Tag: pharisees

Man in traditional robes calmly standing between a woman and a man who are arguing on a city street
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A Wisdom That Surprises

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“For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” – Proverbs 2:6

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!”— Romans 11:33

Think back to the last difficult situation you were faced with.  Or even the one approaching.  The uncomfortable conversation with a boss or employee.  The painful discussion you needed to have with your family member.  The awkward topic you decided to broach with your friend.  How much sleep did you lose over it?  How much worrying did you do?

How much prayer time did you devote to it?  And if you said to God, “I trust you to give me the right words and soften the other person’s heart,” did you then go back to worrying about it?

Or how about this: You prayed, you trusted and you saw God do something amazing.  Something you never expected.  A third option from the terrible two you had only seen available.

Asking for Wisdom

I’m working on this concept constantly these days.  Before going into situations that make me uncomfortable or ones where I might make a fool of myself (of which there seems to be many!) I’ve started praying for the Holy Spirit to give me wisdom.  And to help me to know when to keep my mouth shut.  

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” — James 1:5

James was spot on when he wrote this Holy inspired advice.  If you don’t know, ask God, who gives us wisdom.  He gives us that wisdom from His ever-flowing fount of His own wisdom.  A wisdom unmatched by any human being ever to have lived.  He gave Solomon his renowned wisdom simply because he asked for it.

“And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.” — 1 Kings 3:28

King Solomon’s subjects stood in amazement at his ability to resolve difficult situations.  His notable decision between two women claiming the same child revealed truth through an unexpected solution.  He decreed the baby would be cut in half and each piece given to each woman.  The real mother gave up her right to the child so the son would live.  She pleaded for his life.  Which told everyone to whom the child truly belonged.

Jesus’ Third Way

I’ve read that this type of resolution is called the “third way.”  I warn you if you look up that term you’ll find some wacky political ideas and unfortunate progressive Christian theories.  But hidden amongst those is Jesus’ “third way.”

What I mean by that is on at least four occasions Jesus was given an either/or question and he answered with a better, third option.  For example, in John 8, when the Pharisees presented the woman accused of adultery to Jesus, He was tasked with deciding to stone her or let her go.  It was a trap designed to reveal Jesus’ rejection of Moses’ law.  Instead, Jesus exposed their hypocrisy.  

“And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”

It all ends with the men leaving in shame and Jesus forgiving the woman’s sin.  He tells her, “Neither do I condemn you.  Go and sin no more.”  

Jesus reveals His “third way” wisdom when asked about taxes to Caeser, the healing on the Sabbath, the man born blind and more.  His wisdom is shown in all its glory.  Options, which after hearing about them, seem so simple. Yet how often does God’s wisdom surprise us?

Weak vs Powerful Wisdom

We often quote Proverbs 3:7 – Do not be wise in your own eyes – yet we fall back on our own weak wisdom almost daily.  We forget to go to the fount and drink deeply.  We miss the opportunity to see God at work in miraculous ways.

“For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” — 1 Corinthians 1:25

Throughout the Bible and even in our own lives, we witness weak, apparently ineffectual people being used to further God’s kingdom.  David, the tiny son, chosen to lead a nation.  Peter, the brash and excitable fisherman, who God calls as His rock on which to build the church.  You and me – average people with average skills and influence who regularly make bad decisions – tasked to spread the Gospel.

How can this system ever be successful?  Because God is the engine.  His wisdom is the power source that lights up our conversations and opens hearts and minds.

That’s the Apostle Paul’s encouragement to the people of the Colossian church when he writes:

“…that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” — Colossians 2:2-3

Because of God’s wisdom, power and authority the Word of God comes alive and knits us together.  His wisdom resolves conflict, distress and pain in our relationships.  How can we not plug into that daily?

Trusting in Jesus is our third way wisdom.  In our churches, Bible studies, home groups, communities etc, putting our allegiance to Jesus first.  Loving each other despite our other differences and watching God work miraculously in each of us.

