Wisdom

The bible talks quite a bit about wisdom. And you'll see that there are two types of wisdom that are referenced - worldly wisdom and Godly wisdom. The following verses refer to worldly wisdom.

1 Corinthians 1:20 - "Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

1 Corinthians 1:25 - "For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength."

And these verses refer to Godly wisdom:

Psalm 51:6 - "Surely You desire truth in the inner parts; You teach me wisdom in the inmost place."

Psalm 111:10 - "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."

Proverbs 2:6 - "For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding."

Proverbs 11:2 - "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom."

1 Corinthians 1:30-31 - "It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom in God - that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: 'Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.'"

This Wednesday we are praying for wisdom - Godly wisdom. The type of wisdom that is directly opposite worldly wisdom. The type of wisdom that is complete dependence on God. At the heart of such wisdom is humility. In fact, the person who thinks they have wisdom, probably doesn't. The world tends to equate wisdom with knowledge. I heard a pastor this week put it this way: "Knowledge is proud… that she's learned so much. Wisdom is humble… that she knows so little." We get so proud about the little knowledge we are able to accumulate in our lives. Shakespeare said "Man oh man… so ignorant in that which he knows best." In other words, even in the subject that I am most knowledgeable, I can't hold a candle to He who invented the subject. One last quote on knowledge. This comes from Mark Twain - "The problem with most people is not what they don't know… It's what they know for certain, that isn't true."

Have a great week and a great fast.
Your brother,
Bob

Perspective (2/16/04)

You've probably heard about the new Mel Gibson movie being released next week. It's all about the final hours of Christ. If you keep your eyes on the news at all, you probably also know that the movie is creating quite a stir. Newsweek ran a story claiming the movie:

"is reviving one of the most explosive questions ever. What history tells us about Jesus' last hours, the world in which he lived, anti-Semitism, Scripture and the nature of faith itself."

Of particular interest is the anti-Semitism concept. The worldly view looks at the passion and comes to the conclusion that Christians might blame Jews for the death of Jesus. I am struck by the foolishness of the argument. In my mind, it makes 2 big errors in logic:

1. It assumes that man could control the situation. As if the Jewish leadership that brought the charges against Jesus really had control of the situation. As Christians, we know God had decided that Jesus would die on the cross - no matter what human actions took place. God was, is, and always will be in control.
2. It looks at the passion as a tragic loss. Nothing could be further from the truth. It was the greatest gift of love ever given to mankind - nothing was lost and everything was gained. Jesus paid for our sins (past, present, and future), conquered death, and lives within us today.

All in all, it's an example of how worldly wisdom can be so opposite from heavenly wisdom. The perspectives are so different. The Passion should stir up pro-God thoughts - not anti-Semitic thoughts. 1 Corinthians 1: 17-21 says

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel--not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate." Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

So this week, let's pray for perspective. That our own perspective grows to be more heavenly each day. We are Christians but we are still constantly tempted and enticed by worldly wisdom. Also, pray that believers and non-believers out there with the worldly perspective will come to see the foolishness of their "wisdom". That they will re-commit to Christ or discover Him for the first time.

Have a great week and a great fast.
Your brother,
Bob