving. But what does that mean? Many people think that the opposite of being peaceable is being hostile and mean. But more often, the opposite of peaceable is the perversion of peaceable:

It’s a spirit of wishy-washy. It’s the spirit of ‘don’t make waves’. It’s standing for nothing. It’s selling out to keep the peace. It’s so focused on the absence of conflict that it trades off its personal peace to try to establish a fake peace—an outward appearance that looks like it has no conflict, but turmoil is just below the surface as tensions go underground, swept under the carpet, hoping it will just go away. That kind of ‘peace’ is just a powder keg waiting to blow up. (more…)

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Wisdom is Pure – In Heart – VOTD.12.12.17

Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8

Last time we saw that Christ-like wisdom is empowered by the Holy Spirit and is constantly being drawn toward more complete holiness both in our hearts and in how we live. To that we add today’s verse which was spoken by Jesus: “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.”

And there you have the goal of the Christian life: seeing God… Experiencing our Christian faith in such a way that we are seeing God. It’s all present tense here. Psalm 73:25 says, “Whom have I in heaven but you (that’s future) and on earth there is no one I desire besides you (that’s here and now).”

I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that today’s verse is the glue that holds all the rest of Scripture together. It’s the context for the teaching, the history, the stories. “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” How does that work in our everyday life…with our family, at work, in ministry…what does that look like?

To understand that we have to begin with the ‘heart’. In the Bible the ‘heart’ is used to describe the command center of our life. Who you and I are in our totality. It includes our emotions, our rationality, our reason, thoughts, decision-maker (where we make decisions), the place from which our words speak forth… Put it all together and we have a very comprehensive description of who we are. “As a mirror reflects the face, so the heart reflects the person” (Prov 27:19).

Next we need to understand ‘pure’. Pure means ‘undivided’. “Give me an undivided heart, O Lord, that I may wholeheartedly revere your name” (Ps 86:11). Sure, a pure heart is cleansed, but it’s clean because it’s undivided. It’s undivided between God and everything else. Jesus was still talking about this a chapter later when He said, “You can’t serve both God and Mammon” (6:24). You and I can’t server God and stuff—God and anything else. That’s not being pure in heart. That’s a divided heart. (more…)

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Wisdom is Pure – By Faith – VOTD.12.11.17

But the wisdom that comes from God is most of all, pure… James 3:17

Christ-like wisdom is pure since it is a gift from God, but we make a mistake when we think the opposite of pure is always impure—it isn’t; at least not all the time. The opposite of pure is the perversion of pure: it’s puritanical. It’s keeping rules and exerting discipline. It’s adhering to the “traditions of the elders”. Pure wisdom is not a mixture of rules and good intentions. Christ-like wisdom is empowered by the Holy Spirit and is constantly being drawn toward more complete holiness both in our hearts and in our life experience.

When the Holy Spirit is transforming our minds, then our thoughts are being purified…not only that, our desires mirror Jesus’ desires (that’s what real holiness is) in all aspects of life. We desire what God desires and He gives us the desires of our hearts because they are in line with His wisdom.

BUT, when we don’t allow the Holy Spirit to fill our thinking, attitudes, actions and desires, we are left trapped in all kinds of impurity. That’s when we start to rely on rules and traditions to achieve a pseudo-holiness—and the result is that we are puritanical and legalistic. Kind of like the Pharisees of old: hypocrites, knowing the right rules but powerless to actually carry out their ideals. (more…)

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Wisdom: Trustworthiness Brings Trust – VOTD.12.05.17

Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful (trustworthy) over a few things; I will make You ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord. Matthew 25:21

We ended last time asking the question: What do being trustworthy and wisdom have to do with each other? Just this: Wisdom recognizes trust for the incredible value it bestows upon us. Fools can blow off trust, and then wonder why no one believes them—even when they are sincere.

But when we treat the trust of others as a fragile gift… When we recognize that in trusting us people in our lives make themselves vulnerable and that in trusting us they have given us the power to harm them… We begin to recognize just how important maintaining a reputation of trustworthiness is.