He Knows Better

Friends, my dad would constantly get stuck fretting over situations because he felt the need and burden to come up with the answers all by himself.  I once tried convincing him to go to marriage counseling.  He replied, “I know what the problem is already and your mom won’t go.”  To which I replied, “You only know the solutions your limited thinking can come up with.  Someone outside the situation with wisdom and experience will probably give you a better solution.”  

But like so many of us, he just couldn’t get past being wise in his own eyes.  And his married life continued to be a source of pain until the day he died.  We do the same when we come up with our plan then maybe ask God to make sure it works.  To pray that God fixes our difficult person the way we want them fixed.

Let’s make a commitment to trust that God is so much wiser than us.  To pray for wisdom be given to us from His great fount.  And sit back and watch His miracles and mysteries unfold.

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” — Revelation 7:12

Did you miss a 30 Days of Reverence post? Click here to see all of the ways we can revere our God and Savior!

Want more of God’s wisdom? Check out my series, 31 Days of God’s Wisdom today!

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Day 14 Lion

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Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. Revelation 1:7
Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Fire goes before him and burns up his adversaries all around.  His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees andtrembles. The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth. Psalm 97:1-6

So often when we share our faith we talk about the gentle love of God.  He comforts us in our sorrows.  He counsels us in our pain.  He provides for us in our time of need.  While this is all true, we can’t forget the basis for why we can be comforted.  Why we know one day our pain will disappear.  The hope that we have through God’s promised victory is the foundation for all that we believe.  That one day we will stand beside our conqueror, Christ, in heaven.

Our gentle Lamb of God is the Lion of Judah.  The God who destroyed evil nations, who moves mountains, who promises that justice will be His in the final battle, that is also our God.  While we may romanticize Jesus during His time here on earth as humble and gentle, we need to remember the Jesus who cleared the temple with a whip.  The one who called the Pharisees, who distorted the Word of God, vipers and evildoers.  He was quiet and gentle at times because of a strength that no man can imagine.  

When we feel sorrow over the ways of this world, we need to remember two truths.  The first is that nothing that is happening is new.  The words of Peter, James, Paul, and Jesus attest to that.  The disciples who were killed for nothing more than proclaiming their faith in God’s son are just another scene played out for centuries before and after.  Injustice, violence and evil perpetrated by people who deny the sovereignty of God.  

If we sit and marinate in the knowledge of these evils, we too dismiss the second truth – the power of God and promise of things to come.  It is that power and the written account of future events which lift us.  We see the glory of God bringing His sword of justice to all mankind.  With no one escaping judgement.  No one. 

We don’t know the day or time.  But we should always plan as though it is today.  Acting, speaking, loving, and doing in such a way as Jesus has ordained us.  Spreading the word of His coming justice to truly ease our pain.  And the hope of salvation from eternal damnation.  Through our belief in Jesus Christ, who died for our punishable sins, we can stand in assurance of God’s coming roaring, glory.  

Click here to listen to today’s song: LION

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Hope Eternal

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"Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests."  Luke 2:14

“Glory to you oh, God, for through you I have hope and peace!  The world cannot give me peace but only unfulfilled desires and longings.  The world relies on the seen and external for their hope but faith is through the unseen and eternal! Today as the world spins out of control I place my peace and hope in you, God. Amen”

I promise myself each day that I won’t check in with the chaos of the world and yet time and again I find my fingers creeping over my keyboard to read the latest news.  As a Christian and a citizen of this world it’s been difficult to find the balance of my responsibility as a “not yet.”  By that I mean I’ve been saved but not yet home with God.  I long for the day to see Jesus’ face and be free of this chaos.  But Jesus clearly wants us doing God’s good works while here on earth.

"Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." John 14:12

So that means we have a responsibility to be good citizens of our communities.  Spreading God’s Word through deeds and words.  It means we need to know what stresses and pains our world is experiencing so we can be God’s message of hope and therefore glorify Him.  

In the book of Jude he admonishes to take steps to help those who are new believers and not yet believers.  It’s important to note the danger he warns of by getting too close to the fiery chaos of the world.  

