Monday, March 23, 2009

The Simple Way of Wisdom

Like everyone else in the world right now I am unsure of the future. No one seems to know what is going to happen. Last night I heard our president say that things are worse than he thought they would be, but he is confident that things will get better. He did not specify as to why he thought things would get better. It makes me think he really doesn't know that things will get better.

On the news I heard different talking heads discuss how things are going to get worse. They pointed to similar issues, but came to different conclusions. One group said that the government was not doing enough. Another group said that the government was doing too much. Neither side seemed to know anything for certain. It makes me think they don't really know that things will get worse.

The NCAA tournament is going on right now and I listened to a group "experts" discuss who they thought would win and why. Their arguments were sound, but their arguments were sound last week too and they were not 100% correct in their predictions. It makes me think they don't really know who will win.

The reality of life is that none of us really knows what the rest of today or tomorrow holds. And yet God tells us we can make decisions that are wise. These wise decisions will allow us to live with confidence and peace. I believe Him. The question is how is it possible to make wise decisions in a world where no one provides any level of certainty? God's answer thankfully transcends the temporary finite thinking of created beings and calls us to a more stable source of certainty.

We read in Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."

Living wise is a simple way of life.

Step One: Fear the Lord
This means that we are to respect who God is, what He has done, and what He can do. When we respect God and fear Him and nothing else we begin to live wisely. When we fear what won't last, we begin to wander away from God and toward a path of destruction.

Step Two: Know the Lord
This means we must seek to understand what God has revealed of Himself. Through the Bible God has provided more than enough facts for us to glean something of God's greatness and goodness. God is beyond our comprehension, but we can understand something of His power and love in Christ. When we see life through the lens of God's sovereign power and grace, we begin to understand life.

The wisdom and understanding of the life of faith in Christ provides us with all the security we need and the ability to walk the narrow path that leads to the life God created us to live. This life can live through recessions, depressions, bad bracket picks, rocky relational roads, and anything else this life can throw at us.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very nice post!

Anonymous said...

Great comment. I try to combat these uncertainties today with Paul's words in I Timothy 6:17, "As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor set their hopes of the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy"

Anonymous said...

Amen! Life is often like going down an unfamiliar path in the woods. You look down the path and see the next bend, but you don't know where it leads. Once you get to the bend, you see the path continues...guiding you along. God is always with us guiding us along. We must have faith and wisdom to follow His lead down the path of life.

Brittany said...

Thanks for this post.
In such uncertain times, I am thankful for one constant...Jesus Christ.