WISDOM WEDNESDAY 

Vol. 1 Issue 7 - 4-6-22

"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." 

- II Peter 3:18

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Greetings Church,

If we take a moment to reflect upon our lives we would find that we all have or will experience all the stressors of living in a fallen world. The reality of sin which so easily entangles is something we often let our minds forget about. Not because we are forgiven but because we think we can in our own strength live above an awareness of sin in our own lives and thus in the world in which we live.

Reflecting upon these past three years I have grown dramatically in my faith. I have laid to rest both of my parents. I have welcomed more grandchildren into our family. I have begun to look closely at how I will live the rest of my days. Yet, in doing so I must find the Word to be central in that evaluation.

I have often quoted James 4:17 in a call to faithfulness for those who I have shepherded, "So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." The goal was to encourage those who needed a nudge to realize the need for follow through to do so. But as I read the text in context I have realized it is more than just a nudge. It is a need to understand the sovereignty of God in every detail of our lives. To see with eyes of amazement the joy of His salvation and His purpose for us daily and for all eternity.

Listen to James 4:13-16, "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit' - yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin."

First we see an invitation to consider the planning of our time. James speaks to the heart of those who plan things on their own accord and not in the Lord's. A recent conversation with Dale helped to keep in perspective the decisions we make. He was asked a question and he responded that he needed time to pray about it. How often we find ourselves jumping into decisions whether great or small without the Lord's counsel.

Secondly, we are to keep ourselves humble before a majestic God, "What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes." v14b It doesn't say we have little value but that our time here on earth is limited in the scope of eternity. If we are just a mist, how misty are we going to be? How will we use our time wisely? How will each day have its greatest value? How will we redeem the day for the Lord's glory?

Thirdly, we are to realize the greatest worth in our lives is to do the will of the Lord and to seek it faithfully. Knowing the will of the Lord begins with time in the Word, bathing it in prayer that we would understand and apply it. The will of God is clearly displayed in the Bible even if we have to spend much time searching its pages. Pouring over the scriptures always brings out the best in us as it changes our hearts and transforms our lives. In "rightly handling the word of truth" - II Timothy 2:15, we will begin to see the right things we need to do.

Finally, we are to live for today and make God led plans for tomorrow. With all the stress we endure we can find today overwhelmingly focused upon tomorrow. Jesus said, "Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" - Matthew 6:34. Let us purpose, to live each day to the fullness that God has designed for us and we will find our lives accomplishing all the good, the right things daily.

Blessings,
PBS