Monday, April 23, 2012

WISDOM

James 1:5-8
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

James starts off by talking about the importance of seeking God for wisdom. The reason we seek God for wisdom is because wisdom only comes from Him. Now, we should make mention that there is a DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE.

knowl’edge \nol’ij\ is a general awareness of information, facts, ideas, truths, or principles.
*Everyone can gain knowledge, obviously some people are able to gain more than others. We gain knowledge through education, reading, experience, etc.

wis’dom \wiz’dəm\ is a God given gift that enables us to make sensible decisions and judgments.
*We seek wisdom from God, because it is His to give and He wants to give it to you!

KNOWLEDGE COMES FROM MAN, WISDOM COMES FROM GOD!

James says if any of us lack wisdom we should ask God for it.  We ask God for wisdom, because WISDOM HELPS US UNDERSTAND WHAT GOD ULTIMATELY WANTS FROM US. Wisdom leads us to understanding how God wants us to live. It is essential for understanding God’s purpose and plan and therefore helps us to live accordingly. You and I are in desperate need for wisdom. Oh  and by the way, THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY TO GAIN WISDOM: YOU HAVE TO ASK FOR IT! “Ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be open to you.” You and I need to start asking for what God is desperately wanting to give: WISDOM.

We need to ask because He wants to generously give! God doesn’t want to give you a taste of wisdom. HE WANTS TO GIVE YOU SO MUCH WISDOM THAT IT STARTS SPILLING OUT OF YOUR PORES. God wants to give you a wisdom overload, because he wants you to understand his purpose and plan for your life. All you have to do is ask!

“YOU HAVE NOT, BECAUSE YOU ASK NOT.”

WHEN YOU ASK FOR WISDOM, YOU NEED TO BELIEVE THAT GOD IS WILLING AND ABLE AND WANTS TO GIVE IT TO YOU. Do not doubt, but be certain that God is going to give, because that’s what He promises and God cannot lie.

James says those who do not believe that God will give them wisdom are LIKE A WAVE TOSSED BY THE WIND. These people are always going back and forth, up and down. James says these people should not expect to receive anything from the lord, because of their lack of faith! In fact, James calls these people DOUBLE-MINDED AND UNSTABLE in all they do. In other words, they are the people who say one thing, but believe something else. Yes, we’ve all been guilty of this. In fact, we do it with God far too often. We pray one way, but believe the opposite.

So this passage leads us to some questions:

·         ARE YOU SEEKING GOD FOR WISDOM?
·         DO YOU BELIEVE HE CAN GIVE IT TO YOU?
·         IF YOU DO, WHY AREN’T YOU ASKING HIM FOR THE WISDOM?

Why should we seek God for wisdom?

·         We seek Him for wisdom in order to DEAL WITH OUR TROUBLING TIMES that we go through. We ask for wisdom so we can consider those moments a pure joy.
·         We seek God for wisdom TO GET A GLIMPSE OF HIS PURPOSE AND WILL for our lives. I mean, we all want to know right?
·         We seek wisdom from God SO WE CAN LIVE CLOSER TO HIS EXAMPLE. When we seek His wisdom we become more like Jesus, which is kind of important!

So, this obviously begs the question: In what area of your life are you in desperate need of wisdom?

·         Are there some IMPORTANT DECISIONS you need to make in the near future?
·         Do you need wisdom in order to RAISE YOUR CHILDREN?
·         Are you in need of some wisdom so you can RELATE BETTER TO YOUR SPOUSE?
·         Do you need wisdom so you can LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR?
·         Are you trying to figure out GOD’S PLAN/PURPOSE for your life?

Ask god for wisdom and believe that he can and wants to give it to you!

Grace & Peace, Marc


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