The Wisdom of The Wise!

The lips of the wise broadcast knowledge,

but not so the heart of fools. Proverbs 15: 7

A mocker doesn’t love one who corrects him;

he will not consult the wise. Proverbs 15:12

He who is wise listens,

He who is foolish, scorns and mocks.

He who receives correction earns respect,

He who mocks correction earns disdain.

He who seeks The Lord first is encouraged,

He who ignores The Lord is dismayed.

Those who praise God in the beauty of Holiness,

Are filled with hope and never despair.

Those who know–God–not just about Him,

Are blessed to be His children.

Is it wisdom or fate to speak what God says,

To obey when God speaks, and receive what God has?

The wisdom of the wise keeps flowing freely

While the ignorance of fools keeps them enslaved.

Are you wise or foolish, blessed or cursed?

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Blessed Quietness!

The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good. Ecclesiastes 9:17,18 NIV

We are told in other places in scripture that it is the fool or the foolish who think for their much speaking someone will be deceived into thinking they are wise. Actually, what we hear in the quietness is more precious than the noise of one who simply loves the hear the sound of their voice.

In the quiet, we can hear Holy Spirit speak and when He speaks to us, we know it is wisdom from on high. This does not mean that we cannot hear Him in the midst of a storm of foolishness, but within our spirits, we can obtain the quietness of His assurance and what a blessing that is!

Often in the midst of debating or disagreement with others, we have to allow our spirits to quiet down and hear what Holy Spirit is saying so we won’t dishonor God with our actions or words. I am so glad He loves me enough to cause me to listen and hear and then obey.

For it is not enough to just hear–we hear noise all the time, some we recognize and others we may not. But if we listen–focusing on the voice who is speaking to us from within, we hear and once we hear, we should obey. The blessing that comes with obedience is priceless, but the consequence of ignoring Him, is paid with a price that many cannot pay.  There is an adage that many are familiar with in certain circles and it goes like this: “Don’t let your mouth write a check your behind can’t cash.” In other words, we should exercise caution in speaking about things we cannot back up or handle if they fall apart.

Unfortunately, there are many people–Believers and non-believers–who tend to think that if they talk louder and are more abrasive than those to whom they are speaking, they are making an impression of their greatness. They are making an impression–but it’s not of greatness, but foolishness. Any time a person feels the need to raise the decibel level of their voice above normal speaking tones in talking to either one person or a small group of people, they are making a fool of themselves. Getting loud and obnoxious is not a virtue, it is an attribute of insecurity and the more agitated they get, they louder they get and everyone can see them for who they really are.

There is another passage of scripture that says, “even a fool–when he is quiet–is esteemed wise.” Abraham Lincoln put that same intent–more bluntly. “It’s better to be quiet and thought a fool, than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt.” The blessing of quietness!

We have probably all known at least one person (maybe many) who has to be the center of attention–no matter what the discussion is–because they love the sound of their voice. And in their deluded minds, they feel they are wiser than any other and will not concede when they are wrong, but will continue to make a fool of themselves with their much talking. 

Jesus warns us about those when praying–who think because of their much talking–the long-winded prayers, they will be heard. Those who pray in this manner have never read–with understanding–that it is not how long we pray or how loud we pray that gets results, but it is –our faith to receive–what we ask for that moves God.

So a word to the wise and to the foolish–there is nothing in the noise but chaos and confusion, but in the quiet–there is a great blessing–the opportunity to hear Holy Spirit and obey.

Can We Afford To Forget After Forgiveness?

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. (Colossians 3:12-15 NIV)

There is a common fallacy promoted among Christians that lead to the destruction of the foundation of our faith in The Word. We are told to forgive, not to forget, “Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.”(Deuteronomy 4:9 NIV).

What we mistake is God’s tossing our sins into the sea of forgetfulness and Him saying, He’ll remember our sins no more. We are not God and since we have no eternity for anyone, we cannot presume we are.

