belief – Cross Culture Church

October 2018 Article “True Wisdom”

To believe in, or better stated; to place your confidence in a person or a thing is more than most have given full consideration to. It requires a level of trust with the willingness to submit your future to the object of your faith. The risk is higher and the effect is greater than what can be easily brushed off while the wound is healed by time. Time does not always heal the wounds of disappointments that reach deeply into the soul. I may believe you and hope that what you say and do is honest. However, if it is discovered that you were not completely honest, my loss was calculated by the amount of trust invested. But to believe in something or someone is placing the weight of my faith which governs my life determining decisions. I am the product of what I believe in. The measure by which I judge all things is determined by this. I make a distinction between what and who I believe on and who and what I believe in. To believe on a person is to trust them to do a particular thing or be a particular way. It places the burden upon their shoulders exclusively. But to believe in is when I get involved in the process. It has to do with what we are able to do together. I cannot complete my assignment without the one that I believe in. That person has become an intricate part of me.

True wisdom is expressed through what you believe in. First, there must be enough historical evidence to be worthy of our faith. Its objective must be to set you on the right path. It must have the strength to survive under the scrutiny of opposing philosophies and systems bent on contradictions to be you wrong. It does not offer a quick fix or patchwork but rather, reaches deeper into the subject matter. Knowledge is the compilation of facts without a clear understanding of the end. The pride of knowledge that is void of wisdom is a pompous attitude and a condescending disposition. That person thinks that he knows more than he really knows. The introduction of new facts or the path leading to the future will over time expose the ignorance of the one who is knowledgeable but limited to a restricted field of knowledge. The religious and the irreligious are equally guilty if one restricts God to academics without experience while the other restrict Him to past experiences without His Word made available to be experienced. True wisdom is exercised when you take God at His Word after having received His Spirit and becoming the message that God is speaking to the world.

One must be converted if he is to become wise. The wisdom that is contained within the Book for the Wise, the Holy Bible must be spiritually discerned. Conversion requires the power of God to transform one’s life, enabling him to see beyond the realm of created things. He is then aligned with the Creator who reveals Himself to Him and His relationship to all things created. It is within the context of all things created that the converted individual is enabled to know his purpose for living. Your worth is determined by God and your work is specific. He made you for the works that were created before the foundation of the world. Fools engage in endless and purposeless activities and die never knowing the reason why they were ever born. The wise will worship God because His knowledge of God places him on a quest to know the One who knows Him best. This is wisdom, to know Him even as you are known by Him.

09 Mar 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: March 9

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.” James 3:13

It appears to be a misnomer to use wisdom and meekness in the same sentence. Wisdom often elevates the pride of many who become even wiser in their own eyes. Godly wisdom is always to be accompanied with meekness for those who receive wisdom from God are constantly aware of its source. Whenever we lift our intellect to a level above that which requires simple faith, true knowledge would be eclipsed by vanity. Strong and convincing arguments may be impressive, but causes the mind to erode into believing a lie when the truth cannot yet be proven. The meek of the earth are teachable and can learn in order to participate with God in what He is doing. The wise and the prudent cannot even see it as being important, thus live their lives as contradictions even to their own beliefs. God will bring both beliefs and lifestyles into one. We can then live and speak what we truly believe.

29 Jan 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: January 29

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“Cultivate your own relationship with God, but don’t impose it on others. You’re fortunate if your behavior and your belief are coherent”. Romans 14:22-23 (MSG)

Every relationship worthy of preserving requires cultivation. Silence and inactivity signifies disinterest and unconcern. When one’s heart is aligned with God’s heart, we are blessed with the will to do things that would cultivate our relationship with Him. We cannot impose on others what has become uniquely our own; it is personal and intimate between us and God alone. Our response to Him is our response to what we have come to know of Him. He loves each of us, but loves each of us differently. We are loved into the destinies to which we have been called as He empowers us with His own strength. Our uniqueness ought to translate into a unique expression of worship and praise that only we are capable of expressing. Whether one is poetic, artistic, or oratorical, it will be to the praise of the glory of His grace. The most important matter is that both belief and behavior are cohesive. With this, you are most fortunate as we give both head, heart, and hand to Him.

08 Apr 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: April 8

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. (34) Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Luke 23:33-34

The blinding and paralyzing effect of sin restricts ones view and motion towards the right prerogative. It is blindness that causes those who engage in destructive activities to see no harm in them. It is there but without foresight, the immediate benefits outweigh the ultimate consequences. Jesus was placed between two common criminals as one among them. To see Him there, none would question why One with such a significant mission as to save humanity from the vice-grip of sin would be placed there. He did not reflect the opinions of the present authorities therefore they felt justified in removing the blasphemer who defied their beliefs. Sin also has a paralyzing effect upon its victims. Since they could see no further, they could move no further than to condemn and mock Him. How many times has this scene been played in the lives of those whose since of reasoning does not allow them to embrace God’s agenda? But Jesus loved even those who vented their hostilities against Him. He prayed to the Father, “Forgive them.” His appeal was because of their ignorance and blindness, “they do not know what they do.”How will what we are doing effect our future? Do we care or just do not know what we are doing? He prayed for us on the cross that our eyes be opened in order to see and know the Father through Him. Then we would be willing to do what please Him.

09 Mar 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: March 9

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.” James 3:13

It appears to be a misnomer to use wisdom and meekness in the same sentence. Wisdom often elevates the pride of many who become even wiser in their own eyes. Godly wisdom is always to be accompanied with meekness for those who receive wisdom from God are constantly aware of its source. Whenever we lift our intellect to a level above that which requires simple faith, true knowledge would be eclipsed by vanity. Strong and convincing arguments may be impressive, but causes the mind to erode into believing a lie when the truth cannot yet be proven. The meek of the earth are teachable and can learn in order to participate with God in what He is doing. The wise and the prudent cannot even see it as being important, thus live their lives as contradictions even to their own beliefs. God will bring both beliefs and lifestyles into one. We can then live and speak what we truly believe.

