Tag: decisions

Wisdom

Today’s reading is Proverbs 24-25, Psalm 41, and 1 Thessalonians 2.

Proverbs 24 speaks much about wisdom and being wise.

What is wisdom?

Dictionary.com states wisdom is “the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgement as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight.”

Proverbs 24:13-14 reads…

13 My son, eat honey, for it is good,
    and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.

14 Know that wisdom is such to your soul;
    if you find it, there will be a future,
    and your hope will not be cut off.

If the Bible says something is important than it is, and in this case of wisdom, it says we will find future and hope in it. Sounds pretty important to me. So how do we gain it?

My reflection resulted in 3 ways we gain wisdom (not in order of importance).

  1. Experience
  2. Others
  3. God

Let’s start with experience. I believe experience is a function of exposure, not just time. Through our learning from past decisions and situations, we will gain wisdom and make better choices moving forward if we take time to reflect on things as they happen looking back and take time before making future choices.

We can also gain wisdom from others. They may see things in a different way than we do by seeing it from a different angle we have not. We may be too close to the situation to see the big picture from a different perspective. As the saying goes, “we can’t see the forest through the trees” sometimes. I just discussed the importance of experience in gaining wisdom. Through the counsel of others, we not only learn from our experiences, but theirs, too.

Specifically on gaining wisdom from others, Proverbs 24:6 states…

6 for by wise guidance you can wage your war,
    and in abundance of counselors there is victory.

Last, but definitely not least, we gain wisdom from God. How do we gain wisdom from God?

First, being in His Word through reading the Bible. God speaks to us through His Word by telling us what we need when we need it as we are told in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and Hebrews 4:12. Ask any regular Bible reader how amazing it is that a devotional they regularly read has verses previously assigned that are exactly what they need to hear when they need to hear it. Is that a coincidence? I’m working through Tim Tebow’s One-Year Devotional: Mission Possible and what was the devotional on as began to write this..wisdom.

We also gain wisdom from God through prayer. It is sometimes said that being in the Word is God talking to us and prayer is us talking to God. And while I believe that to be true, I believe God also speaks to us through prayer. I often come out of prayer with peace and discernment. I commonly leave prayer time with certain things laid on my heart as how to proceed and with peace in those decisions, even if I didn’t hear the audible voice of God.

I could make a strong case that asking for wisdom is the most important thing we should pray for. Many sources say we make 35,000 decisions a day..wow! With that many choices, it seems like it’s pretty important God helps us make the best decisions. Many of us have also heard the A.C.T.S. acronym for how to pray which stands for adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication.  If we pray for wisdom first, this will help us know what should adore God for, what we need to confess to God, what we should thank God for, and what we should ask God for which is His will and not our own.

I pray each one of us reading this will reflect on this as to how we each can grow to gain more wisdom though these 3 ways of experience, others, and God (through His Word and prayer).

Thy Will

Today’s reading is 2 Samuel 9-10, 1 Chronicles 18-19, Psalm 89, and Acts 26.

We will keep our focus 2 Samuel 10 and 1 Chronicles 19 where both these chapters tell the same story I will lay out with a powerful lesson I believe God is teaching us.

King Nahash, leader of the Ammonites, passed away and his son Hanun took over as leader. David sent some of his men to Hanun to pay their respects because David and Nahash got along well, and David’s plan was to treat Hanun and the Ammonites fairly and with respect just like he had while Nahash was alive. However, Hanun received some poor advice from his princes saying that David was plotting against Hanun and had only sent his men to spy, not out to give their condolences. So, he took David’s men and shaved off half of their beards, cut off their robes at the hips, and sent them back to Israel in disgrace. Knowing this was likely not going to lead down a pretty path, then Hanun and the Ammonites hired the Syrians to help them fight against Israel.

As some might say, “Fight’s on!” When David heard of this, he sent his military commander Joab to fight against them. As it turns out, Joab and his army ended up in a very tough spot. They had the Syrians in front of them and Ammonites behind them. What should they do? This was a very tough decision. The prospects did not look good. Should they flee? Should they all attack the Syrians? Or should they all attack the Ammonites? They had some tough choices to make. Ultimately, Joab decided he would take the best men of Israel and attack the Syrians from the front and have his brother, Abishai, and other men attack the Ammonites in the back. Was this the best plan and strategy? Would it work and was it the best decision? No one knew and you can assume some questioned and doubted and others were nervous. Then, Joab said something we can all learn from…

“Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what seems good to Him.”

2 Samuel 9

1 Chronicles 19:13 nearly gives the exact same words from Joab.

We all have to make tough decisions and choices nearly every day. These choices might affect our career, relationships, finances, and our kids. Life is tough. But Joab gives us some great words of advice here… we have to do what we believe is right at the time for those we love and God.. and of course pray for wisdom first… and then give the outcome back to God.