When we are told to forgive–we should forgive those who cause us harm, but if we forget–we put ourselves into the same position to be harmed all over again. That is not wisdom, and we are told repeatedly to exercise wisdom, once we have obtained it from on high.

One of the reasons the world is in the shape it is–our forgetfulness–we forget what God has said and has done for us and to those who have chosen to rebel against Him. And with each generation who forgets–tragedy falls upon the people. We see this with the reign of the kings who ruled over the Children of Israel–those who remembered what God has said and done for them–prospered; those who forgot caused calamity after calamity to fall upon the people. If we forget history events and learn nothing from them, we open the door for it to repeat itself. And it is usually the negative events that repeat themselves.

We are not to hold grudges against people when we forgive–that does not mean we forget. Jesus tells us to forgive–seventy times seven–He never says to forget. The seventy times seven does not mean we keep forgiving a person for doing the exact same thing. That is not wisdom and if we are to grow–become mature in The Word–we need to know how to rightly interpret what is said and understand the intent and purpose.

We can forgive a debt owed to us, but that doesn’t mean we should allow a person to become indebted to us again–knowing their history for ignoring their obligations. We can forgive someone who has abused us, but that doesn’t mean we stay in their presence–giving them opportunity to keep abusing us. We can and should forgive people–but we should never forget. “Wisdom is the principle thing” and without exercising wisdom, we never move forward and wonder why we are stuck in a rut.

I’m thankful that God is God and that He forgives us our sins, but His forgiveness does not negate the consequences, nor does it mean we should keep sinning. When we repent of our sins, turning away from those things we have done–not to do again, He forgives and forgets. If we keep doing the same thing over and over again, we have not repented, and He is not obligated to forgive or forget.

We must forgive the acts by people who don’t know any better–but we don’t hold any grudges against anyone–it only creates difficulty for us. However, we should never forget–so we don’t give them opportunity to repeat themselves.

Consider This!

“Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing and benefits those who see the sun. Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves those who have it. Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what He has made crooked? When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other, therefore, no one discover anything about their future.” (Ecclesiastes 7:11-14 NIV)

For if we function with the wisdom of God leading everything we do, we shall see all the good things that He has in store for us, but if we have not His wisdom, and simply rely upon the knowledge we obtain, we are subject to erring along the way.

God’s wisdom is certainly greater than any mere mortal’s imagination and if we ever get to a place where we truly understand this, the world will be in a better place. Yes, we learn things from trial and error, reading books written by mortals, exploring and discovering, but think about how much we could accomplish if we sought God–before we did anything–and allowed Him to lead us.

One of the most amazing things we see today is the “discovery” by some–who believe they were born in the wrong bodies. With this discovery after living as God intended them to live, they now want to change what God has done. “Who can straighten what God has made crooked?” People can try to change the externals of their existence, but the intrinsic, nature of God poured into each being, will never change. When we “think” we know better than God, we have succumbed to the enemy’s influence and it was because he thought he was greater than God that he was thrown out of heaven. How can the creation ever become greater than the Creator? 

When we acknowledge our positional relationship with God, we obtain the benefits and advantages, but we also know that when it rains on one side of the street, it will also rain on the other–unless a person lives in Houston (I’ve watched it rain on one side of the street and not the other–fascinating). The point here is when the good times roll–economically and spiritually–for all the saints–it rolls for the sinners as well and when the bad times come–especially for those who were not wise enough to know–they would come–the sinners and saints have to deal with the consequences.

Economic downturns affect everyone–the good and bad alike. Nature’s storms affect all–good and bad alike. Even if the affect is not a direct hit–the impact of radiating disaster affects all–and we all see the increase in food cost, fuel cost, energy cost and insurance rates–whether we live in an affected area or not. The effect of legalized sin affects all–from the change in marijuana laws to same-sex marriages and we see it on a daily basis. Because no wisdom was exercised before legalizing sins–we will now see the unfolding and revealing of the true nature of the beast and then–when the final effects are felt by all (the domino effect)–we’ll understand that without God’s Wisdom reigning over all we do–disaster is sure to follow.

