15 Minutes
When we know Christ, we get wisdom. Compare wisdom with anything else
we can get, and wisdom is better because wisdom helps us know what to do
with what we get. And wisdom tells us of our greatest need...divine guidance.
And without this guidance we are not to even trust in our wisdom. We must
be inclined toward godliness. And so, God gives us wisdom that we might
primarily discern when divine guidance is leading us. This wisdom is one of
God’s means of discerning the will of God. And wisdom and divine guidance
must be based upon divine revelation. And divine revelation is given through
the word of God. And it is the authoritative word from God which serves as
a measure of our thoughts and deeds.And every word of God is tested, every
word is pure. Divine revelation is formed in precepts, principles, and patterns.
Precepts are the commands of God, specific and straightforward. Principles
are set down for those who ask to know God’s will and to do it. Patterns are
those truths of scripture which have great relevance in showing us the ways
of God, His character and conduct, in determined situations. It is with this
wisdom that divine guidance seeks the will of God rather than self-sufficiency
and self-trust, natural reasoning. Divine guidance rests upon the promises of
God, on those “things which are not seen” yet having faith in the Determinate
Counsel which declared the end from the beginning, and from ancient times
the things that are not yet done. And by this faith we know that the counsel
of God will stand. These are God breathed words. It’s called wisdom.
I Corinthians 1:30
Righteousness for our past whereby we have been justified by God that we
might be born again. Sanctification for our present by which we are being
made perfect, transformed in our mind, our will, God’s expression permeated
to a divine life. Redemption for our future by which we will be like him,
glorified. Though he grew in wisdom and stature the perfection of truth
rested in him. The purpose of wisdom and love triumphed in him.
Wisdom does not regard the past as the exclusive source of truth. Truth is
relative and expanding; it lives always in the present, achieving new
expression in each generation. Wisdom, like reason, is allied to faith.
Reason, wisdom, and faith are our highest human attainments. Reason
introduces us to the realm of particulars, to things; wisdom introduces us to
a world of truth, to relationships; faith initiates us into the path of divinity, a
spiritual experience. Faith most willingly carries reason along as far as
reason can go and then goes on with wisdom to full enlightenment; and then
it dares to launch out upon the limitless and never-ending journey in the sole
company of TRUTH. When reason once recognizes right and wrong, it
exhibits wisdom; when wisdom chooses between right and wrong, truth and
error, it demonstrates the leading of the Spirit. And so are the functions of
mind, soul, and spirit ever closely united in proportion to the spiritual love
and perfection with Jesus. Our devotion to truth is unquestioning. God will
have His elect function with the power of choice through the wisdom
bestowed until the last earth struggle is over. When we truly worship God in
spirit, that worship will lead to wisdom, and wisdom eventuates in the finality
of thought in the mind fully contemplating Christ. Wisdom embraces
discretion as well as courage in that we submit our lives to knowing God and
believing in the Son. It’s called wisdom.
Wisdom does not come without great effort. Wisdom is only for those who
will diligently seek it. Remember what we were taught in Proverbs 2:1-11.
Doing wisdom will not be without sacrifice and commitment. We must do
what we know to be right.
Jeremiah 42:1-6
Jeremiah brought the word of God as it is by God. Without wisdom divinely
guided the people considered it as being false. They chose natural reasoning
opposing to conform to God’s way. Too many want the word of God to agree
with their estimation of what they think rather than precept to principle to
pattern. God is doing for the good of our character. The wise is slow to speak
and weighs the spoken words. The wise gives thought to the consequences
of the actions to be taken. The wise are counseled not to teach or correct the
fool. A fool does not want direction. This is why and how character is so
crucial in matters of divine guidance. Nothing that we have heard here is
new. But nevertheless, needs to be said by way of reminder that we hear
again the reasoning of God. Our character is, perhaps, the determinant factor
in responding to divine guidance. Too many neglect the paths which the word
of God so clearly defines. God said go to Nineveh, but you want to go to
Tarshish. For the time we ought to be teachers...what does our doing say of
our character.
Wisdom and divine guidance overcome every deception. The wisdom
afforded the first pair was ordered in harmony as they stood in innocence.
Adam bore a mental likeness to his Maker. When presented with controversy
Adam knew the right but abandoned divine guidance for selfishness
concerning the woman given him. What felt safe to his feelings deceived his
flesh thinking he was doing right. The only power that satan has is the power
of deception, and the thing about deception is that you don’t know you are
being deceived. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be deception. But, once the truth is
revealed and received, deceit loses all its power. The devil never changes
his tactics. Wisdom and divine guidance filled with faith is the potent antidote.