“…save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.” Jude 23

Mixed with fear.  I think sometimes we Christians like to dabble in the world of chaos thinking a little bit is ok.  But each time we turn on the news or start discussing politics we should first give thanks to God for where our eternal hope lies and then proceed with a bit of Jesus’ Teflon surrounding us.  He let the Pharisees ignorance and at times evil ways bounce off Him.  Because He knew who He belonged to.  And He consistently gave glory to God when speaking back into the chaos.

Friends, it’s not wrong to be actively informed or involved with the goings-on of the world.  Jesus and the apostles jumped in with both feet to tell the world about the Father.  They didn’t turn away from the troubles of the world, they came to spread hope and glorify God.  But we must always remember the Kingdom awaiting us. 

 

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Step 3: The Confident Warrior

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The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him. John 7:32

Christianity is not passive.  We are to pray, say and do.  

Joyce Meyer

The other day my husband and I watched an episode of Phil and Jase Robertson’s Unashamed podcast.  We had selected this particular episode because it featured the guest, Dallas Jenkins.  Mr. Jenkins, as some of you may know, has fast become a “name” in the Christian community as the director, creator and writer of the series, “The Chosen.”  This uniquely told story of Jesus’ three impactful years on Earth is one not to be missed.  Jase Robertson asked him about the daunting task of showing both the human Jesus and Jesus the Deity.  On the human side, one episode shows Jesus tending to a cut on his wrist while also trying to start a fire using the “hand drill” method – painful to be sure.

“The criticism we get comes from Christians.  People come to the show from all types of Christianity including Mormons, Catholics, protestants.  And they watch the show and expect it to fit their view of Jesus.  They are like the modern day Pharisees,” said Dallas Jenkins. He was then asked what negative feedback he gets from non-Christians.  His reply?  “None.”

And this got me thinking.  In all of Jesus’ moments of conflict there rarely was a non-religious person at the forefront.  His battlefield, His warrior-moments, came most frequently against the religious leaders.  Those people who decided they knew what God had in mind for a Messiah.  And Jesus wasn’t “it.”

When placed faced to face with His opponent Jesus came prepared.  He came armed with the belt of truth and sword of the spirit.  He had to be prepared because the ultimate prize was not a piece of land.  The prize was not a place on an earthly throne.  No.  The ultimate prize was the heart, mind and soul of the average person.

“Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.” Matthew 22:29

And that statement, my friends, can only be seen as “shots fired.”

The Bible says, “fear not” or “be not afraid” 103 times in the King James Bible.  Jesus, himself, speaks some version of these words about 30 times.  And yet so many of us fear taking the step toward being a warrior like Him and for Him.

We say we aren’t ready.  That might be true.  So, ask God to help you get ready.

We say we won’t know what to say.  That’s probably true.  So, prepare and ask God to give you the words.

We say our church just doesn’t encourage that way of thinking. Maybe so. But Jesus didn’t come to start a denomination.

We say we might lose something in the battle.  You might.  But God always provides.

We say we will be seen as crazy, bigoted, unloving.  The devil does love to deceive.  So, we ask God to give us a loving heart and clear mind and we place our trust squarely on Him.

What does a warrior for God look like these days?  We joke about the person on the corner with the “End is Near” sign.  But while on vacation in Kauai a few weeks ago I saw a man – he looked pretty normal actually, about in his 60s nicely dressed – standing in the same spot on a busy road a few days in a row holding up a sign for all to see: “Jesus is Near.”  Imagine what sort of feedback he must’ve received.  We honked each time and gave him a thumbs up.  He waved with a big smile.  And I thought, “that man was led to stand out on that street day after day waving at people holding that sign.  That’s a warrior for God.”

You know who else are warriors like Jesus?  Moms and dads who go against the “norm” and tell their kids they must follow in Jesus’ steps.  Employees who aren’t afraid to talk about their faith while at work.  Friends who aren’t worried about losing friendships because they won’t “go along to get along.”  People who are aren’t afraid of being “cancelled” because they stood up for Christian morals and values.

Jesus didn’t come to smooth things over with religious leaders.  He didn’t come to make a lot of friends.  He didn’t desire to win a popularity contest.  He came to save souls.  He knows the end of this world’s story.  And so do we. 

