'wisdom' Tagged Posts
Daily Devotions
Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you.” vs. 12 1 Kings 3:9-12 After Solomon had ordered the death of his older brother and thus consolidated his power, the ancient court history recounts in a scene reminiscent of the Arabian Nights that the Lord, like a genie, appears to him in a dream and offers to give him whatever he wants. Solomon…
Daily Devotions
As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes true, then it will be known that the Lord has truly sent the prophet.” vs. 9 Jeremiah 28:7-9 Jeremiah was suspicious of the prophet Hananiah. It might well be true that Hananiah’s placating message was from the Lord–if so, they’d soon find out. But in Jeremiah’s experience the true prophets always called for repentance and change, and if our scriptures can be trusted, he was right!…
Daily Devotions
For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.” vs. 17 1 Corinthians 1:14-18 Pastors who can preach with eloquence are highly prized in our congregations, and if they can throw in a dash of humor they are exalted. The best of them have their sermons live-streamed into multiple settings so that even more folks can be enthralled…
Daily Devotions
He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption…” vs. 30 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 Paul sensed that one of the problems in the Corinthian congregation was that some of the people had begun to think more highly of themselves than they ought to think. He reminds them that when they were called to become believers they were all nobodies, and none of them was in any…
Daily Devotions
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever.” vs. 10 Psalm 111 For centuries there wasn’t much question about the primacy of the Lord. Pretty much everyone, at least in the Judeo-Christian heritage, would have agreed with the psalmist–the Lord was in control and showered blessings over the entire earth. Our awesome God had power and might and was also gracious and merciful. But somewhere…
Daily Devotions
Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.” vss. 6-8 1 Timothy 6:6-12 The wisdom in these few short verses is overwhelming. Obviously, accumulation was an issue even for first century followers of Jesus, and some seem to have been infected by the notion that more is better.…
Daily Devotions
For the ransom of life is costly, and can never suffice, that one should live on forever and never see the grave.” vss. 8-9 Psalm 49:1-12 This psalmist, like the Teacher of Ecclesiastes, has accumulated a fair bit of wisdom in the course of his life, and he passes on an important oft-forgotten truth. No one lives forever, no matter how much money they might have! For him this knowledge brought peace and a freedom from fear and anxiety. He…
Daily Devotions
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ.” vs. 8 Colossians 2:6-12 Humans are enormously curious and are always on the lookout for new knowledge, wherever in the universe we can find it. We take advanced courses in universities, read countless books, and subscribe to any number of podcasts, all in the hope of discovering some new…
Daily Devotions
Does not wisdom call, and does not understanding raise her voice? … ‘To you, O people, I call, and my cry is to all that live.’” vss. 1, 4 Proverbs 8:1-4 Many thousands of years ago as humans began to live in community, they took note of those things that made for peace and harmony–the actions and behaviors necessary for people to achieve common goals and avoid discord. For generations these tidbits of wisdom were stored up by leaders and…
Daily Devotions
Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.” vss. 51-52 Luke 2:41-52 The four gospels found in our scriptures say virtually nothing about Jesus’ life before his baptism. Essentially he came out of nowhere and changed the world! But we do have one little story, one that Luke discovered and…
Daily Devotions
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.” vs. 17 James 3:13-4:3 In recent years we’ve seen an avalanche of purported wisdom poured out on social media and every kind of journalistic platform. Almost all of it is carefully designed to fuel our passions and promote discord and dissension on every level. It’s infected neighborhoods, schools, and even our churches–and we’ve…
Daily Devotions
You must observe them diligently, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people!’” vs. 6 Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6 Even in its best years Israel was not a particularly imposing country. It lacked size and resources and wasn’t in a position to rule or conquer. Through most of its history it was subject to the whim of its more…