40 Days - Day 9 Loving God

It's instructive to see how often our relationship with God is described with words like "whole" or "all." I am to trust in the Lord with all my heart. I am to seek him with a whole heart. The greatest commandment is to love God with all my heart and all my soul and all my strength. Wow! I think God is trying to communicate something to me. Loving God is the choice to put God at the very core of your life. He will increasingly influence every decision you make. You will worship him by giving him your body and your life (Romans 12:1). Your work will be for his glory (Colossians 3:22-24). You will seek to bring glory to him through your service (1 Peter 4:10-11). You will joyfully proclaim his excellencies to those around you (1 Peter 2:9-10). You will let your light shine so that people will glorify your father in heaven (Matthew 5:13-16). You will love others because he first loved you and it is his desire for you (John 13:34-35, 1 John 4:19).

Do you see? Everything you do will grow out of God's love for you and your response of loving him in return. Worship, service, generosity, relationships, and witness will all grow out of your love for God.

I love 1 Peter 1:8, because it describes our love for Jesus in spite of trials of life. Peter says, and though you have not seen him, you love him, and though you do not see him now, but believe in him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.

What does this have to do with wisdom? What you will discover is that if you don't get the big things right, you won't have wisdom in the details of life. Well, there is nothing bigger or more important than you can do as a creation of God than to love him with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. As we draw near to God and trust him, rely on him, and love him with all our hearts; we will have his clarity for our lives.

40 Days - Day 8 Learning to rely on God

If you forced me to choose one passage in God's word that has shaped my life above all others, it would be John 15:1-11. As a teenager, I memorized that passage and have come back to it time and time again throughout my life. The wisdom of this passage is amazing and it has carried me through both the good and dark times of life.

The fundamental truth is that Jesus is the source of life. In v1, he says, "I am the true vine, you are the branches." Think about the relationship of a branch to its vine (trunk). The branch draws life from the vine and with that life, it bears fruit.

The fundamental principle is that apart from a moment by moment abiding relationship with Jesus Christ, I can do NOTHING! The contrast is awesome: when I abide in Christ and he abides in me, I will bear fruit.

All through my life, I've tried to stay true to that wisdom. I've focused on the priority to maintain an intimate walk with Jesus and then I let my ministry flow from that intimacy. When I stray from that my life gets dry and I get discouraged.

Take some time with this amazing passage. Let the incredible results of abiding excite you about growing in that intimate relationship with Christ. It's a great journey.

40 Days - Day 7 Learning to Trust God

Proverbs 3:5-6 is one of those passages that is so familiar, we lose the wow factor of how important and radical it is. Trusting in the Lord with all my heart means that I am going to turn to God in every situation of life. To trust in the Lord is to put my entire weight on him. The next phrase is a contrast: lean not on your own understanding. Instead of putting your weight on your understanding, lean completely on God, his wisdom, and his power. Your health, your family, your finances, your work, your time, and your relationships all are under God's care and control. Trusting him is both resting in him and obeying him. That's where the third phrase comes in: in all your ways acknowledge him. God is the Sovereign creator of the universe. He created the solar system, and he created the DNA that is the information for every cell of your body. He is worthy of your trust.

So what is troubling your today? Get on your knees and bring your anxieties, fears, and frustrations to the Lord. Trust him with all your heart. Commit yourself to obey him no matter what! (Philippians 4:4-8)

There's an old hymn that says,

Trust and obey for there's no other way
to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

One of the verses has such wisdom:

But we never can prove the delights of his love
until all on the altar we lay.
For the favor he shows, for the joy he bestows,
are for those who will trust and obey.

40 Days - Day 5: The Fear of the Lord

I hope you will spend some time on this study. For me, getting a better grasp on the fear of the Lord is changing my life. It's creating a deeper desire in me to draw close to God, because I am recognizing how great he really is!

I've been working on keeping God in my focus throughout the day. I am trying to see every situation I encounter as under his sovereign control. I'm seeing his purposes more clearly and I'm starting to find that I have more courage and confidence for life as I realize that it's all about God. Whether I'm working out or studying for a sermon, I want to do it all for God's glory because he is so worth it.

My favorite verse is Prov 14:26 "In the fear of the Lord, there is strong confidence."

40 Days - Day 3 The blessing of wisdom

Wisdom from God comes with great blessing. God takes personal responsibility to be your shield (2.7). He preserves your way (2.8). Wisdom will protect you from evil people (2.12-22). Wisdom also brings long life, riches and honor (3.13-16). Whoa, wait a minute. Does this mean that everyone who is wise will be rich and live a long time? Does this mean that anyone who died young was not wise? The answer to both questions is no. When you read, it's important to remember that you are not reading a book of promises, you are reading a book of principles. Generally speaking, someone who lives a life marked by wisdom will have a long and fruitful life. My dad is a great example of this. He lived a life of wisdom and integrity and, even though his life had many hardships, he lived a long, blessed life. Think about the promises of wealth. Will everyone who lives wisely be rich? No, but they will have more than if they foolishly squander their money. So as you read the Proverbs, understand that wisdom does bring great blessing. Wisdom does not promise life will be easy, but it does bring the confidence that your life will be full, fruitful, and blessed.

40 Days - Day 2

Living by God's wisdom is about trusting him. I've discovered that Isaiah 55:8-9 is really true; God's ways are not my ways and God's thoughts are not my thoughts. So, if I follow my heart, or my impulses, I will be living in my wisdom and not God's wisdom. The simple question for me is "Am I going to trust in myself, the world, or in God? " If I follow my heart or lean on my own understanding, I'm going to miss out on the blessing, protection, and peace that comes from living in God's wisdom.

For me, the first and toughest step in developoing God's wisdom has been learning discretion. (I'm still learning by the way) Discretion is that wonderful ability to slow down my reactions, words, or decisions, so that I can bring God and his wisdom into the situation. When I rush ahead and act impulsively, it almost always results in unwise behavior. When I slow down to pray or to think about this situation from God's perspective, I have a chance to gain wisdom.

Wise Living - 40 days day 1

The message of Day 1 is either you are growing in wisdom or you are becoming a greater fool (please forgive my bluntness). For me, the activity of journaling is critical to my growth in self-awareness and God's wisdom. Journaling gives me a chance to see myself more clearly. When I write down thoughts and feelings and then read them over; I actually understand myself more clearly. When I note the principles I'm learning from God's Word, I gain even more insights into how God's Word works.

Let this 40 days get you into the habit of journaling. Learn to journal and the read through your journal at least once a week. You will be amazed at how much you can teach yourself.

God bless. I hope the Wise Living journey becomes an important part of your growth.

By the way, If you haven't started - you can pick up the guide Wise Living in a Foolish World at the church office, or call (805) 262-5000 and order it.