Wisdom
Doing The Work
Doing the work in the context of fulfilling your purpose in life is portrayed in the life of Jesus. When praying to God toward the end of his days on earth, he was able to say, “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.” (John 17:4, NASB)
Inevitably, we will all stand accountable to our Creator at the end of our days on this earth. We must balance the joy of living with the wisdom to know that we have been placed in this particular century for “…such a time as this.” (Esther 4:14b NASB)
God, in His wisdom, did not create us with the capability to know what our life span would be; but He has wisely instructed us to know that we have all been assigned a number of days. In his season of severe trials, Job declares the finality of our lifespan on earth:
“Since his days are determined, the number of his months is with You; And his limits You have set so that he cannot pass…” (Job 14:5 NASB)
If we take our cues from Jesus, He not only taught us how to live a godly and fruitful life, but that His work on this earth was to glorify God. We know that in His final days Jesus clarified God’s assignment by declaring in John 17:
- that all that God had given Him were given eternal life, that they may know God, the only true God and Jesus Christ (vs 2-3)
- the Words that were given Him from God, were given and received by His followers (vs 8)
- His followers understood that He came forth from God (vs. 8)
- That God would keep His followers (vs 12)
God has a good plan for our lives. When we choose to keep Him first, knowing Him and discovering His will for our lives becomes a delight through the highs and lows of life. When our hearts are solely devoted to fulfilling His will, His favor abounds.
“Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4, NASB)
Let’s live on purpose!
The Good Soil of Faith
Gardeners understand the process of planting seeds in good soil, knowing that the harvest will be as great as the time taken in preparation. We learn that fertile soil is properly cultivated for its crops, or yield as illustrated in the parable of the sower in the bible:
“And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and thirty.” (Matthew 13:23)
In this parable, the soil is representative of our heart and how the condition of the heart effects our receptivity of the seed (or word) that God desires to sow in us.
We can all be hearers of the Word, but all will not be sowers of the Word based on the condition of our hearts. Some will receive the Word with joy, yet will not allow the Word to take root or to bear fruit due to the trials and afflictions of life. (Matthew 13:20-21)
Others will hear the Word, but will allow the worries of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth to choke the Word, and it will become unfruitful. (Matthew 13:22)
But, for those who desire to live an abundantly fruitful life on this earth, he (or she) is the one on whose heart soil has been prepared to hear the Word of God with understanding and the wisdom and trust to live it out daily, and a result, will live a fruitful, blessed life.
“…who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.” (Matthew 13:23b)
May you choose to be the one on whom seed is sown on the good soil of faith!
Letting Go
Fulfilling our purpose can get complicated at times as we move through seasons of life that inadvertently take us off track in fulfilling our destiny. During a demanding and impressionable season in my life (during my early thirties), I had a moment of insight about my future and felt compelled to pause and take the time to reflect on and pray about the path that I had chosen and of which made sense to me to be on. The nagging question that I could not answer at the time; where my priorities God’s priorities for my life and was I on the right path towards accomplishing His purpose?
What I discovered through prayer and seeking God’s will was a clarity that would guide the projection of all my major life decisions from that time to the present. It brought me to a place of surrender, of letting go of what my limited perspective could bring when measured up against the wisdom of God.
To give oneself up to or willingly yield your life to the power of another is what it means to surrender, and as a Christian, we have been given this choice by a gracious and loving God who desires the very best for our lives. He knows how limited our understanding is in the pursuit of fulfilling the purpose that He has assigned to our lives; and He also knows that we lack the wisdom to know how.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)
Letting go of your life as an act of surrender towards fulfilling God’s purpose places you in a position of strength with an eye towards eternity. This one sacred act of surrender sets you apart from the worldly focused battles for achieving temporal victories that are built on temporal circumstances to a position that is built upon the solid foundation of Christ that will withstand any and all adversity that comes your way.
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-4)
I believe that its in the heart of human nature to want to end life well during our time on this earth, and in order for that to happen, we need the wisdom of God to know how.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5)
Don’t waste another minute living life without Him, let it go!
Photography | Pixabay
New Beginnings
Do you live with an awareness that your days are numbered on this earth and that it is unwise to believe that you will always have another day to get on with the business of living with purpose?
“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)
This was a prayer of Moses who was encouraging us to make the most of our lives since our days on earth are so few in the light of eternity which is God’s perspective.
No one but God knows the number of days that have been appointed to each of us therefore, we must view life through the lens of His wisdom, purpose and fulfillment of His call on our lives.
“Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in Your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them.” (Psalm 139:16)
Jesus, while on earth embraced this teaching as well. He lived a life focused on fulfilling the call of God on his life to the point of being able to say at the end;
“I glorified You on earth, having accomplished the work that You gave Me to do.” (John 17:4)
What have you been given to do while on this earth and are you focused on accomplishing it? Living and walking in this truth is the mark of wisdom. May this year be a year of new beginnings for better living in all arenas of your life.
Lord, teach us to number our days!
