wise – 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.

01 Jul 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: July 1

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“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.” 1 Corinthians 1:27

God very often uses simplicity in order to convey complexity. One’s rationale may cause them to miss out on the most important and profound things in life. They are hidden in the mysteries of God. He discloses Himself among poor and the downtrodden. He may even be found among little children rather than professors of higher learning. If we are not careful, we may miss Him when He speaks of things pertaining to issues we would feel to be unimportant. God whispers His Word in the midst of the shouting voices of our day. His silent gaze may be the extent of His message among the fanfare and excitement drawing the attention of the masses. He has chosen foolish things and foolish people who do not make much sense to us. Their message is strange when we have more important things to do. Our wholeness may be sought with vigor, while the key to it rests within the simple act of solitude and surrender. When we are still before Him and not too busy seeking what we ourselves are able to find or achieve, God can then show us what we were incapable of seeing alone. The world is blind to this, but His children are the only ones who have been enabled by His Spirit to see and possess that which comes exclusively from Him.

26 Jun 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: June 26

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“Since everything here today might well be gone tomorrow, do you see how essential it is to live a holy life.” 2 Peter 3:11 (MSG)

How quickly things can change from what we have grown accustomed to into something of which we are totally unfamiliar. The transitions occur as a judgment against every standard that opposes what ought to be established. The infusion of sin and the reinforcement given to it by an ever expanding majority opinion hastens the Day of the Lord. When right appears wrong and wrong appears right, God alone must vindicate His honor. He brings to naught systems and all under the authority of the rebellious and reestablish in its place newness. Do not be alarmed at the destruction of the wicked. These things must be if ever the Lord is to be glorified. Opposing and competing forces cannot coexist. The strength of the strong will overtake the weak, and the wisdom of the wise will befuddle the foolishness of the foolish. Since it will happen immediately, we should apply our hearts to live a holy life. The signs are before us now. The rapidity in changes around is our alarm as to how uncertain all things are. God alone is the constant that we can depend upon.

15 Jun 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: June 15

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“It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools.” Ecclesiastes 7:5

The course that many have chosen is one of sensationalism and entertainment. Their religious experience is none other than a palatable and rhythmic sound to lull their consciences to sleep while their hearts are further hardened against the truth. The rebuke of the wise is a wake up call to attention among the masses which are in a drunken stupor intoxicated by worldly passions. It is the awakening to God’s Truth convicting the soul in order for the Holy Spirit to turn them from darkness to light. It is the truest expression of God’s love dispelling ignorance to God’s ways thus leading towards an expected end. It is the rebuke, not merely the words of affirmation and consolation that redirects the course of the wayward traveler. We must know where we may have strayed if we are ever to return to the perfect path. Many would merely listen to the song, the lullaby of fools. When the music comes to an end, would our eyes be fixed on the prize of the high calling of God? Truth is often painful to begin with, but it eventually becomes the salve to heal the wound that it causes.

14 Jun 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: June 14

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“By knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.” Proverbs 24:4

The knowledge of God is the principle thing to be attained by all who would be wise. We are built up as the House of God and the Household of Faith. God Himself is to inhabit what the Holy Spirit is establishing as His permanent residence. This has to do with our personal identity and corporate identity. We are made wise to consider how the Church is interdependent and must function as the Body of Christ. It is through our unity that we are rightly constructed. Then each part contributes to the growth of every part. Never should we become exclusive in our endeavors to please God. The small portion given to the part will only inflate the ego and eliminate it from receiving the blessings of God’s promise. If the rooms are too filled with precious and pleasant riches, each room must allow Jesus Christ in that He might rearrange the furnishings, discard of the rubbish, and restore what is broken. When the fragrance of His Presence fills the room, life leading to life is the aroma of life. All is most precious because He determines the value of what He puts in place.