Now, consider these things: seek God, and move in His wisdom! Will we be wise or will we be foolish? The choice is entirely ours to make.

A Little Folly!

“As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.” (Ecclesiastes 10:1 NIV)

The dead attract flies who are drawn by the decay and odor and when I see flies swarming–over any dead thing–I smell the odor that accompanies death. When people choose to function without wisdom from above and have no honor–for themselves or others, the folly that is the end result–outweighs the good of those who operate with wisdom and honor.

We see demonstration of folly getting more attention that wisdom on a daily basis. One of the reasons most people there is more bad or evil in the world is because that is what is reported the most.

Racism seeps and creeps into minds of people who think that all people are like those who are reported caught in doing stupid or evil. People from all races of people–all ethnic backgrounds–do stupid, but that does not mean that all the people categorized as that particular race do stupid all the time.

Because all we hear or see in the news is negative–we soon develop negative attitudes about all sorts of things. Most of us no longer trust politicians because of a few doing stupid things while in office, but that doesn’t mean that all politicians are corrupt, dishonest, adulterers, or philanderers. Not all politicians are only interested in preserving the economic classicism that exists in this country, but the few that actually care about people are seldom discussed in the news.

Not all teachers are sexual predators, but because those who are have made the headlines on more than one occasion, some people think that teachers are the reason for all the ills of education.

Not all teenagers are foolish and depraved, but when we only see those who are–splashed across the television screen or posted on social media doing stupid, we tend to think that all teenagers act like those we see–shown in a negative light.

Not all preachers or priests or church leaders are morally bankrupt, but we wouldn’t know that if we base our opinions on what we see in the news.

Not all poor people commit crimes, live off welfare and are ignorant. There are a number of people who commit crimes who were not raised in poverty, and are highly educated, but those are not the ones who get the negative reports and we make assumptions about the poor that are not true of all poor.

I’m thankful that God has given me an observant heart and a desire to understand people and why they do things. I try not to draw conclusions about anyone without having sufficient information to do so. I’m not inclined to try to persuade others to share my opinions about people because others may have different experiences with the same people and have different outcomes. When we draw conclusions about people without understanding– and we don’t have to know everything about them–we are guilty of being presumptuous and foolish.

When people are going through difficult times and don’t acknowledge us, we cannot conclude that they have a problem with us. The reality is–the problem is usually with us because we expect people to act as we want them to act.

I’m guilty of expecting people in certain positions–especially positions of leadership–to act with integrity and honor. And when that doesn’t happen, I tend to not respect them in their positions because the position is being disrespected. A little folly–being self-absorbed, thinking the world should evolve around us–leads to others having a bad impression of the whole and those who actually function with integrity, are overlooked.

O Lord, help us to be more like You, more determined to understand and slower in drawing erroneous conclusions about people or situations in which we do not have sufficient information. Help us to not spread negative reports, but to do all we can to function with integrity and honor, seeking wisdom from You, at all times.

By Faith, Not Foolishness!

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is the what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” (Hebrews 11:1-3 NIV)

Many people have varying opinions about what faith is and how it should operate in our lives, but this particular passage of scripture reminds us how God defines faith. Having faith is being confident about those things we hope to see and the assurance about what we do not see.

By faith, we sit on chairs we did not see built, expecting them to support us without collapsing.

By faith, we live in our houses made from the wood of trees we did not grow and most of us–unless we built from the ground up–did not see the framework built, the foundation poured, or the roof installed, yet we expect the house to withstand the elements and we rest with assurance that it will keep us safe–every time we go to sleep.

By faith, we eat food in restaurants we did not cook, expecting not to become ill and the food will nourish us.

By faith, we walk outside expecting to breathe in oxygen, even though we cannot see it–we never challenge it is there.