When we are trustworthy, people can rely on us. We can be counted on to do what we say we will do. If we make commitments, we follow through on them. Being trustworthy doesn’t mean we will never let others down… we would have to be perfect to pull that off. But it does mean that we take the trust placed in us seriously and have a reputation of living up to it. So trustworthiness is both an attitude and a pattern of behavior that honors the trust placed in us. (more…)

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Wisdom Brings Trustworthiness – VOTD.12.04.17

“Of all my house, Moses is the one I trust.”  Numbers 12:7 (That’s God speaking.)

Trustworthy: Truthful, dependable, ethical, faithful and authentic. All these words combine to describe what a trustworthy person is like.

Most of us spend a lot of time trying to figure out whether God is trustworthy. When we face uncertain times, we wonder where God is; when prayers go unanswered, we question if He’s listening, if He cares.

But today’s verse changes the game appreciably. Perhaps the important question isn’t whether we can trust God… Maybe for those of us who want to live a life that is saturated in Jesus, a better question is: Can God trust any of us? Can God trust you? Can God trust me?

Of course, this is not a question God is trying to figure out. He already knows the answer. Yet, according to Jesus, our relationship with God depends a lot on whether God can trust us. The character representing God in His Parable of the talents says, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful (trustworthy) over a few things; I will make You ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.” (Matt 25:21)

The irony of all this, is that the way in which we become trustworthy to God is by trusting Him… that’s one of the key points of the parable. Unconditional trust in God is the only way we can become people who God can trust. Because it is only if all that we have—all that we are—has been relinquished into God’s hands that anyone can be trusted with those things. (more…)

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Wisdom Brings Peace – VOTD.11.28.17

The wisdom from above is always pure, filled with peace… Let your heart be always guided by the peace of Christ, who called you to peace as part of his one body, by always being thankful. James 1:17, Colossians 3:15

There are so many verses in the Bible that combine wisdom, peace and thankfulness. But the bottom line is Peaceless people don’t give thanks. Thankless people don’t have peace.

The expression and mindset of thankfulness has an amazing cleansing or healing nature within us that results in inner peace and when we’re at peace on the inside, external circumstances are changed. “The peace of God which passes understanding” permeates our lives in such a way that it is contagious. Gratitude brings the Spirit of peace to the giver and the receiver alike.

To really experience God’s peace, we must come to Him with thankful hearts. To really express thankfulness within us (and outwardly), we must “let the peace of Christ guide (our) hearts, since as members of one body (we) were called to peace and thankfulness” (Col 3:15)

Peace isn’t the absence of difficult circumstances. And we know that we can pray about these difficulties. But praying is not all that we can do. Paul wrote, “Do not be anxious about anything”—good start, but how? He continues, “but in everything by prayer and supplication WITH THANKSGIVING let your requests be made known to God. And THEN the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:6-7 emphasis added). (more…)

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Wisdom: Gift for the One Who Has Everything – VOTD.11.27.17

For although they knew God they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools.  Romans 1:21,22

God owns everything. That’s a simple theological truth. There is nothing we can give Him that He doesn’t already own. We can’t increase or add to Him. Part of the inescapable truth of the Gospel is that we are entirely and unavoidably recipients. We even “love Him because He first loved us” (1 Jn 4:19). “He is not served by human hands as though he needed anything” (Acts 17:25).

That’s just basic truth. But it raises an obvious question: if God owns all (1 Cor 15:28), how can we (who are nothing and have nothing by comparison) please him?

