I'd like to continue talking about wisdom. What was established yesterday was that we ought to strive for wisdom more than knowledge, and though we have our elders to thank for a good chunk of what wisdom we possess right now, true wisdom ultimately has one Source, and that is God. I ended the article by quoting James 1, which states that if we lack wisdom, all we need to do is ask...
..."Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind." (James 1:6 AMP)
One thing I detest about myself right now is that I know what needs to be done, but it takes a significant amount of time before I act on it. I dilly-dolly. I rationalize procrastination, and the repercussions of me holding things off till the last minute (or until someone else acts when I should have) leaves me frustrated.
I used to think that smoking and drinking were my biggest problems, until I saw how pornography ravaged my life. I then used to think that pornography was my biggest problem, until I saw how laziness and pride weighed me down and tore me apart.
Praise God, because the salvation we have in Christ does not just skim the surface, but it pierces us to the core, breaking what needs to be broken, healing what needs to be healed... to the point that nothing of our former selves remains, and all that it left is not just a saved being assured of life everlasting... but a totally new creation.
So though I have my struggles, I know that in the end, God's everlasting love wins. Where sin abounds, grace abounds even more... and I believe it abounds to the point that sin has no space to work. The salvation we have in Christ is a guarantee that sin shall no longer have dominion over us, regardless of what we see or think.
I bring up the topic of sin because we are still in this world, and in this world, the enemy of our souls continues to accuse us. He continues relentlessly even in this day and age to get us to believe that sin still has power over us. His time is running out, and he will not stop lying to us, that our faith would be shaken, and that we would waver, hesitate, and doubt.
Here is another message to myself as much as it is for anyone who reads this: Christ is our salvation, and He Himself is the power of God, and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24)! We have mentioned that the Lord gives wisdom (Proverbs 2:6) - and this wisdom is not a thing, but the wisdom we possess is Christ Himself!
What does this mean for us? It means that we no longer need to rely on what we claim is 'wisdom from God', but we can trust in Christ Himself in any circumstance we have. It means that though we don't know all the sides to a controversy, we can rest in Christ, knowing that He knows, and that anything He guides us to do is the best thing to do.
It means that we no longer have any fear of making mistakes. Christ, who is the Author and Finisher of our faith, has done a perfect work through His life, death, resurrection, and ascension. Christ Himself is our guarantee that though our senses think we blew it, we can believe that God would cause it to work for our good.
I just realized now that though there are those times that I berate myself out of bed, it is God's grace that keeps me, and by Christ's finished work I am gently reminded that I am no longer condemned, but empowered.
Not really sure I made any sense here today, but I do want to point out that it is Christ that keeps us in peace when we are pushed to and fro by the world and its demands. If we are to 'get a grip', it is in the hands of God.
This is the fear of the Lord: Recognizing that we cannot survive, much less triumph on our own. The fear of the Lord is realizing that we are nothing on our own, and we have everything in Christ.
Solus Christus. Soli Deo Gloria.
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email me at jibee@rocketmail.com.
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you His Shalom. - Numbers 6:24-26