By faith, we start up cars–expecting them to get us from one point to the other and we have no idea whether the car was built correctly or even if those responsible for inspecting the finished product, even knew how to do their jobs. We keep buying cars and driving them with assurance–until there is a mechanical problem.

By faith, we buy produce and other products from supermarkets–expecting them to be good even though we did not have a hand in growing anything or manufacturing anything we purchase.

By faith, we bring children into an uncertain world–confident that we will see them survive and thrive beyond the uncertainties and we do what we can–without being able to see into the future–to make sure they have a good life.

By faith, we teach our children to be careful when crossing streets, confident that when we have taught them, they will not foolishly walk in front of moving traffic.

By faith, when we know that all the utilities have been paid, we turn on water and light switches without checking to see if the pipes and wires are working. We simply expect them to be.

There are so many things we do by faith (not feelings–for feelings are fickle) without even thing about it, but when it comes to the things of God–our faith–confidence in Him–wavers because we listen to the naysayers and doubt.

Jesus said, “When we pray, we must believe we receive” that for which we have asked so if we have received, why ask for it again? Faith–to receive what we have asked for is demonstrated in our thanksgiving until it manifests itself–not in constantly asking for the same thing.

On the other hand, those who deliberately do dumb things and expect God to save them are not acting in faith, but foolishly. We can expect God to save us from situations we did not create or know about, but to do things foolishly in anticipation of Him being a magician–is foolish.

Now–is the time–we must have faith in God with complete confidence that all He has promised–He will provide and all we have to do is–believe it will come to pass.

Living Wisely!

“Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” (Ephesians 5:15-17 NIV).

How do we live wisely–understanding what the Lord’s will is?

The first thing we must do is to seek God’s wisdom in all things and we can find His will in His Word–His Word is His Will for us and how we live.

After admonishing the church at Ephesus to live as children of the light–doing all things that can be openly examined and scrutinized without shame or fear, Paul continues with instructions based upon the Word and their circumstances. He reminds them that once upon a time–they walked in darkness–not knowing truth and doing all sorts of things that were too shameful to even discuss. Now, he tells them–find out what pleases The Lord and live accordingly.

Those words–“and find out what pleases The Lord” (Ephesians 5:10) speak volumes to us today. If we’re going to live wisely, doing what pleases The Lord, we must know what it is that pleases Him. The only way we can discover that is to read His Word and get understanding.

Notice what Paul doesn’t say–live to please self or others. There’s a reason he doesn’t say that. If we learn to live to please God, in all things–He will give us favor with others and therefore–they will be pleased. However, we cannot attempt to please man (our fleshly desires) and think that God will be pleased with us–especially if what we do is in opposition to His Word.

The Word never tells us to be politically correct in order not to offend others with truth. The Word tells us to be bold and very courageous in promoting the Gospel. If people are offended by Truth, it is because Truth exposes their lifestyle that opposes God. In other words–Truth pulls the cover off those things that people think they do in secret or in dark places where they cannot be seen.

Being politically correct–sugar-coating truth or exchanging truth for a lie–has become the blueprint the enemy uses to cause many to fall away from living according to The Word. This is foolishness, not wisdom. And because of the foolishness, we see changes in just about everything, made to accommodate the ungodly. Changes in school curriculum that expose young children to lifestyles that are in opposition to God. Changes in how those in authority seek to please people in ungodliness more than they do about upholding righteousness. Changes in how churches abdicate their responsibilities and duties to God in order to win favor with the masses who are on a path going directly to hell. All these changes–allowing evil to reign–unchecked–is the reason we see so much violence and killing. The prince of the air–is amassing an army that is willing to defy God no matter what the consequences are and foolish people are being led by the nose–into the lake of fire. 

That is not living wisely. If what we do in private cannot stand the test of microscopic examination, we shouldn’t do it for surely, we will be exposed by the light of Truth and all things done is darkness, will eventually be exposed by the light.

Now is not the time to back away from God’s Will; now is the time to endeavor to seek His Will on a daily basis and live as wise people, not foolish ones.

