Wisdom is a Tree of Life

    A tree can be a source of refreshment, seeing its green leaves after a long, grey winter, a source of comfort when we sit under its shady canopy, a source of warmth when we burn its fallen limbs in a fire. Its fruit can be beneficial to us as well, nurturing us and filling our bellies.

   The book of Proverbs makes mention of four things that are described as "a tree of life" - a source of sustenance to us - and I would like to take the next four weeks, if the Lord wills, to look closer at each one.

"[Wisdom] is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, 

and happy are all who retain her." (Proverbs 3:18 NKJV)

    In both the book of Psalms and the book of Proverbs we find that "the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom" (Psalm 11:10, Proverbs 1:7; 9:10). When we seek God and commence learning who He is and who we are before Him, when we determine daily to know and do His word and will, we will have tapped into the very source of true wisdom!

    God is the only source of true wisdom. Consider James 3:13-17:

"Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in you hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy."  (NKJV)

    Fortunately for us, God will generously give this wisdom to all who ask Him for it: 

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach,  and it will be given to him." (James 1:5)

    Wisdom from above will sustain us, strengthen and fortify us - be a tree of life to us - allowing us to stand firm amidst the storms of life! Retaining wisdom brings happiness because in it we come to know God and we learn who we truly are before Him (Psalm 144:15), we can know how to be right in His sight through study of His word, the Bible (Psalm 119:162, 2 Timothy 3:16-17), we can know how to behave toward others (Ephesians 4:1-3, Colossians 3:12-14, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13), and we can be wiser than our enemies (those who want to drag us down, away from God, Psalm 119:97-104, James 4:7), and we can have hope (Proverbs 24:13-14)!

"Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding; for her proceeds are better than profits of silver, and her gain than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, and all the things you may desire cannot compare with her." (Proverbs 3:13-15 NKJV)      

Have you taken hold of wisdom? Have you discovered the sustenance that God provides through it? If not, let today be the day that you ask God for it! If you have and you have found the happiness that comes from having it, continue to ask God for more as you humbly seek to obey Him!

You can do it! So can I!! 

 

   

    Over the coming week, as the Lord wills, make time to read and think on Proverbs 3 & 4. 

These chapters are chocked full of the wonderful benefits that come with wisdom!!

 

 

The WORD Before the WORLD

    For the past several years I have made it my daily practice to pray to God as soon as I wake in the morning. I thank Him for His lovingkindness of granting me (and my family) a new day (Psalm 92:1-2), already abounding with blessings (“life, breath, and all things” Acts 17:25). After that, I’ll get up, make my bed, get dressed, and head downstairs where I’ll grab my Bible and sit down, close my eyes, and thank God for His word and pray for understanding of what I am about to read. I then open my Bible and read two chapters: one from the Old Testament, and one from the New Testament. Reading two chapters takes me anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes each day. *Note: Sometimes I start cross referencing to other passages so a bit more time is spent in study on those days! 

    Prayer and reading set my focus for the day: I discover daily the glories of God and His faithful promises through Jesus, I am reminded of what is truly important in this life, I am assured of the Bible’s unchanging truth which allows me to withstand the constantly changing world, and through purposefully reading each morning  I’ve come to realize what an absolute treasure it is to have ready access to God’s word (Psalm 119:162, Colossians 2:2-3) and to know without doubt how to live righteously (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and faithfully flourish before Him (Psalm1:1-3, 1 Peter 1-3)!

    Putting God's word in your heart and mind first thing in the morning is the same as waking up and putting on the armour of God (Ephesians 6:10-18), it will ready you to face the world! 