Religious services will be satan’s deception in these final days. He uses it to
attempt to replace the power of the Holy Spirit. He mimics the Holy Spirit that
many sincere believers think is leading them when in fact it is a religious
spirit. You do religious services thinking you have some control. Therefore,
it feels safe to your flesh because it tells you what to do externally and when
you do it, your conscience is deceived by feelings of doing right. This
replaces the inner peace of the Holy Spirit that comes from being in right
relationship with the Lord. You become focused on doing good works for God
and outward appearances instead of being Spirit led. The ultimate goal of
religion is to cut you off from a vital relationship with the Lord Himself.
Religion allures you with the false promise that you can be spiritual. In the
end, you are left without. Don’t limit God with small thinking. The surety of
our inheritance is wisdom under divine guidance. It is the mind of Christ.
Most fail to deepen their faith in the word of God because they seek to find
fault with things they do not understand. So rather than ask an innocent
question, they oppose reasoning. Coming to God with humility and sincerity
would give them divine wisdom. Whenever we come face-to-face with the
profound wisdom of God, we will experience awe and holy amazement at
the depth of truth found in His word. It is with divine guidance that wisdom
silences and reveals the hidden malice of all opposition to truth.
When you live your faith openly and with confidence as in Christ, you will be
attacked. Your understanding will be called into question. Divine guidance
has you turn to God and in your reasoning with God for truth you are careful
for nothing. The sacredness of your study opens the mind to the clear voice
of God Who speaks pure truth, pure wisdom. And under divine guidance you
are prepared for every encounter. It’s called wisdom.
Brothers and sisters, please heed this warning...if you are not seeking
wisdom under the guidance of God you are on the path to spiritual failure.
You are being hardened. When you think you are wise enough to judge
God’s word you are becoming spiritually insensitive. When what hurts the
heart of God doesn’t hurt you the way it used to you’re in a dangerous
condition. We little consider how threatened each of us is by being willingly
ignorant of all that the word of God offers. That in itself is deceptive in its very
character. Like climbers rope together on a steep mountain, like soldiers
team together on a battlefield and keep track of one another.
One of the essential means by which Christ guides, protects, and perfects
his people is through reasoning with his Father and the active participation
of other believers in their lives. The day of Christ's return is fast approaching,
and it will be a day of judgment for all who fall away. Remembering this, we
ought to have sober reflection to the spiritual concerns of our brothers and
sisters in Christ. It is not a difficult thing to believe when you reason by
wisdom under divine guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is by faith, through faith
that we can become like the word of God.
For the elect are brought by calling into the fold of Christ, not from the very
womb, nor all at the same time, but according as God sees it meet to
dispense His grace. Before they(we) are gathered to the Most High, they(we)
wander dispersed in a common desert, and in no respect differ from others,
except that by the special mercy of God they(we) are kept. This does not
mean that before they(we) were enlightened they(we) were aliens of
scripture, they(we) just had not clear revelation. So, we ask this question...
I Corinthians 4:7
Acts 13:48
Intimation that some excel others, not by their own virtue, but by the mere
favor of God. Our wisdom is to be defined according to the mind of Christ.
Wisdom is not knowing good and evil. Wisdom is knowing good from evil.
Reasoning with God means we are not tempted to be wise above what is
needed. I ask for wisdom. I bow my head, close my eyes, and prepare to
hear His answer as the Holy Spirit assumes the role of guiding into truth
studied. However, if unable clearly to ascertain the truth, let us not decline to
be somewhat in ignorance in regard to the depths of the divine wisdom.
There is a view above to explain His way, in His truth. All truth is God’s truth,
that is true. But the only “truth” we know to be truth is the “truth” which is in
Christ, the truth revealed in God’s Word. These are necessary for life and
godliness. We transcend our senses until such time as it shall be given us to
know how He mysteriously wills in us to know and to do. God is taking His
time in revealing and bringing to completion His marvelous plan decreed in
eternity past in the Determinate Counsel, which in its culmination discloses
His infinite wisdom. And there are no rewrites. God determined that we be
purposed in this lengthy drama to display His wisdom. It is shown to us as
we are privileged to become wise. God selected a people for Himself and
became their Father, and why, from that one people, He plucked only a small
number as if they are His remnant? We can only stand in awe of the wisdom
of God to determine such a thing and to bring it about. It’s called wisdom.
Comments