Follow Godly Wisdom, Not Human Folly and Foolishness!

“Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age,you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile. So then, no more boasting about human leaders!” All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future–all are yours, and you are of Christ and Christ is of God.” (1 Corinthians 3: 18-23 NIV)

One of the most devastating things that could ever happen to people is to give leaders so much credit for being more than they are that they foolishly follow their example, rather than God’s.

Nowhere in history do find a mere human being so incapable of erring that we can look at them and say, “That’s a person worth following,” and be telling the truth.

No, the only person worth following is Jesus Christ–the Son of God–who has the wisdom of God and leads us to the Father when we follow Him.

If we lack true wisdom–about anything–family, current events, sin, education, political agendas–anything–it is all found in His Word and in our hearts when we seek God for His wisdom.

We don’t have to guess or speculate about anything–we simply ask and He provides us with direction and instruction.

When we think we are wiser than God, we fall and some never rise again. We have entire civilizations that used to be and are no longer because they failed to understand, their wisdom was not comparable to God’s wisdom.

We are in a day and time in which we need the Wisdom of God more than ever. We see on a daily basis that many in leadership positions or positions of authority are acting upon their own wisdom which is foolishness and if we obey man over God, we can only get the appropriate consequence–failure.

This is not to say that I am wiser than anyone else, but I know when I need answers, who to seek. Even when I don’t hear Him clearly, He knows how to get my attention so I can correct any wrongs and keep moving forward with Him as my guide. I am wise enough to know–without Him–I have no wisdom, but I’d rather be thought a fool–following Him, than to be known as the foolish–following man.

Not everyone will be able to understand the underlying message of The Word and that is as God intended. His Word, inspired by Him and written by those who had a heart to Him, is intended for those who have a heart to obey Him. No mystery to the method, just heart–to hear and obey–and then reap the benefits of obedience, rather than the penalties for disobedience.

We have a choice to make and we must make it soon if we are ever to see America rise upon the fray of common arrogance and political correctness when it comes to making decisions and laws regarding all the people. If we love God and love one another, we will not fall into the pit–straying from God’s path–by following the foolishness of human folly.

Cultural Ignorance! Part I

The diversity of people should be celebrated instead of being used as a benchmark to divide and segregate. What happens when people are ignorant—have no knowledge of anything—is that we create even greater divides—an ever-widening gap—between people when we should be coming together as one race—the human race. And then we wonder why we can’t get along with one another.

If we took the time—and it will take time—to review history and to cultivate our knowledge of each other and the ills of the past in order to keep them from resurfacing, then and only then will we understand the need to stop blaming one group of people for the demise of things and get ourselves together to build instead of tearing down. When we think that the world’s ills are because of one group of people, we deceive ourselves. The problems of our world are not problems caused by White people, Black people, Red people, Brown people or Yellow people. The problems in our world are caused by greedy, needy, and lazy people. And many of the greedy, needy, and lazy use religious banners to justify what they do—in error—or they use what they think is their superiority over others.

Here’s a newsflash—there is no superior race or religion—there are simply people who have chosen to think they are superior by the very nature of their birth or affiliation with others who think they are superior. And while there is no superior group of people, there is also no inferior group of people. We are all in the same boat—living on planet earth—an environment that desperately needs to be overhauled so this planet—the only one in which know has life—can continue to support life for future generations.

Instead of hating one another because of skin color or religious beliefs or nonbelief, why can’t we take the time to get to know one another, share what we know and help one another to grow—increasing awareness of need and perspective based upon how we all view life through the lenses that have been a part of our growth?