08 Jun 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: June 8

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Col 2:2-4 “I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God. Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ, God’s great mystery. (3) All the richest treasures of wisdom and knowledge are embedded in that mystery and nowhere else. And we’ve been shown the mystery! (4) I’m telling you this because I don’t want anyone leading you off on some wild-goose chase, after other so-called mysteries, or “the Secret.” (MSG)

The knowledge of God connects as a woven tapestry of love. Each part finds its significance in the whole thus touching every aspect of each life. The problem lies in one trying to understand and find answers to the influx of life’s questions apart from the Truth. It is there and has always existed, but that aspect of Christ yet to be known contains what is presently needed. Do not lose Christ yet to be known contains what is presently needed. Do not lose your focus on Him. When you do, you are out of focus. Other things may appear as more than they are. They are but smoking mirrors, tricks of the enemy to allure you away from your primary purpose. The further you travel down that road the more confused you will become. Wisdom is embedded in the mysteries of Christ and nowhere else. Know this and you will be wise in your pursuit of wisdom.

26 May 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: May 26

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“And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” Matthew 13:10

He spoke to them with simplicity, but with profundity. There were natural things that they were able to see and understand. Therefore the language of Jesus was overly simplistic. Often His message is ignored because those to whom it has not been given may easily dismiss truths with such depth that the sharpest of minds may spend a lifetime examining one sentence, yet not be able to scratch the surface of its meaning. God has “hidden these things from the wise and the prudent and have revealed them unto babes.” There is a language that is coded for those whose hearts are open to receive the message. One must have a heart of understanding in order to have a mind of understanding. When Jesus speaks, we must hear Him with our hearts and not just our ears. The parables separated the seekers from the groupies. There are crowds that gather for entertainment. There is another select few that want to know the Lord. They have blessed ears to hear, eyes to see, and hearts to understand.

23 May 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: May 23

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“You’ll find wisdom on the lips of a person of insight, but the shortsighted needs a slap in the face.” Proverbs 10:13

We must see into a matter and not just casually view it. It is the gaze accompanied by a rash opinion that influences many today. Little wonder why it has become so difficult for sound reasoning to be the guiding principle for so many. There are precious hidden nuggets contained within many messages that are hurriedly scanned by the minds of those who are wise in their own eyes. It requires the Holy Spirit and meditation on what God has promised in order for His Word to be rightly interpreted. The heart must be prepared first. Then one can ponder in their hearts what they have heard before they speak. If the old references remain in place, the pollution within the mind will distort the truth rather than purifies the soul. The Holy Spirit must be our filter so that we are enabled to attain a heavenly perspective. Our vision then would not be shortsighted, but we are enabled to participate in God’s eternal plan.

06 May 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: May 6

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“If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen the edge, Then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success.” Eccl 10:10

The energy and strength exerted by the man who tries to figure things out on his own is constantly exerted. Yet the results are minimal because it is only mind challenging matter. The mind cannot achieve all that is believed when the axe is dull. But when God sharpens the edge, His Spirit begins to work and the prayer on earth is answered from heaven. God sharpens our axe in order to allow us to work with wisdom guiding us along the way. The Eternal God uses His faculties seeing the end before the beginning. He knows what it takes beforehand for the children of God to accomplish His will. We have a sharper cutting edge when we pray continually and do not lean to our own understanding. Then when His Word is spoken, it is sensible because the heart has been prepared to make room for the truth. Each moment must count with eternity in view. The wise seeks after wisdom and more is given to him. But the fool thinks that he has already attained it, thus grows more foolish. Success awaits us but we must maintain our cutting edge.

17 Apr 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: April 17

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“He shall die for lack of instruction, and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.” (NKJ)

“Death is the reward of an undisciplined life; your foolish decisions trap you in a dead end.” (MSG) Proverbs 5: 23

A warning to the wise is the anecdote to his falling away and divorcing himself from his wisdom. Disciples are to exercise disciplines in order to safeguard areas that would otherwise be vulnerable to the enemy. He is seeking to influence those who have taken pride in their stance as being invincible thus allowing their guards to be down. Death is the price paid for our redemption. Since we are alive to Christ and dead to the world, Satan’s ploy is to attempt in resurrecting things that once dominated and controlled our lives. Daily decisions have far-reaching and severe consequences. Nothing is done in isolation from a path leading to a destination. And nothing is done that does not follow a pattern of living modeled by a master. Our death in Jesus Christ produced life with a purpose. We are being led to triumph over all the works of darkness. Our thoughts must be directed towards the eternal unless we become entrapped by temporal pleasures requiring more than we have come to understand. We must allow wisdom to teach and guide us in a straight path.