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Matthew 24:42-44

Are you keeping watch over your house?  Are you dressed in your God-given battle gear, standing ready to step onto the field?  As Christians we are tasked with increasing God’s glory on this earth.  We are challenged to keep the thief out of our midst.  It is the heart and mind of a warrior, like Jesus, that will accomplish both.

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Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat!

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Out of the same mouth come 
praise and cursing. My brothers 
and sisters, this should not be. 
James 3:10

A prayer to avoid using coarse language

Holy Father, it has become so easy for me to use your name in un-holy ways.  There was once a time that when angered or frustrated I would just say some silly old saying.  But as I drew closer to the ways of the world my language followed.  I want to be closer to you instead, LORD.  I want to speak like your son, Jesus.  I know that anger, impatience, laziness, and bitterness are all roots of my use of foul language.  Help me, Holy Spirit, to cut out those roots so that out of my mouth comes praise, prayer, forgiveness and grace.  I will use my mouth, with your guidance, for these rather than obscenity and coarseness.  Amen

We all remember that moment well.  I was driving the middle school carpool that morning.  A car full of young, impressionable minds.  Just before I got to a busy intersection a car swerved over from another lane in front of me, causing me to hit my brakes.  And just as our basic driving skills become automated, my middle finger and mouth began its ugly automatic work.  The car went silent.  I was immediately convicted of my sin by five sets of enlarged eyes on me.

You’d think that instances like that would’ve got me to stop cursing in anger but it hasn’t.  In fact, knowing about three weeks ago that eventually I’d be writing this post I started more aggressively working on this problem.  And yet, just the other day I think I managed to use just about every curse word available when talking to my husband about politics.  

Nor should there be obscenity, 
foolish talk or coarse joking, 
which are out of place, but 
rather thanksgiving.  
Ephesians 5:4

Have you ever watched a movie where it seemed the director purposely had every actor place a curse word in every sentence the actors spoke?  I have.  And I’ve finally had to stop watching.  I understand when our anger rises up that we again allow our mouths to control our world.  But the gratuitous use of cursing is not something I understand.  Everything, to some people, is “f’ing (fill in the blank).”  It’s become just another adjective.  And yet, it isn’t.

According to one researcher, we swear on average from 0.3% to 0.7% of the time — a tiny but significant percentage of our overall speech.  Given the fact that the average woman speaks about 25,000 words a day that adds up to around 1,750 swear words per day.  That’s a lot of sinful speaking.

When I worked in our local high schools, I would see the prevalence of swearing amongst our teenagers.  Each year it seemed to get worse and worse.  When I would admonish a student they would say, “oops, it was just an accident.”  However, we all know that well-practiced behaviors become simply rote acts.  

We are told throughout the Bible and especially the New Testament that we, as believers in God and then Jesus, are to be set apart from this world.  

Let us behave decently, 
as in the daytime, not 
in carousing and drunkenness, 
not in sexual immorality and 
debauchery, not in dissension 
and jealousy. Rather, clothe 
yourselves with the Lord 
Jesus Christ, and do not 
think about how to gratify 
the desires of the flesh. 
Romans 13:13-14

This verse makes it clear, whether in daytime, nighttime, with Christian friends or non, in our work environment, our home, or alone in our car, we are to clothe ourselves with Jesus.  The worst I have ever read come out of Jesus’ mouth was to call the Pharisees “vipers.”  

In the United States, during the 19th century, there was a craze to come up with “mild oaths” or pseudo-swearwords that replaced profane words with inoffensive ones. They tended to be silly and even poetic. “Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat,” “Holy, Moly,” and “gee willikers!” were just a few. It was a sign of our Christian influence in society. Sadly, we seem to have lost not only that influence but our desire to be that influence.

My BSGs’ (Bible Study Girls) favorite saying is “imperfect progress.”  And that’s what I’m in the midst of – really, aren’t we all?  And as I listen to our media, tv shows, music, and more accept that cursing God’s name as the “new normal” I pray for the Holy Spirit to help me be set apart.  I want my “new normal” to be for the glory of God, not for the fulfillment of my flesh.

If you want this too, add the prayer to your daily prayer list and watch and see how God works in your life!