People Long For Wisdom And Insight…

We live in a day that says “don’t judge”. We live in a day that tells us there is no such thing as absolute truth. And despite all of this, people long for wisdom and insight, longing to know we are significant and serve a purpose. There are so many people in the world listening to Satan’s deceptive lies trying to re-write our history, change the definition of words, remove statues, and redefine common sense, which makes it’s difficult to find meaning in anything. All of this should be a wakeup call. It should reveal to us how important God’s word is. The only wisdom we can ever gain will only comes from God, Himself. God’s truth (the only truth there is) is objective. It doesn’t change. It remains the same throughout eternity. This wisdom helps us form our judging skills. Jesus tells us “when we judge, we are to judge rightly”. How can anyone judge accurately when there is no standard in which to judge. That’s where God comes in. His standard is the standard. His word is the sharp, two-edged sword that separates truth from falsehood. When we seek it from Him, we find purpose, meaning, and significance. It’s what gives us solid ground to stand on. Its what gives us the ability to discern. It’s what helps us to recognize a tree by the fruit it produces. It’s the very reason why Jesus tells us “the Truth will sets us free”. When we seek wisdom, and ask God for it, He will honor us and grant our request, giving us the humility to judge accurately. I’ve always said, “when we honor God, He will honor us”. Seeking wisdom is honoring God, because it shows us our dependence upon Him, and with obedience, we learn to use it for His glory. Wisdom comes from God.... and His standard forms our ability to judge. Ask Him to grant you some wisdom today. Then give it to someone else as a gift, and watch how it changes the world of those that receive it.

7 Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do!And whatever else you do, develop good judgment.8 If you prize wisdom, she will make you great.Embrace her, and she will honor you.9 She will place a lovely wreath on your head;she will present you with a beautiful crown.” Proverbs 4:7-9

When You Get Over Yourself…

Relationships are funny. You can have good ones and bad ones. Relationships can make you feel great or drag you down. People are fickle, so relationships have a wide range of effects on people. You can never truly have a perfect relationship because humans are imperfect. The only possible way that a relationship can be genuine and real is if one or both of the parties have made Jesus their Lord. It’s only when you get over yourself (the requirement of repentance), that we can give of ourselves without restraint or caution. Until then, any relationship can only go so far, for it doesn’t have an eternal stamp in it. This includes family as well. Jesus spoke with authority and great wisdom. The people in His hometown marveled at His ability to speak and do miracles. However, they were offended by Him; even His own family. The underlying truth to this is: truth cannot set you free when you don’t accept it. So when people speak truth, it offends. Jesus’ family was offended by Him because He spoke truth. And it wasn’t accepted until after His death and resurrection. Then, His family accepted/embraced the truth, and some of them eventually died because of it. Becoming a Christian means embracing truth. Once we do that it opens us up to have real, authentic relationships; ones that turn from temporary to eternal. Is that the kind of relationships you want? It starts with Jesus. It starts with accepting truth.

53 When Jesus had finished telling these stories and illustrations, He left that part of the country. 54 He returned to Nazareth, His hometown. When He taught there in the synagogue, everyone was amazed and said, “Where does He get this wisdom and the power to do miracles?” 55 Then they scoffed, “He’s just the carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, His mother, and His brothers–James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. 56 All His sisters live right here among us. Where did He learn all these things?” 57 And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in Him.Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.” 58 And so He did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief. Matthew 13:53-58

Why Does God Allow Evil?

When people ask “why does God allow evil?”, I simply answer “because of His love for us”. He has given mankind freewill. And that allows man to reject Him. If man rejects God (it’s in his nature), then he lives in a manner contrary to God’s ways (evil). If God removed all evil from the earth then there would be no one left, for we are all sinners. If you don’t believe that, ask yourself when was the last time you lied, stolen, used God’s name in vain, looked with lust? If you did it just once (for it only takes one time), then you are a sinner. So what does God do? He allows the weeds (evil) to grow along side the wheat (forgiven sinners). As it states, pulling weeds “will uproot the wheat”, so they must grow together, eventually to be separated at harvest (judgement day). When people tell me God is evil or a dictator because He allows evil, they obviously don’t know the truth about Him, do they? The better question to ask is why does humanity choose evil over good, self over God?

24 Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. 25 But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away.26 When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew.27 “The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’28 “ ‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed.“ ‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked.29 “ ‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do.30 Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’ ” Matthew 13:24-30

Why Some People “Get” The Bible…

I’ve always wondered why some people “get” the Bible, while others don’t. The answer all boils down to this one truth: those who are willing to listen to Jesus are given understanding versus those who do not listen have knowledge taken away. You either live by truth, or you live by something else. You either love the truth, or you love something else more. Where is your heart? Is it constantly pursuing God, seeking His will? Or is it caught up and occupied with “self” and the worries and distractions of this world?

11 He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. 12 To those who listen to My teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. 13 That is why I use these parables, For they look, but they don’t really see.They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand. 14 This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says, ‘When you hear what I say,you will not understand.When you see what I do,you will not comprehend.15 For the hearts of these people are hardened,and their ears cannot hear,and they have closed their eyes–so their eyes cannot see,and their ears cannot hear,and their hearts cannot understand,and they cannot turn to Meand let Me heal them.’ 16 “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.17 I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it. Matthew 13:11-17

37 Pilate said, “So You are a king?”Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.” John 18:37

A Nation Divided….

These are the words of Jesus, not mine. If He is God, and He is truth, then America (and the World) needs to take His words seriously. The only hope America has is if we start listening to truth and stop suppressing it. A nation divided will not stand. Good versus evil, good must prevail. The Church must rise up, pray for this country, and unite in spreading the Gospel. As Princess Leia said in Star Wars, “it’s our only hope”.

25 Jesus knew their thoughts and replied, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A town or family splintered by feuding will fall apart. Matthew 12:25

When “Me” Takes Up Most Of My Thought Processes…

Loving your neighbor isn’t New Testament theology. It’s been around since God existed (forever), for its Who He is, part of His character. When we don’t help those in need, or delay the help, it only shows us what’s in our heart. When “me” takes up most of my thought processes, withholding good from others becomes a habit that’s hard to break. This selfishness reveals which stage we are in, in the sanctification process (child stage). We haven’t learned that helping others is a sign of spiritual maturity. Ultimately, we are the ones who miss out on the true blessing (better to give than receive). Rotate your eyes 180 degrees forward, that way they will be facing outward, and you’ll be able to see others in need. Now go out and do the good God commands, and love your neighbor as yourself, while you still have the ability to help them.

27 Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them.28 If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say,“Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.” 29 Don’t plot harm against your neighbor,for those who live nearby trust you.30 Don’t pick a fight without reason,when no one has done you harm. Proverbs 3:27-30

Peace In The Midst Of The Storm….

God will never abandon a heart that seeks after Him. He is a refuge in times of trouble; a shelter for the oppressed. He is a calm (peace) in the midst of a storm. A light in a dark tunnel. He is security in an insecure world. He is confidence in times of mistrust. He is hope in times of despair. He is the Anchor of the soul. God honors those that honor Him. Never lose sight of these truths.

7 But the Lord reigns forever,executing judgment from His throne.8 He will judge the world with justice and rule the nations with fairness.9 The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.10 Those who know Your name trust in You, for You, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for You. Psalms 9:7-10