    Consider the benefits of putting on God's armour each morning:

• Your heart is protected when you put on the breastplate of righteousness (living right before God, 1 John 2:28-3:8)
• The very core of your being is guarded when you wrap your waist with truth (2 Timothy 2:15, John 8:31-32; 14:6)
• Your walk is secured with the preparation of the gospel of peace (Ephesians 2:14-18; 4:1-3)
• You are shielded with faith, able to extinguish the devil's attempts to harm you (Ephesians 6:16, 1 Peter 5:8-9, 1 John 5:4-5)
• Your mind is safeguarded with the helmet of salvation, as you meditate on God's glorious grace and His abundant blessings while pressing toward the goal. Meditating on these things also allows you readiness to talk about your hope through Jesus (Titus 2:11-14, Philippians 3:12-15, 1 Peter 3:15)
• You can defend yourself with God's word. When you study God's word and wholly obey it, you will do all that is good and profitable and no one will be able to bring an accusation against you (1 Peter 2:11-12; 3:15-17) 

 

    So, if in the past, you felt a bit discombobulated and overwhelmed with your day to day busyness and you thought that having to add one more thing to your already chaotic, bursting-at-the-seams schedule would cause calamity, I beg you, now that you may have a quieter days because of quarantine, consider adding just 5 minutes of bible reading to the very beginning of your day. Set a timer if need be, start by reading a psalm, or a chapter from one of the gospels (Mark is a fast paced, short book!), read until the timer goes and then go about your day. Make it a daily practice to "put on the armour of God," get familiar with it by recalling your daily reading to your mind, think on it as you wash the dishes, fold the laundry, and make mention of what you read to whoever you talk to on the phone or online!

    Put the WORD before the WORLD, discover the blessings that come from filling your heart with God’s word before the world fills your day, in so doing you will be putting on the armour of God and preparing yourself to face whatever comes your way!

    You can do it!! It is worth every effort to try!!
 

Freedom to Flourish in Our Faith

    Have you considered the perfect “law of liberty” that James mentions in his letter/epistle? He uses this term to describe the gospel of Christ – the New Covenant (James 1:25 and 2:12, see also John 12:48). God’s new covenant/will/law is one of freedom! 

    Through the gospel of Christ we have freedom to know God (Ephesians 5:8,10; 15-17), to receive forgiveness – freedom from the bondage of sin into the glorious liberty of the children of God (Romans 6:18-19, 8:21)! Freedom from our captor, the devil (2 Timothy 2:24-26)! Freedom to access God at any moment of any day (Hebrews 4:16)! Freedom to faithfully flourish, to develop and bear the fruit of the Spirit -  knowing that against such there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23)!! Freedom to do good works (Ephesians 2:10, Titus 3:14) through God's abundant and unceasing generosity (2 Corinthians 9:7-11)!  Freedom to be one in Christ (Galatians 3:26-9)! God, through Jesus, bought us back, redeemed us and has given us freedom to live fully in Him (Ephesians 1:3-14)!! We have freedom to live as a child of God, an heir, a citizen of His kingdom (Romans 8:16-17, 1 Peter 2:9, 1 John 3:1-3)!!

    HOW AMAZING IS THAT!!!

    Let’s not be like the Israelites who “did not remember His power” nor “the day He redeemed them from the enemy” (Psalm 78:42). Instead I urge you to remember the joyous day God freed you from the captor (through baptism Romans 6:1-14) and rejoice each time you can approach Him in prayer to confess and repent of your sins (1 John 1:9, Acts 3:19), each time in your obedience that you realize the wisdom of His commands and the truth of His promises, each time you boldly approach His throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in your time of need (Hebrews 4:16); rejoice  because you are fully confident that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20)! 

    Continue to find joy in the blessings of the freedom we have in Christ! Freedom to know and obediently do God’s will, access Him in prayer, and build a firm faith and hope in Him!!

“Stand therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, 

and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” (Galatian 5:1 NKJV)

    Keep focusing on the glorious freedom you have as a Christian – a child of God – and keep faithfully flourishing today!

Walking As Dear Children of God

Today, I would like you to consider the four commands found in Ephesians 5:1-17 that are vital to keep in mind during these unique world circumstances:

"Be Imitators of God as Dear Children" (v1)

Everything we love and appreciate from God: His love, mercy, grace, forgiveness, generosity, etc. are all things that the world need to see and know. How will they come to know it? Through us! 