08 Jan 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: January 8

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” Psalm 27:13

Believing is more than a casual thought in the direction of God. It is a firm conviction that God will do everything He has promised. His glory will cover the earth and we will be glorified together with Him. Our faith is not in vain, nor will our prayers go unanswered; yet circumstances often make it easy to identify with the Psalmist would have otherwise lost heart.

Faith is not faith unless it has been tested. The trying of our faith is more precious than gold. When we believe even when there are no visible signs to support our beliefs, God is then the primary focus of our lives. His goodness is not limited to the past, but to the present. He is our present help in the time of trouble and He is working all things according to His definition of good and for our glory. Our trust in Him provides a means for Him to complete His work within us; then we are enabled to see the goodness of the Lord in all things.

31 Aug 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: August 31

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; (10) and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power”. Colossians 2:9-10

Friedrich Nietzsche, the German philosopher who announced the death of God placed his emphasis on the strength of the human personality. “Relinquishing the belief in God opens the way for human creative abilities to fully develop.” “The Christian, he wrote, “would no longer stand in the way, so human beings might stop turning their eyes towards a supernatural realm and begin to acknowledge the value of this world.” His idea was that “will power is the essence of reality”.

Today, the death of the God which is expressed through a shift in values is proclaimed even while using religious language. Asserting oneself and accentuating the positive while eliminating the negative supposedly have freed individuals from the bondage of their past. There is a super-human being on the scene that can control the activities of their god and create their own destinies. “If it is to be, it is up to me” has become the motto for daily living. God is about developing the human personality in ways far beyond the wildest dreams of Nietzsche. He thought it was possible to find one’s life while Jesus is about one losing his life that he might find it in Him. The aggression of egotistical behavior contributes to the destruction of the human race rather than the development of society. People are too busy trying to get for themselves what they want rather than having a true concern for God’s agenda and glorifying Him by giving Him what He requires. Listen more carefully to the message of this age or this world system, even in religious circles and you will hear this opposing gospel message seeping into the very center of what is being proclaimed. Only God can complete man and we are complete only in Him. He reigns over the things contributing to the conditions of man’s fragmentation. No one can rescue himself. All are in need of help. All are in need of God who is yet alive and well!

08 Apr 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: April 8

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. (34) Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Luke 23:33-34

The blinding and paralyzing effect of sin restricts ones view and motion towards the right prerogative. It is blindness that causes those who engage in destructive activities to see no harm in them. It is there but without foresight, the immediate benefits outweigh the ultimate consequences. Jesus was placed between two common criminals as one among them. To see Him there, none would question why One with such a significant mission as to save humanity from the vice-grip of sin would be placed there. He did not reflect the opinions of the present authorities therefore they felt justified in removing the blasphemer who defied their beliefs. Sin also has a paralyzing effect upon its victims. Since they could see no further, they could move no further than to condemn and mock Him. How many times has this scene been played in the lives of those whose since of reasoning does not allow them to embrace God’s agenda? But Jesus loved even those who vented their hostilities against Him. He prayed to the Father, “Forgive them.” His appeal was because of their ignorance and blindness, “they do not know what they do.”How will what we are doing effect our future? Do we care or just do not know what we are doing? He prayed for us on the cross that our eyes be opened in order to see and know the Father through Him. Then we would be willing to do what please Him.

29 Jan 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: January 29

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“Cultivate your own relationship with God, but don’t impose it on others. You’re fortunate if your behavior and your belief are coherent”. Romans 14:22-23 (MSG)

Every relationship worthy of preserving requires cultivation. Silence and inactivity signifies disinterest and unconcern. When one’s heart is aligned with God’s heart, we are blessed with the will to do things that would cultivate our relationship with Him. We cannot Impose on other what has become uniquely our own. It is personal and intimate between us and God alone. Our response to Him is our response to what we have come to know of Him. He loves each of us, but loves each of us differently. We are loved into the destinies to which we have been called as He empowers us with His own strength. Our uniqueness ought to translate into a unique expression of worship and praise that only we are capable of expressing. Whether one is poetic, artistic, or oratorical, it will be to praise of the glory of His grace. The most important matter is that both belief and behavior are cohesive. With this, you are most fortunate as we give both head, heart, and hand to Him.

16 Sep 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: September 16

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.” 1 Timothy 4:16

Doctrines have been the dividing line among many within the Church. The debate over doctrine has split brethren from fellowshipping with each other. And some who do not understand the importance of doctrine may either generalize all beliefs as being of equal value or dismiss all beliefs as being false. Doctrine or didache is teaching or what is taught. Right teaching or instructions will produce righteous living. Paul was admonishing Timothy to pay attention to how his own character was being developed in relation to what was being taught.

Is there an adherence to the Word of God bringing you into conformity to a godly standard? This can only take place when you continue in the original instructions which brought you to salvation, and build upon the foundation of those truths that which leads to spiritual maturity. Once you veer away to the left or to the right of the road rather than remaining on the path of truth, your capabilities to discern will be compromised. The life of the instructor and the life of the student must remain focused on the Chief Shepherd of our souls. Then the Holy Spirit can correct what is in need of correction in both. The student will not be trying to overtake the teacher neither will the teacher attempt to overtake God. Proper order will be established in order for Jesus to get His message through to all who are willing to learn from Him.