“A word to the wise” was one of the little phrases I remember my Grandmother using to get my attention.  It usually preceded some words of wisdom intended to keep me from getting into trouble.  “A word to the wise – you probably don’t want to eat those cherries you just picked all at one time!”  Usually, the indicator of just how wise I turned out to be was whether I paid attention to her advice.  Sometimes I was wise and sometimes I was in trouble.  Funny how living long enough to be a grandparent will equip you to pass on a little wisdom to the grandkids!

The Old Testament book of Proverbs contains a wealth of wisdom passed on from King Solomon to his children.  You may remember that, when God told Solomon in a dream he would grant whatever he requested, Solomon specifically asked for wisdom rather than power or wealth.  God was pleased with Solomon’s request and he delivered so great a measure of wisdom to Solomon that kings and queens came from the corners of the earth to hear his wisdom.  Not surprisingly, one of the recurring themes of Solomon’s Proverbs is the importance of seeking wisdom.  Proverbs 2:6-8 reads:

For the LORD gives wisdom;
   from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
   he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
guarding the paths of justice
   and watching over the way of his saints.

The benefits of wisdom are obvious and we would all do well to seek after wisdom for ourselves.  But how does one attain wisdom?  Is wisdom only to be gained through a series of learning experiences or perhaps at the feet of a wise teacher?  We must first recognize that, as was the case with Solomon’s wisdom, the only true source of wisdom is the Lord. 

As this Proverb states, the Lord stores up wisdom for the upright and this is the same Lord who is guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of His saints.  The word “saints” refers to us and we should know there is a storehouse in heaven of wisdom intended to supply each of us for the challenges of this life.  How do we tap into that storehouse of wisdom?  James gives us this simple and yet powerful formula in James 1:5-8:

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

How many of us could benefit from more wisdom in our lives?  For the saints, it is available to all who ask in faith.  Trust God on this matter.  A word to the wise – Ask in faith for Him to grant you the wisdom you need without doubting that He will deliver on His promise to you.  God is faithful to fulfill His promises.

Until next week,

Meet me at the intersection!

Last week, I left you with this thought:

I think Jesus knew his expectations for us constituted a high bar.  However, as always he has our best interest in mind.  Jesus knows this expectation of living sacrifice is actually the key to joy and peace in this life.  He also knows compartmentalization, lies and deception are the tools of Satan who does not care about our best interests.  Remember Jesus’ promise to us from John 10:10:

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Over the past week, have you thought about how you can be a living sacrifice 24/7/365 and have abundant life in the process?  I think the key is in the second verse of the passage in Romans 12:1-2.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

When I first started struggling with the idea of being the same person in all areas of my life, I thought the key to success was getting control of my behavior and thoughts.  I thought, “If I can be a good person on Sundays, I should be able to be a good person during the week.”  The problem was I couldn’t manage to be that consistently good person even on each Sunday much less during every other day of the week.  It wasn’t until I realized that there were two external forces that were vying for my life that I discovered the key to being a living sacrifice.  The key is seeking transformation rather than conformation.  Either way, the key comes from outside my being!

By default I was being conformed to this world by the pressures that come from temptation working on my human nature.  I thought I could resist conformation to the world through will power but I found that was futile.  Even one slip led to guilt and defeat.  Then I realized that the opposite of conformation is not resistance but is instead transformation.  The world tries to conform but the Spirit will transform.  II Corinthians 3:17-18 reads:

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Transformation does not come from exercise of will power and perfection of behavior.  That path was proven to be futile for generations of Israelites who tried and failed to keep the Law.  Transformation comes from turning my life over to the Lord and his Spirit who will renew my mind and open my understanding to the being of God, his principles that form the foundation of my life and the precepts that guide my behavior.  Only a transformed mind can test each decision against the understanding gained through the Word guided by the indwelling Spirit to discern the will of God.  That discernment will lead to the kind of complete and acceptable life that Jesus had in mind for each of us!  He came that you may have life and have it abundantly.  Allow yourself to be transformed by his Spirit and you can have abundant life in every scene, setting and second.  It’s a promise!

Until next week,

Meet me at the intersection!

“Who are you and what have you done with Michael?”

These were the words of my sixth grade teacher as he picked me up from the classroom floor where one of my friends and I were holding an impromptu wrestling match. It had been an unusually bad day in sixth grade for me and it would end in the principal’s office with a meeting of the “board of education.” Why was I wrestling with my friend instead of working on my reading assignment? Who knows! Let’s blame it on Spring Fever. Fortunately for me, this behavior was not the norm. It was out-of-character for me to misbehave in class (and get caught).

Have you ever felt like asking yourself that same question when you looked in the mirror? “Who are you and what have you done with the real me?” I have looked in the mirror many times and asked that question. Usually it involves some behavior that is out-of-character with the person I know that I should be. Sometimes, I even tried to compartmentalize an area of my life and allowed myself to be “a different person” in that area of life than I was in another area of life. A Mike for the workplace, a different Mike for home and a different Mike for Sundays! Men are especially prone to compartmentalize their lives and justifying different standards of behavior for different settings. I know it remains a temptation for me.

However, this is not what Jesus expects from me. Paul lays it on the line in Romans 12:1 and there is no room for compartmentalization or justification of misbehavior.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

For those of us that are tempted to think of worship as a Sunday-only activity, Paul cuts right through that misconception to remind us that our spiritual act of worship is a 24/7 activity 365 days per year. This is what Jesus was saying when he responded to the woman at the well in John chapter 4.

The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

The woman lived under the assumption that worship was a once-per-week or even once-per-year activity and when not “in temple” or “in synagogue” the standards and expectations were different. She had compartmentalized her life and allowed herself to be someone other than the woman God intended when not “in church.” God seeks people who worship in spirit and in truth not in mere words and deception. It’s a very high bar but one we all need to recognize and strive for. I need to remember that I am to be a living sacrifice and that means when it comes to Mike, it should be “what you see is what you get” regardless of setting or scene.

I think Jesus knew his expectations for us constituted a high bar. However, as always he has our best interest in mind. Jesus knows this expectation of living sacrifice is actually the key to joy and peace in this life. He also knows compartmentalization, lies and deception are the tools of Satan who does not care about our best interests. Remember Jesus’ promise to us from John 10:10:

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Next week, I will wrap up this thought with some practical ideas on how to be a living sacrifice 24/7/365 and have abundant life in the process.

Until next week,

Meet me at the intersection!