And that is the wisdom of giving thanks. God is so magnificent and so awesome, we have to respond somehow, but how can we respond in a meaningful way to Someone who’s got it all? We can’t add to his glory, but we can honor it. When you come down to it, there’s only one real answer to the question: What can I do for God? —To live for His praise and glory. (more…)

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Wisdom: The Opposite of Pride: Ingratitude – VOTD.11.21.17

For although they knew God they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and their senseless minds were darkened.  Romans 1:21

The Israelites grumbled in the wilderness, though God fed, clothed, and led them through it (Ex 16:2; Deut 8:2). We look at them today, and find it hard to believe how their ungrateful hearts took God’s daily miracles for granted, and we often miss the reality that we walk in their footsteps. Ingratitude is epidemic in our day in our society as well as in our churches.

The foundation of ingratitude is self-idolization. When it’s all about me, there’s not much room for gratitude. All that’s left is grumbling, complaining, arguing. That’s why Paul wrote this command: “Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world…” (Phil 2:14-15).

We look at our circumstances in pride, and our hearts tell us we are good, that we should get what we want, and if we don’t, it’s not fair and we’re justified in our complaining and demanding our rights. Because being comfortable and convenienced in every way…it’s our right. And the result is that anger wells up inside of us over our inconveniences and perceived inequities. That is false wisdom (Rom 1:22); it’s “showing contempt for the riches of His kindness” (2:4); it’s ingratitude. (more…)

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Wisdom: The Opposite of Pride: Entitlement – VOTD.11.20.17

In humility value others above yourselves. Philippians 2:3

Most Christians are aware that the law and God’s grace are at odds with each other. The best thing that often comes from attempting to follow the biblical law is that we learn that we can’t do it…leading us to surrender to the grace of God and find His yoke is easy and His burden light.

Entitlement worse in so many ways. It is more at odds with God’s grace than the law, and it doesn’t easily lead us to surrender to God’s grace, either. At its core, the Gospel is that we are not entitled to anything, except just punishment for our sins (Rom 3:23; 6:23). Entitlement rejects that truth.

As today’s verse shows, self-sacrifice stems from a humble heart. Entitlement is rooted in a prideful heart. We deceive ourselves into thinking we deserve better than we have: More love, success, comfort, accolades, more attention from people, and ultimately, we think we deserve God’s grace (which is an oxymoron).

Oh, yes… And we think we don’t deserve suffering, heartbreak, or correction. So when we do experience these things, we grow bitter, frustrated, and disturbed because we believe we’re entitled to a life that is more focused on ourselves and the people we love, and less focused on people we disagree with. We tacitly ignore that we deserve nothing. Apart from Jesus’ grace, we deserve condemnation.

Note: we are often better at covering up our spirit of entitlement in areas of what we deserve better than covering up our spirit of entitlement in areas of what we don’t deserve. Yet the presence of the latter always points to the former. (more…)

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Wisdom: The Opposite of Pride – VOTD.11.14.17

Be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:5-7

For the most part, pride is the opposite of wisdom. Wisdom and humility are often connected in the Bible and this is no coincidence. The reason: Pride leaves us vulnerable to just about every other root sin. Pride both drives us to sin and leaves us addicted. Pride destroys us. Here’s why:

Pride produces a self-righteousness, hypocritical spirit:
When we’re proud, we elevate our status in our own eyes. This makes us repugnant to the people around us (unless they’re playing along for what they can get out of it). Worse yet, pride has no room for the mercy of God. When we think we’re better (holier, closer to God) than everyone else, we’re incapable of not finding fault with others—while being blind to our own faults and weaknesses. We become slaves to our own pride. It’s a compulsion.

The Pharisees’ pride blinded them to their own sin and far worse, it blinded them to God’s mercy. It drove them to be callous and brutal toward others when they knew that loving their neighbor as themselves was God’s requirement. Jesus said: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness” (Mat 23:27). The vicious cycle here was that pride left them defenseless to sinful temptations like hate, and then they had to cover their sin to protect their pride. They were trapped—prisoners of their own egos.

Pride naturally leads to rebellion:
Rebellion is the reflex response of pride in our hearts. Rebellion says, “I know better than God,” when we don’t. Often prideful rebellion blinds us to what is in our own self-interest. But even when we can see what would be best for us, a rebellious heart prevents us from doing it. (more…)

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