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

Holding God’s Word in Reverence

(Theme: Selections from the Psalms—Faith Set to Music)

“Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. Blessed are they who keep His statutes and seek Him with all their heart…Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path…Let me live that I may praise You, and may Your laws sustain me. I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten Your commands” –Psalm 119:1-2; 105; 175-176. (NIV. Read Psalm 119).

Psalm 119 is another of the Wisdom Psalms. It is the longest of all the Psalms, divided into 176 verses. It is arranged in twenty-two sections, each headed by a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This devotional is by no means an effort to unveil the rich truths of this long psalm, but to give some thoughts on how the psalmist held God’s Word in reverence and wanted to live by its precepts. The writer of the psalm invites us to do the same.

This whole psalm reflects a worshiper’s enthusiastic commitment to the Scriptures.

In the Psalmist’s day, not as much of the holy writings were available as we have today. But this psalm is rich in what the Word of God is, what it can do in the life of the believer, and the changes and responses that can come as a result of knowing the Word and walking by its precepts. “Blessed”—happy are those who walk according to the law of the Lord. Psalm 119:105 has been set to music. We sing it at Vacation Bible School and sometimes in regular worship. The tune to which it is set keeps lingering in the mind long after the occasion of singing: “Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” Even as I write these words, the song is in my heart and in my thinking, and I thank God for His Word.

The writer for study helps in The Disciple’s Study Bible, Dr. Alton H. McEachern, has this to say about the value of God’s Word: “The written Word leads us to praise God, live morally pure lives, teach the Word to others, want greater understanding, know God’s grace, pray for help in trouble, find hope for life, meditate, be angry at sin, sing, evaluate our lives, appreciate God’s love, see the goodness of God, understand our afflictions, recognize the value of God’s Word, become an example for others, confess the eternal trustworthiness of God’s Word, gain self-confidence, recognize God’s righteousness, experience God’s peace, confess our sins, and trust God’s promises.” (p. 728, in note) Is it any wonder that included in the wisdom Psalms is one which has the deep theme of loving and reverencing God’s Word? That every Christian should do. We all go astray like sheep. God’s Word is the staff of life that guides us back into the godly way.

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Bereans Receive the Message Gladly

“Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men.” –Acts 17:10-12.

When the citizens of Thessalonica stirred up trouble against the mission team made up of Paul, Silas and Timothy, their Christian friends in that city helped the men to leave by night. Their next stop for preaching and teaching was the city of Berea. A Jewish synagogue was already established there. In that location Paul preached that Christ was the Messiah foretold by the prophets.

A good thing happened at Berea. The people met together, received the word “with all readiness and searched the Scriptures daily to find whether these things were so.” They were inspired, of course, by Paul’s word, but they searched out the answers for themselves.

A favorite name used for Sunday School classes is Berean, for good reason. The ones who met in Berea to hear Paul “searched the Scriptures daily” and sought the truths found therein. When people honestly search the Scriptures, they discover the truth. The Word of God is more powerful than a two-edged sword, we are told in Hebrews 4:12-13. Paul no doubt preached with authority. But the people themselves searched for truth from the scrolls of Scriptures available to them in the synagogue at Berea. This openness to God’s truth resulted in many conversions there, both of men and women, of Jews and Greeks. Those who didn’t want Paul to preach in Thessalonica soon heard of the Berean ministry. They went to Berea and stirred up trouble. Again, Paul was sent on his way to the coast and then escorted to Athens. But Silas and Timothy remained in Berea for awhile, no doubt teaching the eager learners. Later they joined Paul in Athens.

We can learn much from the Bereans’ example. Study God’s Word, for in it are found answers to the issues of life. “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). The words of Psalm 119:103 should be our daily testimony: “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.” “O how I love Thy Word. It is my meditation day and night.” (Ps. 119:97).

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Friday, April 30, 2010

Loving the Word of God

“O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” –Psalm 119:97, 105 (KJV) (Read all of Psalm 119.)

Loving the Word of God, the Bible, should be a very natural affection of the Christian. How else except in the pages of His Holy Word do we read and hear His words day by day?

Set aside a time each day to read and meditate upon God’s Word. Make this spiritual exercise as vital to your life as eating food and taking drink. The Word of God is “sweet unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”—Psalm 119:103.

The longest of the 150 psalms, Psalm 119, is an extensive poem in praise of the Word or the Law of God. Writing with a grateful and overflowing heart, the psalmist invites us to love, rejoice in, learn from and heed the Word of God.

We are most fortunate. The Bible is easy for us to access. We no longer live in the age when Bibles were chained to pulpits of churches to insure that they remained where priests or elders could read them to the people. Moreover, most of us have the capability of reading, and with our available copies of The Word, we can read and interpret for ourselves, applying its truths to our lives and absorbing them for our edification and meditation.

Do you sometimes take the Word of God for granted? Do you think it will always be available, and therefore you can neglect somewhat its daily wisdom, thinking that it will be accessible when you do take time to peruse its pages? We pray availability of God’s Word will be the case as long as life lasts for us. But it could be taken away. We could enter a period of persecution; we could be buffeted for our faith; our health could fail, and due to mental or visual decline we could no longer read God’s Word. Read and study it now, while nothing (except your choice) prevents your daily, regular rendezvous with the Word of God!

Therefore, it behooves us to study His Word prayerfully, commit passages to memory for the night watches when we need the comfort of His Word, and store its truth in our memory for ready access and guidance. Here is a prayer for today or any day about how I should love God’s Word: “Consider how I love Thy precepts: quicken me, O Lord, according to Thy lovingkindness.” --Psalm 119:159.

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Friday, February 26, 2010