“Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has God not made the wisdom of this world foolish?” — 1 Corinthians 1:20 There is a great contrast in the Bible between the wise and the foolish. Proverbs 8:5 says, “O you simple, understand wisdom, and you fools, be of an understanding heart.” We see that not only the wise and mature, but also the simple and the foolish, are invited to come and hear. This is in stark contrast to the Greek philosophical schools where only the wise and the best were invited to come and partake of the teachings of those schools. But here is a broad invitation for all to come. Do you consider yourself to be foolish, to be simple? Then come and understand wisdom. I suppose the height of wisdom is to realize how vast is our folly. The greatest strength is to realize how infinite is our weakness and the greatest righteousness is to know that we have none at all, that Christ is our righteousness. Even as He, according to the New Testament, is wisdom. He is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and redemption. Wisdom is so great that it is desirable even among precious things of this world. Is the Word of God, the wisdom of God, the wisdom that is in Jesus Christ, better to you than all of the other things which you may desire? Jesus, joy of man’s desiring, I do desire You and Your wisdom. I am a foolish mortal in great need of You. Keep me from sinning. Keep me from making mistakes and keep me on the right path… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE DESIRE THE RICHES OF WISDOM.
“Does not wisdom cry out, and understanding lift up her voice?... She cries out at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the entrance of the doors…” — Proverbs 8:1, 3 In the book of Proverbs, we find an interesting contrast between two women. One represents wisdom and life. The other represents sin and death. In Proverbs 8, we see what wisdom does, contrasted with what the strange woman in the preceding chapter does. In chapter 7 we see the strange woman in the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night. There she is crouching about in the doorways, from corner to corner, lying in wait to catch the unwary. In stark contrast to this, in the broad daylight, standing at the entrance way to the city in the open places at the gates and at the door, wisdom cries to all to come. There are no whispered intimations in the ear, no secret agreements, but rather there is an open declaration, and invitation to all. So too, Jesus boldly proclaimed His Word for all to hear and said to His accusers, “Why do you ask Me?... I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in the synagogue and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and I said nothing in secret” (John 18:21, 20). The message of wisdom is for all of us, even those who think they are so mature they no longer need to heed the message. Too many times people will go through many years of Sunday School and then they grow up and they think they don’t need it any longer. But God wants us to continue to seek after His wisdom. Wise and wonderful Savior, thank You for the openness and clarity of Your Word. It is not a secret message for the select few. It is freely proclaimed to all of us… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN CONTINUE TO GROW IN KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM.
“Wisdom has built her house…She has killed her beasts, she has mixed her wine, she has also furnished her table… ‘Come, eat of my bread’” — Proverbs 9:1-2, 5 In Proverbs 8 and 9, we see wisdom personified. In the latter chapter, she holds a feast and sends forth servants to invite others to come. In the Greek Septuagint* we find exactly the same words as are found in the New Testament where Jesus talks about a feast and servants are sent out to compel others to come in. So I think that there is a biblical reason for believing this applies to Christ. Some object to the idea that wisdom personified in Proverbs could be a preincarnate Jesus since it is personified in the female gender and Jesus, of course, is male. This cannot be, they say. Well, I do not believe that God is a sexist, and I think that is of no problem to Him. If anyone has a particular difficulty with that, let me remind you that the Hebrew word for spirit is feminine, as is the Greek word for spirit. So I don’t have a problem with the notion that wisdom is personified here in the female form, and it still relates to Jesus. God is preparing a great feast for us. We are welcome to come. But some, blinded by their pride, choose not to come to His great feast and, thus, will miss out. God of plenty, thank You for inviting me to Your feast. I gladly accept the invitation, first to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb and then to this feast of wisdom. Lord, give me strength for today to always seek Your wisdom and guidance… IN GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN FEAST ON HIS RICHES. *The Septuagint was the translation of the Old Testament from Hebrew into Greek made by 70 (hence the name “Septuagint”) scholars from Alexandria, Egypt. It was begun in the late 200’s B.C. and was finished about a century and a half before Jesus was born.
“Study to show yourself approved by God, a workman who need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” — 2 Timothy 2:15 God has made us unique creatures in this world. We are the only beings on this planet who have been given an intellect; all others operate by blind instinct. God expects us to use our minds. If we do not, we will stand in the judgment and give an account of the reason that we have not. Now I think that very often people do not consider that mental laziness is a sin. There are some people that say that they have no desire to learn much, and as soon as they get out of school, for all practical purposes they stop learning anything of significance. They suppose that this is just like some people like carrots and some people don’t, and they don’t particularly care about learning. The Bible says this is wrong. The Bible also makes it clear that if a person does not endeavor with this eagerness to learn to seek after the things of God—after that practical wisdom that comes from God, that he, too, is a fool and has missed the point of Jesus Christ. Now there are those who deny this. Jesus says wisdom is justified of her children, and I think that the best of interpreters agree that here is an allusion to the passage in Proverbs 8, where wisdom incarnate cries out in the streets for people to listen and heed. Some people believe this is a preincarnate Christ who is the incarnate logos of God. We should be lifelong students of the living Word of God. Omniscient God, You who know all things, give me strength for today to keep learning and growing and using the mind You gave me. Thank You that You are the source of all wisdom. I ask that I might be wise in the matters of Your kingdom… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN ACQUIRE WISDOM.