When we lovingly, respectfully emulate these attributes of God - love (John 15:9-12), mercy (Luke 6:27-36), grace (Ephesians 4:29-32), forgiveness (Colossians 3:12-14), generosity (2 Corinthians 9:6-8) - God will be glorified, and people in darkness will have their eyes opened to the Light and all the goodness found within it!!

"Walk In Love" (v2) 

Christ loved us to the point of death - He willingly died so that we might live - that's how much He loved us! God wants us to conform to the image of His Son, to make whatever sacrifices are necessary (Romans 12:1-2), to walk as Jesus walked (1 John 2:6). 

While Ephesians 5:3-7 instructs us what to avoid so we are not hindered in our walk of love, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 tells us exactly what love in action looks like. You can readily replace "love" in that chapter with "God" or "Jesus" and see why we should try our very best to be imitators of God and walk as Jesus walked! The world needs to see more kindly patience, more contented joy and less envy, more rejoicing and less rudeness!

"Walk As Children of Light"  (v8)

We were once darkness, lost in sin, but God called us out of darkness (through the gospel, 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14) and into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9)! We need to walk as children of light, finding out what is acceptable to the Lord through continued study of His word (2 Timothy 3:16-17), through application and obedience of His instructions and commands (James 1:21-25), through continued meeting with other Christians in worship services and bible studies (2 Timothy 2:22, Hebrews 10:23-25)! 

We need to be 'lighting the way' for those still in darkness, pointing them toward Jesus and God, our loving Father! We should be guiding them toward the gospel so that they too can hear and believe! Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:14-16 that we are "the light of the world" and to "let [our] light so shine among men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." The world will see God through us when walk as children of light, reflecting His light into the darkness by doing good works, showing kindnesses, and being caring citizens especially during these circumstances we find ourselves in!

"Walk Carefully, In Wisdom" (v15)

God wants us to make good use of our time. We don't know how long we have; we don't know what tomorrow will bring. We need to be wise, understanding what the will of the Lord is (v17), redeeming the time - make the most of Today (Hebrews 3:13) - because the days are evil (v16). 

Does that mean we should follow our every whim to 'live our best life'? 

No, we know the best life in only found in Jesus (John 10:10; 15:11, Ephesians 1:3-14)!

Does that mean that because of the quarantine and closure of church buildings that we can now treat Sundays like any other day?  

No, we need spiritual nourishment and encouragement from our brethren now more than ever (Galatians 5:9-10, 2 Timothy 2:22)! We should connect with our brethren and discover all the ways that there are to still gather together (online/by phone) and worship God and remember Jesus as we ought. 

Does it mean that we can kinda do whatever we want because we're stuck at home anyway, and who's ever gonna find out? 

 You know the answer! God is "above all, and through all, and in your all" (Ephesians 4:6), He wants us to endure to the very end (Hebrews 6:11-12), to be faithful in all things (1 Corinthians 16:13-14)! He wants us to walk as His child in every moment of our lives (Ephesians 4:11-3;16)!

Walking in wisdom, understanding that God is still on His throne and still very worthy of all our praise, all our love, all our trust; understanding that He is still able to bestow blessings on us and more than able to keep His unfailing promises, allows us to 'keep calm and carry on', doing the best we can to honour and obey Him each and every day He grants us, and allows us to prove His good and acceptable and perfect will to the world around us (Romans 12:1-2, James 3:13-18)!

Walking as dear children of God, imitating His goodness, showing His love to others, reflecting His light into the world around you, and nourishing your soul with His Truth (Matthew 5:6) gaining knowledge, wisdom and spiritual understanding (Colossians 1:9-11), will help you faithfully flourish in any circumstance life may bring! 

God does not ask anything of us that we cannot accomplish!! He is worthy of our continued worship and obedience!! He is worthy of our every effort to shine bright for Him!!

You can do it! So can I!!