Tag: James 5

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The Well-Travelled Soul

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“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might.”  Ephesians 1: 17-19

Have you ever heard someone young described as having an “old soul?”  It usually describes a young person who seems to think and act much older than their actual years.  Or someone who enjoys music, art, crafting, etc. from years past.  I’ll be honest, I cringe when I hear this phrase.  Because usually the person they describe just seems naturally more introverted.  Not shy, just one who enjoys quiet.  Quiet time and quiet activities.

In reality, all Christians must travel the highway of sanctification to attain true and deep wisdom.  We gather it along the road in our baskets little by little with each trial and tribulation and heartbreak.  Each time we act in God’s will, not the way of the world, we find another fruit in that basket.  When we get to the end of our sanctification road, our dents, scratches, repairs and maybe even a little duct tape, will be our trophies of gathered wisdom. 

I bring the “old soul” view up because it flies in the face of what the sanctification road means for a Christian.  Worldly wisdom can only get us so far on this journey.  We, however, seek the wisdom gifted by Christ Jesus.  The wisdom that comes from the different steps we have discussed thus far: knowledge of our LORD, submission to the LORD, the experiences of trials, and the stewardship of all He has given us.

King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 7:3-4, “Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad.  The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.“

In other words, we learn a lot more about life, ourselves, others, and God when we face sadness and hardship.  So that supposed 10 year old “old soul,” if raised in a modern society, has yet to gather much in their basket of life.  

Worldly Wisdom vs. Godly Wisdom

What’s the difference between worldly wisdom and God’s wisdom?  If you study Proverbs, you’ll see the best worldly wisdom has to offer actually comes directly from that book!  The worst is highlighted throughout the Bible with names such as greed, lust, selfishness, pride, and vengeance.  Worldly wisdom so often focuses on the “me” and not the “thee.”

The world tells us it is wise to go along with our loved ones’ sins.  “Go along to get along.”  “Don’t judge.”  God’s Word flies in the face of this when He tells us: “My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth, don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God.” (James 5:19-20 the Message)

We are likewise reminded when we share the freedom message of Christ Jesus it may separate us from those same friends and family—a worldly unwise move.  In light of this, we hold on to the truth that this is yet another act of submitting; which brings us closer to God’s wise plan for our lives.

The world tells you it’s wise to have sex outside marriage.  Why?  Apparently so you know more about sex and can pick a good sex partner in marriage.  And besides they say, it’s your “right” to have a little fun.  The Bible tells us “There’s more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, “The two become one.” Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us lonelier than ever—the kind of sex that can never “become one.” (1 Cor 16:19-20 the Message)  The promoters of sexually immoral behavior call abstinence before marriage unwise.  Yet God’s wisdom tells us to value this gift as precious.

My friends, besides standing with Jesus at the end of my life, my end-goal on this journey is wisdom.  When to keep my mouth shut and when to speak.  When to help others and when to be wary of fools.  Recognizing good character and keeping far afield of pigs who want to steal my pearls.  Remaining calm when the world says to panic.  A knowing that forgiving those the world says I should hate actually heals my own soul.

This week’s question: What’s something you have become wiser about in your journey of life?

Next week we’ll take one last look at our sanctification journey as we wisely travel the road home.

For more study on wisdom check out these series: “31 Days of God’s Wisdom” and “Enjoy Life: From Meaningless to Meaningful (a study of Ecclesiastes)

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Endurance Brings Hope

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Quite possibly the greatest lesson in the Bible about patience and endurance (both makrothymia) or lack thereof, is the one of Abraham and Sarah.  The Lord comes to Abraham and promises that he will be the father of literally millions (Gen 15:5) and yet for years and years Abraham remained childless.  He began to doubt God’s faithfulness in His promises.  So, he and Sarah decided impatiently to take matters into their own hands and create a child of Abraham through a slave girl.  That child, Ishmael, became the thorn in the Israelites’ side until this very day.  And even though they tried to circumvent God, God still came through on His promise with the birth of their own son even after Sarah was determined to be post-child birthing age.

They had hoped.  They had endured.  Until they didn’t.  Abraham and Sarah created their own timeline based on their inaccurate belief in the limited power of God.

When was the last time you said, “It’s too late. It’ll never happen.”? Although what you have prayed for might not come to fruition as you have asked, God is still working with you in the situation. Sometimes it seems you’ve been listening and waiting patiently yet at every turn you feel thwarted, abused, attacked, broken. It’s time like these that our faith is tested. You are not alone. Each one of the apostles, men who had spent hours, days, years in the very presence of God would have to then learn to keep trusting, keep enduring.

He is lining up your circumstances in a way that is better than you could ever imagine.  When you wait for the Lord, you should look forward to what He will do with joyful expectation and confident hope, because He is providing the very best for you.”  

Charles Stanley, 30 Life Principles

He wants the very best fruit to come out of you.  Not just a red apple, but the juiciest red apple you’ve ever tasted.  He wants trees rooted deeply in Him, watered richly by Him and grown in His beautiful light.  It means in those times of trials, long suffering (also makrothymia) we don’t let go.  We don’t try and go it alone.

I waited patiently for the Lord;
    he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
    out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
    and gave me a firm place to stand. Psalm 40:1-2

Our hope can endure because we know He is a God who gives generously (James 1:5).  He will provide in our darkest times; we need only look for Him in the circumstance.  We patiently wait for our hope to bloom into something bigger and more beautiful which may be when we finally are home in heaven.  

Notice that we take action while waiting?  Patiently is an adverb.  It describes an activity.  While we endure through our trial we pray, we seek His love, we experience His joy and peace.  We watch for ways He is using us to help others.

The key to patience is faith in the all-embracing, all-guiding, all-wise, all-gracious providence of God to transform all the interruptions of his children into rewards. Can we not, then, write in big letters, as a heading over our lives and over every frustration, “Satan, you meant that for evil; God meant it for good” (Gen 5:2)? 

John Piper

Friends, we are all waiting.  Waiting for small things and very large things.  We are waiting for the disappearance of pain and the appearance of our hopes come alive.  At times, we say we wait to feel complete or more alive.  And God is saying be patiently waiting, watching, learning, trusting.  He is doing great things in you.

Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. James 5:10-11

Amen