For the most part—many Black people do not understand how to amass wealth because we are too busy spending money rather than investing money—in our children and in our futures. We’d rather spend two hundred dollars for a pair of gym shoes than ten dollars for a book. We’d rather look good—spending tons of money beyond our means—than in reading and expanding our knowledge on how the world really works. We’d rather complain about minimum wage jobs than to continue our education in order to obtain the skills we need to live the lives we want. We know nothing about volunteerism because we think we should be paid for every little thing we do. We have our children grow up thinking that someone owes them something, when the reality is no one other than their parents owe them anything, but the parents haven’t figured that out yet and we know this by those who still think, everything they want—should be handed to them.

We complain about White people and how they do things, but we don’t understand that it’s not about how White people do things to accomplish goals, but about people understanding that without goals and purposes and work to accomplish them, nothing ever happens or changes. A quality education makes a huge difference in the perspectives people have in life—knowing that nothing worthwhile is ever simply handed to anyone, but must be earned.

On the other hand—many White people think that Black people are lazy, good-for-nothing, trouble-makers. There are just as many white people who are lazy and good-for-nothing trouble makers as any other group of people. The problem is the perception of any group of people is colored by media coverage—the news, the movies, and the music. If we bothered to take the time to get to know one another, we might discover that underneath the surface lies the same color blood, bone, tissue, marrow, and muscle. Our hearts have the same rhythm (for the most part) and the blood flows in the same direction, carrying oxygen to our brains—allowing us to “think” before we act. We simply choose to have differing opinions and likes and dislikes which should be respected, not abhorred or demeaned. If God had wanted clones—He could have managed that, but He chose to create us uniquely, wonderful, individuals with a purpose designed by Him, not people.

Part II–coming soon!

His Foolishness Is Greater!

“For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” (I Corinthians 1:25 NIV)

Whenever I hear people say certain things, I’m reminded that there are many who don’t believe in God, deny His existence, but always have something to say about Him. Now why is that?

Why would anyone spend their time in endless pursuits trying to prove He doesn’t exist? If He doesn’t exist, what is there to refute? It’s like those who don’t believe in ghosts–yet they’re fearful of them. Why fear something you don’t believe in?

The real issue for me is that when people cannot see something or someone, they choose to ignore or refute the existence of that something or someone. Seeing is not always a good foundation for believing.

Our faith in God is not based upon what we are able to see, but what He is able to accomplish through mere mortals who receive His wisdom. Those mere mortals are the ones who are foolish enough to believe God and because they believe He is, they receive all He has to give.

The foolish are not so wise since they believe that all they know or have is based upon their own abilities. And because they believe in themselves more than the greatness of God, they disavow any knowledge of God in their limited understanding of how He works.

For those of us who Believe without doubting, acknowledge we need His strength and wisdom, we receive and what we receive is foolishness to those who do not understand.

We have God’s Word that many will dispute and say His Word is nothing more than the ramblings of ignorant and illiterate scribes who didn’t know much. They may not have known much, but we are still reading and holding onto the Word they wrote out of obedience. Now, how foolish of us is that?

We believe in the virgin birth and many would tell us (based on their limited human wisdom) that it was not possible. Really? The same men who deny the virgin birth are yet unable to explain our existence and we should believe them, why? Since the One who created all things created us, it is no big thing for Him to bring Himself into the world through a virgin. It is He who created the body and all things that function within the body so He can do whatever He chooses to do and do it well.

We believe in miracles and those miracles are still revealed today. We see miraculous events that only God could direct and science and scientists are left scratching their heads.

We believe in the work of the cross–that foolishness that we preach, bringing us into position to be saved and have eternal life. The Stone was rolled away and revealed to all the world that Jesus is alive and well!

Of course that is foolishness for those who don’t know Him, but since I know Him, I know I’d rather have access to His unlimited wisdom and strength than man’s finite wisdom any day.

Every Word of His  is true and never changes; every word of man–his laws and policies are fickle and ever-changing to pacify the dictates of the moment. I’d rather have Jesus, than silver and gold and be thought foolish than given any credit for operating in my own wisdom, of which I have none. Everything I know, I know because of Him and everything I do is to glorify Him. If that’s foolish, then so be it. I Am a Fool For Christ!