Proverbs 19:21 reads, “Many are the plans in the minds of man, but is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”

Jesus taught us this Himself in the Lord’s prayer when He said, “Thy will be done.” (Matthew 6:10)

In Joab’s case, his decision paid off. The Syrians fled from Israel’s best men and then when the Ammonites saw this, they fled as well. Our decisions may not always end up and seem to be, or even actually be, the right one. We don’t know for sure. Again, all we can do is pray for wisdom, do what seems best for those we love and to honor God, and then give it back to God.

In the end, “Thy will be done,” and we know Romans 8:28 tells us God will work all things for good. We must trust in this..regardless of if we get the outcome we hoped from our challenging decisions.

Confused

Today’s Reading: Acts 19

One of the enemy’s best weapons is confusion.  When we are confused, we are unable to see things clearly.  It disrupts our decision-making process, often resulting in choices that are irrational and inconsistent with our core beliefs.  Many times, confusion is produced by the people around us.  We are continuously barraged with differing world views and alternative belief systems.  Want proof?  Take a closer look at today’s reading.  Did you notice in verse 29, “the whole city was in confusion?”

To understand the city’s confusion, we need to look back to verse 23.  Up until that point, Paul was actively spreading the word of God.  Acts 19:20 says that the Lord’s message Paul presented was “spread widely and had a powerful effect.”  Clearly, lives were being changed.  Not everyone, however, was happy about this.  In fact, a man named Demetrius was suddenly worried about the impact that these new beliefs would have on his business.  To combat this, he developed a strategy.  He knew, that it would be easy.  All he had to do was confuse people.

Demetrius starts with the economic conversation, encouraging them to consider the consequences of slowing sales.  It was enough to spark some fear, but not enough to start a rebellion.  To intensify their reaction, he adds confusion by suggesting that the magnificent goddess, Artemis will be robbed of her “great prestige.”  This was all it took.  The people were sufficiently overwhelmed by these significant changes.  The fear it stimulated caused their anger to boil (v18).  It wasn’t long before full on rebellion occurred and “everything was in confusion” (v32).

The sad reality is that we are subject to the same confusion.  J.I. Packer elaborates on this.  He says, “we are so consumed with great thoughts of man that we only have room for small thoughts of God.  Second, we are confused by modern skepticism.”  Is it any wonder that it’s one of Satan’s preferred weapons?  Thankfully, the Spirit who lives in us, is greater than the spirit who lives in this world (1 John 4:4).  When we arm ourselves with His truth, we win.  I have found a very practical way to avoid confusion.  It comes from remembering who God is and who I am.  The following affirmations, despite their simplicity, are powerful statements that bring clarity, hope, courage and refreshment.

I believe that God is who he says he is

I believe that God can do what God says he can do

I believe that I am who God says I am

I believe that I can do what God says I can do

God’s Word is alive and active in me

I believe God

 

Faith and Decision Making

Are there any big and generally permanent decisions that you made in the past that at the time seemed like a good and sound decision, but now you wonder if it was the right decision? This is not referring to situations that have gone horribly wrong as a result of a string of poor choices. This is about decisions that were made where it was quite clear that the outcome was far beyond your control. Brainstorming on a few of these types of examples:

  1. Attending one university as opposed to another.
  2. The city and state in which you live.
  3. Having a child start kindergarten at the earliest or holding him or her back a year.

We made the decision to have our son Peyton start school at age five instead of waiting another year. From an early age Peyton was curious about the world around him and had an affinity for mathematics. He loved preschool and was always eager to attend. We did not have constant prayer over this decision, nor did we sense divine inspiration. It was a big decision and it seemed like a “no brainer” at the time.

With Peyton now in sixth grade, Amy and I recently reflected back on this decision and recognized some of the impacts such as athletics, social skills, and academic achievement. If we see a negative impact now, should that cause us to doubt our decision? Granted, in some situations it is absolutely appropriate to hold a child back a year while in the middle of grade school. I’m talking about those shreds of doubt, the “what if” situations.

This topic is a wonderful opportunity to rely on our faith. If we lacked faith in an all-knowing, loving God, I truly believe we would be dwelling on this topic day and night, perhaps with regret, worry, and maybe even blame. We might ask, “what if his life is a struggle because he started school too early?” or ” will he be okay with sports, academics, and socially?”

It is in our hands to love our kids and abide in the Holy Spirit’s guidance as we lead our family, but we need not worry because God has it all. God knows the past, present and future. He knows Peyton. He has a plan; may his will be done. This is one of the many benefits of having faith. God didn’t make us to worry, he made us to worship him, to look to him, to honor him, to take refuge in him, to have relationship with him, and for that I am so thankful.

You came near when I called on you;
  you said, ‘Do not fear!’ (Lamentations 3:57)

I sought the Lord, and he answered me
  and delivered me from all my fears. (Psalm 34:4)

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
    Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! (Psalm 34:8)

1 Samuel 18; Romans 16; Lamentations 3; Psalm 34