A man lived on the strength of his own judgments. He survived only if he made the right decision at the right time.”
–Jory Sherman (Dawn of Revenge)
“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
–Psalm 27:1 (NKJV)
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We live in a crazy turbulent world. Confusion reigns and more than ever we need wisdom and the ability to pass it on to our children and grandchildren. The devil will do his best to dupe them. He will attempt to deceive as he did in the Garden of Eden, challenging them with false truth. There is a great need to learn to deal with and accept life’s questions; to live with life’s tensions and to do that wisdom is needed.
“Wisdom strengthens the wise more than ten rulers of the city. For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin. Also do not take to heart everything people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. For many times, also, your own heart has known that even you have cursed others.”
–Ecclesiastes 7:19-22 (NKJV)
How do we succeed in this world of chaos? How do we find strength? We find wisdom, for wisdom gives inner strength. It gives us the strength to walk through the mayhem of the world, to battle through the issues that confront us. Listen, each of us bears a cross, Jesus says to pick it up and follow Him. Nowhere does it say that sanctification will be an easy lot; rather it is a hard road to follow at times. Didn’t we read earlier, “Who makes the paths crooked”? (7:13) Jesus knows the way we travel and we are told that if we need wisdom we should ask God and it will be given to us. (James 1:5)
One of the most important facets of wisdom is that it gives us the strength to avoid gullibility–wisdom has a filtering system. This is true whether you are dealing with a used-car salesman or dealing with one of Satan’s imps. The world has many glittering things to offer. Watch out for sales; you usually get what you pay for. Watch out for the lights and glamour of advertising. I read once, where a casino owner in Las Vegas said that because of the allure that once a person enters they have been “got.” There are shysters of all kinds and wisdom gives us the strength to say “NO!”
Some wise man (word choice intended) once said, “When a mule kicks you, just consider the source.” Wisdom gives us the strength to handle criticism. When people shun and laugh at your ideas, your lifestyle, your way of walking this journey of life, we consider the source. Wisdom also helps us to keep our mouth shut when we see a fool fall in a ditch and not to say, “I told you so.” It will keep us humble.
I will advise you to read the rest of Ecclesiastes 7, stopping especially to contemplate verse 29. We see here that wisdom gives insight. It shows that some relationships are often unsatisfying. It helps us determine the difference between thrills and true satisfaction. It lets us know regarding alien relationships–being unequally yoked. It helps us to realize that sometimes those we depend upon fall flat and apart. It is wisdom that flashes out the warning–Beware of Synthetics!
The world would have you live a synthetic Christianity. It would have you depart from the principles and virtues of the Bible. The Word of God is our manual of arms, our policy manual to help us through this world. Our covering is the righteousness of Jesus Christ. The world would have you think that you are outdated, especially in the realm of family rights and status. As Christ is our covering, so is the man (the father/the husband) the covering for his family. Where is that man? C.S. Lewis says that society has been clamoring for “men without chests.” If that happens, and it is happening, what will happen to the covering of society?
————————————-
We live in a crazy turbulent world. Confusion reigns and more than ever we need wisdom and the ability to pass it on to our children and grandchildren. The devil will do his best to dupe them. He will attempt to deceive as he did in the Garden of Eden, challenging them with false truth. There is a great need to learn to deal with and accept life’s questions; to live with life’s tensions and to do that wisdom is needed.
“Wisdom strengthens the wise more than ten rulers of the city. For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin. Also do not take to heart everything people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. For many times, also, your own heart has known that even you have cursed others.”
–Ecclesiastes 7:19-22 (NKJV)
How do we succeed in this world of chaos? How do we find strength? We find wisdom, for wisdom gives inner strength. It gives us the strength to walk through the mayhem of the world, to battle through the issues that confront us. Listen, each of us bears a cross, Jesus says to pick it up and follow Him. Nowhere does it say that sanctification will be an easy lot; rather it is a hard road to follow at times. Didn’t we read earlier, “Who makes the paths crooked”? (7:13) Jesus knows the way we travel and we are told that if we need wisdom we should ask God and it will be given to us. (James 1:5)
One of the most important facets of wisdom is that it gives us the strength to avoid gullibility–wisdom has a filtering system. This is true whether you are dealing with a used-car salesman or dealing with one of Satan’s imps. The world has many glittering things to offer. Watch out for sales; you usually get what you pay for. Watch out for the lights and glamour of advertising. I read once, where a casino owner in Las Vegas said that because of the allure that once a person enters they have been “got.” There are shysters of all kinds and wisdom gives us the strength to say “NO!”
Some wise man (word choice intended) once said, “When a mule kicks you, just consider the source.” Wisdom gives us the strength to handle criticism. When people shun and laugh at your ideas, your lifestyle, your way of walking this journey of life, we consider the source. Wisdom also helps us to keep our mouth shut when we see a fool fall in a ditch and not to say, “I told you so.” It will keep us humble.
I will advise you to read the rest of Ecclesiastes 7, stopping especially to contemplate verse 29. We see here that wisdom gives insight. It shows that some relationships are often unsatisfying. It helps us determine the difference between thrills and true satisfaction. It lets us know regarding alien relationships–being unequally yoked. It helps us to realize that sometimes those we depend upon fall flat and apart. It is wisdom that flashes out the warning–Beware of Synthetics!
The world would have you live a synthetic Christianity. It would have you depart from the principles and virtues of the Bible. The Word of God is our manual of arms, our policy manual to help us through this world. Our covering is the righteousness of Jesus Christ. The world would have you think that you are outdated, especially in the realm of family rights and status. As Christ is our covering, so is the man (the father/the husband) the covering for his family. Where is that man? C.S. Lewis says that society has been clamoring for “men without chests.” If that happens, and it is happening, what will happen to the covering of society?