(a chapter from the section, The Growth Paradigm, of my book, Heaven on Earth)
Frequently, in my experience, worldly wisdom is over-valued but godly wisdom has been under-valued, until we come to seek God for ourselves. And then I have found that godly wisdom to be breathtakingly beautiful and strong, giving direction and protection.
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.
Jesus Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
And Jesus Christ is the Word made flesh – the Bible in human form.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
With this wisdom, the Lord laid the Earth’s foundation. It is a firm foundation, made to withstand the storms of life.
By wisdom the LORD laid the earth’s foundations,
by understanding he set the heavens in place;
If we desire this wisdom, then we should consistently spend time in a relationship with Him. If we desire to be wise, then we should seek to spend time with the wise. Who is the wisest of them all, but the Creator of wisdom Himself.
He will be the sure foundation for your times,
a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge;
the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.
As I have read or listened to the Bible, I have found that the Bible is itself self-confirming. The important things are said more than once. The really important things are said hundreds of times. [Tremper Longman: Making Sense of the Old Testament: Three Crucial Questions, (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2001), pp. 22-54] The Bible itself does not explicitly specify what the important things are, but it just says the same thing many times by different writers who have never met each other or lived centuries apart or in different nations. It is with growing wisdom in a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ that the Lord Jesus Christ reveals to us what these important things are.
At the same time that the Bible confirms itself by repeating major important signposts, for whatever reason, there are also (lesser) details that might seem to be inconsistent and contradict each other. I believe that God reveals to me that this is a human reality that we need to navigate in life. In the real world, we have to contend with inconsistencies and contradictions. We have to navigate these with a combination of peace and love, compassion and mercy, grace and truth, in order to be a true reflection of Jesus and our Father in Heaven. Too much of doctrinal truth and we get caught up in heartless legalism which leads us to conflict within the church. Too little of doctrinal truth and we become like spineless jelly-fish, manipulated by the winds of change and without foundation. When the storms of life come upon us, we collapse in a heap like a house of cards. One of my pastors has several times preached on embracing the seeming inconsistencies in scripture – and that we have to be able to balance the tension of extremes.
It is good to grasp the one
and not let go of the other.
The man who fears God will avoid all extremes.
God uses the Bible to speak to people as we spend time in a relationship with Him. He speaks into people’s situations revealing personal solutions. He speaks to apostles, preachers and prophets as a message to a church or to a people or to a nation or to the nations.
May the grace and peace of Abba Father the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Thank You, Abba Father, Lord Jesus Christ.
Word Sabre, scribe for Abba Father, LORD GOD, Lord Most High, Lord Jesus Christ.