January 14, 2012

“Truly Wise”

Ephesians 1:7-9
He [God] is so rich in kindness that He purchased our freedom
through the blood of His Son, and our sins are forgiven.
He has showered His kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
God’s secret plan has now been revealed to us; it is a plan centered on Christ,
designed long ago according to His good pleasure. (NLT)

Incredibly, when the Lord redeems us, He not only forgives our sins and takes away the guilt and punishment for our rebellion, but He also provides the Holy Spirit to help us gain both wisdom and insight—two very essential ingredients that are needed for godly living. God’s written Word spells out everything we need to know about His will for our lives, but it is the Holy Spirit who gives us the ability to understand it and the strength to carry it out. Even those who have never obtained any academic degrees will gain the wisdom of God that surpasses even the most educated unbeliever. For as a believer you understand the most absolute and basic truths and values concerning life. You know that God is the Creator and He controls the course of history. You know the reason for mankind’s very existence is to know and glorify the Creator. As believers in Christ you have goals and priorities that rise above the limits of earthly circumstances. Such wisdom escapes the unbelievers because they tend to view the things of God as being either irrational or irrelevant, or they view God with total disdain. Unfortunately though, there are many Christians who believe that God’s will should be their priority for life, but think He is either too vague or His will is cleverly hidden from their sight. They tend to make the transfer from secular to biblical harder than it really is by searching for those hard to find, hidden messages found only between the lines of Scripture that, if discovered, will finally lead them down the path that God has chosen for them. My dear friends, God’s revealed will for our lives is the same for every believer and are easily found in the inerrancy of Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Once you understand what God’s will is, you will have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) and the confidence that He will use you in His plan for eternity. Remember, it is God’s will, not yours. Everyday that our sovereign and gracious God gives you is an opportunity to prayerfully ask God to give you what you need to fulfill His will for that day and in the process He will refresh your spirit with His Truth (Isaiah 40:31). The goal: to live a godly life in thanksgiving; a life that God will honor, and a life lived that will glorify His Holy and Mighty Name.

A Whisper of Hope
My will will be done…you need not look any further than the pages of My Holy Book. For within those pure pages is all you need to know about My will. Just trust and believe. Do not follow the world’s tested ways, for they are filled with deceit and falsehood. Find Me and find life.

2 Timothy 3:16, 17
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do. (NLT)

1 Corinthians 2:16
But we can understand these things
because we have the mind of Christ. (NLT)

But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength.
(Isaiah 40:31)