Ask God for Wisdom

"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. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." (James 1:5-8, NIV)

Webster defines wisdom as "the ability to discern inner qualities and relationships; insight; good sense; judgment." It denotes the capacity to understand something and to act upon that understanding. Paul urged: "Look carefully, the, how you walk, not as unwise but as wise" (Ephesians 5:15). The Psalmist declares "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Psalm 111:10) and this declaration is reiterated in Proverbs 1:7. And again in Proverbs 8 wisdom is valued highly. God acted in wisdom in creation and wisdom is a gift He wants to bestow on His creation made in His image: "For wisdom is more precious that rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her." (Proverbs 8:11).

James got right to the point. "If you lack wisdom...ask God...and it will be given." But the asking has requirements: "ask, believing that you will receive." Wisdom is a gift from God as seen in Ephesians 1:17-18. Human wisdom based on our experience is not alone sufficient to meet life's storms. Wisdom provides the necessary discernment to weather the storms. And when we ask God, believing, we will receive the wisdom (discernment and judgment) we need. Wisdom also differs from knowledge. We can gain much knowledge, accumulate it from various fields of learning as we study and seek. Wisdom, on the other hand, helps us do the right thing as we face moral dilemmas and deal with other challenges of life. James further describes God's wisdom in 3:17: "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" (NIV) God promises the wisdom we need to face the dilemmas and decisions that come our way. How is my praying for wisdom? Do I seek God's guidance in the decisions and affairs of life? Am I troubled and undecided? Simply pray for wisdom, believing. God wants to grant us the gift of wisdom and He stands ready to pour it out on humble hearts that seek discernment. We don't need to be storm-tossed and double-minded in life. God's wisdom can give us instead a solid anchor and a clear mind, one imbued with His wisdom.

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Sunday, October 10, 2010

Ideal Pattern for Marriage

“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband” (Ephesians 5:31-33, NIV) [Read Ephesians 5:22-33].

Family relationships are extremely important in any culture and social order. Paul gave the pattern for ideal marriage in Ephesians 5:22-33. He began by stating that wives are to submit to their husbands “as to the Lord.” The relationship is extremely sacred, likened to that of Christ to the church. Christ is the head of the church, loving the church, His bride, so much that He gave His very life for it.

The husband is to love his wife just as Christ loved the church. And the wife is to submit to her husband, just as the church submits to its Head, Jesus Christ.

This ideal pattern for marriage, Paul wrote, is a “profound mystery” [speaking of Christ and the church]. Our society does not consider marriage on the level of sacred relationships, as Christ to His church. Today in our society, marriages are in grave trouble. Commitment so often is not considered a tie that binds for life. When relationships go sour, the couple goes their separate ways. Divorce is common, painful, ugly and hurtful to many—not only the couple but to the children. Divorce is a failed relationship.

On the other hand, when God’s pattern is followed for marriage, the ideals for personal relationships in the most sacred social bonds are realized. We hear sometimes of “a marriage made in heaven.” This is the bond when both husband and wife recognize the Lordship of Christ and their lifelong love and commitment to each other—through thick and through thin, through sickness and through health, through joy and through sorrow. It is solid as a rock—solid as Christ’s love for the Church, and the true church’s love for the Lord. In the ideal marriage relationship, Christ has the preeminence and submission one to the other is a joy.

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Walk in Wisdom

“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:15-17, NKJV) [Read Ephesians 5:15-21].

Walking in wisdom always requires seeking God as guide. And how can a person do that? First, avidly and sincerely study the Word of God, for it is, as the Psalmist declares, “a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). From the Word of God, written and preserved for our edification and wisdom, the issues of life are covered. Add to Bible study prayer. “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him when He is near” (Isaiah 55:6). Jesus promised that if we “ask…seek…knock” (Matthew 7:7) we will receive of the Lord. It is imperative that we “walk in the wisdom of the Lord” at this time, for “the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16). We have only to listen to a newscasts or read the daily paper to know, indeed, that we live in very troublous and evil times, with fraud, murder, subterfuge, wars, every evil the mind can conceive afoot in our society. We could become very depressed, give up and say, “Why try?” But the God-seeking heart knows that above all human deviations God is in control. And in wisdom we seek to walk in His way and in His will. And moreover, He will grant us the strength to walk in His way.

The cited passage for today tells us “not to be drunk with wine which leads to debauchery,” (Ephesians 5:18). Sobriety and abstinence from drugs and alcohol are necessary for wisdom to be operative. We need all the “brain-power” we can muster to be on guard against evil and to do good. And an excellent way to approach each day is to invite the Lord into all that you do. Begin by praise, “singing and making music in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19). Furthermore, “give thanks to God the Father in everything” (v. 20). Now, that is a hard one to do. Personally, I have had to struggle with giving thanks for my husband’s condition of Alzheimer’s. How can “bad things happen to good people?” But there are so many things for which to give thanks: his care, provision for it, his comfort and meeting his needs as much as possible. Thanks is so much better than pity or regret. “Be very careful, then, how you live, --not as unwise but as wise—making the most of every opportunity (Eph. 5:15). God is in control. Therefore, walk in the wisdom of God. And ‘be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ’ (Eph. 5:21). These are required in the circumspect walk. May we think on these things and sincerely seek to follow the paths of wisdom.

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Living as Children of Light

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light [for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth] and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” –Ephesians 5:8-11. NIV. [Read Ephesians 5:1-14].

In Chapter 5 of Ephesians, Paul continued his practical advice for Christian living. In this passage, He began in 5:1 by setting the stage: “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just a Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” How can we be “imitators of God” and “live as children of light”? Do these happen instantaneously when we become a Christian and identify our lives with the Lord of life? Unfortunately, it takes learning, development, growing into the person we ought to become. It comes first with the salvation experience when we change directions and place our life in the hands of the Lord. Then the life-long learning experience begins. Jesus was with his disciples for about three years before His death. Those years were spent in intensive learning as Jesus taught them the principles of right and wrong, of Christian living and selfless service. Fortunately, we have His teachings in the gospels. These we ought to know and follow. Paul gave in his epistles to the churches a practical application of what it means to live as kingdom people. Study and application are at the heart of living in the light of Christ and being imitators of God. We learn the Word. We make its precepts a part of our life practice. We do much rejecting of wrong and choosing the right way. We “practice the presence of Christ” so that He becomes our Light. This takes a deliberate will on the Christian’s part to “study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth” as Paul urged in II Timothy 2:15.

In The Message version of the Bible by Eugene H. Peterson, Ephesians 5 is very clear. This passage is summed up with some plain words and advice: “It’s a scandal when people waste their lives on things they must do in the darkness where no one will see. Rip the cover off those frauds and see how attractive they look in the light of Christ. Wake up from your sleep, Climb out of your coffins; Christ will show you the light!” (Ephesians 5:12-15). Our help for living the victorious Christian life is found in the Word and with the direction of the Holy Spirit. The choices and the practice are ours to live as children of light. For some practical advice on living a Christian life that is above-board and a light in a dark world, may we read carefully and apply Paul’s teachings in Ephesians chapters 4 and 5.

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Monday, June 21, 2010