“For freedom Christ freed us. Stand fast therefore and do not be entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” — Galatians 5:1 In 1776, fifty-six men, representing three million people, voted to adopt one of the most revolutionary documents in history: the Declaration of Independence. If the fledgling colonies succeeded in defending themselves from the most powerful nation on earth, it was worth the risk. If they failed, these fifty-six men were signing their death warrants. The level of the signers’ commitment and their willingness to sacrifice in order to secure liberty under God’s law is evident in the final words of their declaration: “And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.” They trusted in God and laid it all on the line. It will take courage, sacrifice, and, above all, trust in the Lord to turn things around in this country. The late Dr. M. E. Bradford of the University of Dallas researched the founding fathers, including the Christian commitments of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. He concluded that of the fifty-six men who signed the nation’s birth certificate, definitely fifty, maybe fifty-two, were Trinitarian Christians. Other scholars note that 29 of them had the equivalent of seminary degrees. Paul Johnson, author of A History of the American People, says, “There is no question that the Declaration of Independence was, to those who signed it, a religious as well as a secular act…” Thank God for our freedom, which was bought by God and by their sacrifice. Thank You, God, for this nation and the freedom secured for us by the signers of the Declaration of Independence. May we always depend on You and Your Providence. Help us, Lord, to do our part to work toward renewal of this great country… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN PLEDGE TO HIM OUR LIVES, OUR FORTUNES, AND OUR SACRED HONOR.
“But he disdained to lay hands on only Mordecai, since they had told him of the people of Mordecai. So Haman sought to destroy all the Jews throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.” — Esther 3:6 At one time, the fate of the entire Jewish people rested in the hands of one young Jewish woman, Esther. This is the story of that short book in the Old Testament and how God in His sovereignty saved the Jews. But if Esther had given in to her natural inclinations, they might have perished, or God would have saved them through some other means, but she and her family would have perished. The wicked Haman had convinced King Xerxes of the Medo-Persian Empire that all the Jews must be destroyed on a certain day. The laws of the Medes and the Persians were irreversible. Haman selected that day of massacre by the lot. The plural for the Hebrew word for lot is purim, and it is the Feast of Purim that the Jews continue to celebrate until this day, remembering when their people were saved. Esther’s cousin Mordecai told her that she must go see the king, but she told him that it was absolutely against the law—she could be executed for going to see him unbidden. But Mordecai said to her, “For if you remain silent at this time, protection and deliverance for the Jews will be ordained from some other place, but you and your father’s house shall be destroyed. And who knows if you may have attained royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14). These are classic words. At one time or another, every Christian, down through the centuries, has no doubt asked, “Is this not true for me as well?” Lord, You who are our protector, give me strength for today to do what is right rather than what is easy. Give me Your sure protection and thank You for the time and place in which You have set me… IN GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN STAND BEFORE KINGS.
“And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” — Acts 2:42 My friends, we are the witnessing community of Jesus Christ, and we today live in a world where it is possible that we shall one day pay the same price for that witness that the early Christians paid in the arena. What a oneness is created when we realize that among us are those who also are placing their lives upon the line as they boldly witness for the living Christ. Furthermore, we are the branches, and Christ is the vine, and, thus, we know that there is the same life-giving power flowing through each one of us. We are the body and Christ is the head. We are members of the same body. All of these are but a few of the pictures the Bible paints of this strange fellowship, this koinonia, this partnership, this oneness, this mystical union we have in Jesus Christ. Ah, my friends, there is nothing like it in the entire world. Despite our differences, there is some ineffable union of heart and mind that has been created by Jesus Christ. One third of all Americans are involved in small groups today, which is astounding. That is tens of millions of people, and 60 percent of those are in the church. Christians can find that much of their strengthening, their discipleship, and their spiritual growth take place in these caring, sharing, praying, Bible studying groups, which are going to build up men and women to do the work of Christ better than ever before. Dear Lord, thank You for adopting us into Your family, the largest family in the world. Thank You for the millions of brothers and sisters in Christ with whom we are one. Give us strength for today, Lord, to serve You by serving Your body on earth… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN BE ONE IN CHRIST WITH OTHER CHRISTIANS.
“For if through the trespass of one man [Adam] many died, then how much more has the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.” — Romans 5:15 Jesus is the second Adam. Through His death He undid the sin of the first Adam for all who believe. But some people today assume that the first Adam is a myth; therefore, they reject the second Adam and His gift of eternal life. They assume that human origin via evolution is a proven fact. Well, did Darwin present overwhelming facts? It has been noted by scientists that he did not by any means ever demonstrate the origin of any species. He simply showed how there were variations in species. In his classic book, The Origin of Species, the fourth chapter is the key chapter of the book. It deals with natural selection. Natural selection is a scientific fact, but as one observer noted about a generation before Darwin, it removes the oddities that occur on either side of the spectrum of the species, thus preserving the order of species. But Darwin tried to transform natural selection into a process that creates new species, and there is not the slightest bit of evidence that such a thing has ever happened. In that one chapter, Darwin uses phrases like this 187 times: “may have been,” “is supposed to,” “perhaps,” “it is probable,” and “I have assumed.” They are not scientific facts at all. Isn’t it tragic that many people reject the fact of Christ to choose instead mere hypothesizing? Lord God, may we not create any false assumptions about You or Your creation. You have said repeatedly that You are the Creator of heaven and earth, and we believe that You are who You say You are. Increase our trust in You… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN SEE CLEARLY THE REALITY OF BOTH ADAMS.