Image: The Heavenly Pastures, EU Scoop
Pray About Everything
Cultivating a lifestyle of prayer takes intentionality and an awareness that God is always with you. Jesus promised that He would be with those who would choose to follow Him.
“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)
He also promised that if we pray in secret to guard against hypocrisy and insincere desires to be seen by others (pride) that He would reward us openly.
“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6)
Growing up under the influence of my mom taught me how to cultivate a lifestyle of prayer. In our large family it was hard to have a secret place to pray but I eventually noticed that she routinely rose early in the morning when the house was quiet or found a corner in the house very late in the night.
Her prayers were sometimes quiet and at times fervent and passionate, often with tears and always on her knees. It was as if the more she prayed the more she realized her need to pray. She came to know that God was with her.
As I began my young faith walk and would face difficulties of my own she began saying to me; “honey, pray about everything.” She knew that cultivating a prayer life was the greatest assurance of knowing God for myself and mom was right.
“You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)
“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6)
(Reposted in honor of my mom’s life – 1933~2020)
Image: Planwallpaper
Hearing God
The ability to hear causes us to take notice, to observe or pay attention to what we are being informed of. Hearing is listening.
Are you a good listener? Whether you believe you are a good listener or not, God has plenty to say about the art of being a good listener. The word is used so often in the Bible God must have known we would be challenged in this area.
“Listen diligently to Me…incline your ear, and come to Me; hear, that your soul may live…” (Isaiah 55:2,3)
The livelihood of our souls depends on how great a listener we are to not only what God speaks into our lives but how well we apply it. God tells us that it was because the Israelites refused to hear His words they turned back to the sin of their forefathers.
“They have turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear My words.” (Jeremiah 11:10)
Listening and believing go hand in hand with God. He promises to bless those who believe what He speaks.
“And blessed is she who believes that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” (Luke 1:45)
Listening and obedience go hand in hand with God who entrusted an entire nation under the leadership of Moses to bring them into the promised land.
“…He is faithful in all My house.” (Numbers 12:7)
Hearing God can’t be done well in a noisy and hectic lifestyle. We must learn to guard our hearts for the quiet times that are needed to hear and grow in our knowledge of God and the daily fellowship and blessings that knowing Him offer.
“Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for He will speak peace to His people, to His saints; but let them not turn back to folly.” (Psalm 85:8)
“Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
Eternal Perspective
Decision making can be one of the toughest aspects of life and relationships because of the long-term ramifications that lay in the balance. With all the careful reasoning, resolution of doubts and inner conflicts leading to a final decision we still lack the eternal perspective that is needed when making wise decisions. We must at some point acknowledge out need to the One who does know the future and who tells us that He is eager to respond to those who seek His perspective.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5)
Because we’ve all been given a free will to make our own life choices, the bible speaks to the way of the wise and the way of the foolish. We have a choice to either listen to God and heed His voice of wisdom or to do what seems right in our own eyes. Those who choose not to listen to God move through life doing what seems right in their own, limited perspective. Real progress in life is hindered and the long term outcomes don’t end well.
“But they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward.” (Jeremiah 7:24)
To know wisdom is to know the God of wisdom.
“For My people are foolish; they know Me not;” (Jeremiah 4:22)
God’s wisdom opens the door to the eternal perspective we lack when making major life decisions. Seeking His input sets the wise apart from the foolish. The fool in time will suffer harm while the seekers of wisdom become wiser.
“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” (Proverbs 13:20)
God has a good plan for all His children and is eager to grant us the eternal perspective we need when making decisions. Ask in faith (James 1:6) and it will be given to you.
“Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool; but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.” (Proverbs 28:26)
Image: HD Wallpapers
Believe God
“Believe, believe, believe in Me, All your hearts desires be
Anchored in My Sovereignty, believe, believe, believe in Me.”
God has a plan for our lives that is offered to us through His patient, forgiving and gracious love. He gives us time to work out our lives according to our own wisdom and ways of doing life. He knows that eventually, after trial and failure, we will come to the end of our self-efforts. If we are fortunate enough to move through this phase of life, we will look back and realize that God was watching over us, protecting us during those years of futile self-efforts towards building a successful life. We will all conclude that there is no true wisdom but wisdom that comes from God.
“Where is the one who is wise?…Hasn’t God made the world’s wisdom foolish?” (1Corinthians 1:20)
Discovering God’s plan begins with accepting our inability to know His will without believing in Christ, His Son and our Savior. Once we accept Christ we gain access to godly wisdom that will lead us into the fruitful life God has for us based on His Word, the Bible.
“Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.” (Psalm 119:105)
Don’t be like the foolish rich man (in the Book of Luke) who focused on storing up his earthly riches while neglecting the poverty of his soul. He perished in failing to live out his life according to the wisdom of God, his self-efforts came to nothing from an eternal perspective.
“That’s how it is with the one who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:21)
Believe in God’s sovereign plan for your life. Humble yourself and get to know God through His Son and you will discover His eternal will for your life.
“Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God – who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly – and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5)
“Believe” by ljwillis
loretta j. willis, author 