Defining Wisdom

Asking for wisdom is daily my heart's prayer. There are numerous promises in the Bible that we often neglect and only need to claim; I am often taking James 1:5 to God's throne:

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upraideth not; and it shall be given him."

God tells us that if we realize we need wisdom to ask him and we will get it.

This is such a simple promise, but have you ever wondered how you would recognize this wisdom? We have the world and all it's philosophies, friends, family, and perhaps common sense rolling around in our head, and we wonder which voice is God's voice. How do we discern? Well, if we continue reading in James we will discover that God describes for us both what God's wisdom IS and what it IS NOT.

James 3 tells us that the wisdom God gives us is manifested through our TONGUES. What we say determines if we have wisdom from God, or wisdom from this world.

Many of you are familiar with the first part of the chapter in which James discusses how much power our tongues have for evil. Then he disusses how hard it is to tame our tongues. He says that sometimes we say evil things and sometimes we speak good things but "these things ought not so to be."

I have never understood the connection between our speech and wisdom until reading this chapter. I would never normally tie the two together, but this bridge is fascinating. If we are thanking God and blessing Him, but then are speaking ill of what is happening in our lives and even cursing, it is evidence of the world's wisdom. These kinds of words are evident of a heart full of envy and strife. A wise man cannot possibly utter both blessings and cursings. If a man is wise it is impossible!! If our lives are full of envying strife and confusion, it is a direct evidence that we are adhering to the wisdom of the world (vs 14-16).

Are you wise? Well then, "show out of a good conversation your works with meekness of wisdom (vs13)." Our conversation is our lifestyle, our behavior. Wisdom is not only thoughts, direction, purpose or beliefs, but more importantly our actions. Wisdom will direct us to live an excellent life with a gentle spirit that can only come from having wisdom.

How exactly is God's wisdom manifested? Well, James describes it for us in verse 17. Wisdom from above is:

(first) pure - This is very interesting: above all else, our wisdom should be pure. This could be described as holy perhaps, but a better description is innocent. Our wisdom should be so pure that it is not even aware of sin.

peaceable - creating quietness and rest (do my words do this?)

gentle- appropriate or patient (do I know what to say and when or what not to say and when?do I dismiss what others are saying?)

easy to be entreated - easily compliant (am I a good listener? do I give in when it is not a matter of principle? do people like to talk to me? do i readily submit to authority?)

full of mercy - compassion (do I want to help those in need?)

full of good fruits - works (do my actions produce honorable, excellent, useful, or pleasant results?)

without partiality - not partial (do I treat others fairly?)

without hypocrisy -sincere (am I a fake/phony? am I putting on a show?)

It is easy to ask for wisdom. It is easy for God to give me wisdom. From this list I can now identify God's wisdom quite easily. Am I manifesting the wisdom of the world or the wisdom from above? "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required..." Lk 12:48

Celebrating Small Victories

I went through

a box of old cassette tapes,
gift boxes,
gift bags,
gift wrap and ribbon

And actually threw stuff away!!
(and put some stuff in the yard sale box)

Just wondering...

Does it seem odd to anyone else but me to put a coupon inside a hotdog wrapper?

The truth about my hand-held grater from IKEA

I love it! And it has a red handle to match my kitchen.

However, grating vegetables is highly preferred over gratings one's thumb.

Kids driving you crazy?

This thought was running through my head. (Sometimes they spin too, but for now this one was just running.) So I thought about the kids driving me crazy and it dawned on me that that means they are in control. Now according to just about every good book I've read including the Good Book, they are supposed to be obeying me. I also believe that means that I am supposed to be in control, not them.

So, in essence, I'm wondering if that means that the kids are never supposed to be driving me crazy.

Of course the thought continues to run, and so begins the conundrum about control. How much control am I supposed to have? Because let me tell you, I am also compulsive (I dont believe that was on the ol' description) and if I think I'm supposed to be in control, I WILL BE IN CONTROL. The question of balance arises. Constantly thinking about the same thing is not healthy (balance anyone?) so either a) I realize I am fooling myself and really I am not in control of anything or b) I realize that it is impossible to be in control at all times and therefore sometimes

The children will drive me crazy.

It is a unique and precious journey. The view is spectacular.

Why?

In case you were wondering, yes, sometimes my thoughts will be random, and yes, sometimes my thoughts will be silly.


Why do salt and pepper work so well together?

My blog - welcome!

Of course you are wondering why you are here. There are plenty of voices in the bloggy world, so why should you listen to mine? I hope to be a voice for truth, and I'd love for you to stay.

I am a thinker. An old friend calls it "ticker tape." She says you can tell I never stop thinking.

Sometimes thinking prevents doing, and sometimes (well, most of the time) thinking allows me to focus my thoughts - channel them; funnel them - to a center place, a place of truth.

"The truth shall set you free" John 8:32 Truth sets us free: free from pain, free from bondage, free from misconception, free from stress, free from confusion. This truth has the power to free me from whatever I have been enslaved. What power this truth has!! What wonder! Pain, bondage, misconception, stress, confusion? Books and articles and essays are written every day about how to obtain this freedom, and yet 6 simple words claim more power than any of these.

Knowing this truth has so much power is so motivating. I want to find this truth. I need to find this truth. I need to be free. Unfortunately the beginning part of the verse is often forgotten: "Ye shall know the truth." I can only be free when I know the truth. "Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free."

"Thy Word is truth" John 17:17

"In the beginning was the Word...and the Word was God" John 1:1

You see, it is only when I know truth that I am able to live in truth. "Abide in me" Jn 15:4 I cannot abide in that which I do not know. Once I know truth I have the freedom to follow truth without the "entanglement of the affairs of this life."

This, my readers, is my goal: to know truth. I do not claim to have any more power or talent or ability than any one else in this matter, simply the power from knowing Christ and His Word. So welcome to my journey of thought: thoughts about truth. It is my goal to focus the thoughts and happenings of my day around God, His Son, and His Word.

So as you read come join me at the fireside of life with a hot cup of (tea, coffee, cocoa). This is a place for you to curl up and think.