Wisdom That Works (2) // Wisdom to Transform Your Life, Part 4

Christianityworks Official Podcast

The thing I love about God is that He doesn’t just send Jesus to save us and then leave us dangling to deal with all the things we have to deal with. He gives us His Spirit and his Word, to pour His wisdom, godly wisdom, powerful wisdom, wisdom that works – into our hearts.

WISDOM AMIDST CONFLICT

One of the reasons that we have conflict in our lives – not the only reason by any means – but one of the main ones, is because we brought it on ourselves.

Let’s do a quick stocktake of your relationships – the ones that aren’t going so well at the moment. The one’s where the harmony of the relationship has been disrupted by conflict, by a misunderstanding, by a harsh word. And the longer it goes on, the more entrenched our positions become, right?

Okay, so thinking about those relationships, honestly, how much of it is your fault? And even if up front, it didn’t start out as your fault, what opportunities have you allowed to slip buy without stepping out and resolving the conflict?

Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. (Psalm 34:14)

Short and sweet but actually, it’s a verse that is jam–packed with wisdom. The first bit, actually, is pretty obvious. Depart from evil, but all too often, we use it as a bit of an excuse when it comes to conflict.

Well, it wasn’t my fault. I didn’t start it. It’s up to THEM to say sorry!

But God doesn’t give us that luxury. Depart from evil AND do good. Doing good is a proactive step. Doing good is grabbing a hold of a situation and resolving it, even if in your mind, you weren’t the one who started it.

Doing good is about seeking peace and seeking involves getting up off your behind, figuring out a way through and making it happen. Peace, I mean real peace, only happens when both parties are happy with the outcome. But whilst seeking peace is about being proactive, God takes it even one step further. He doesn’t just want us to seek it out, He wants us to pursue it. The original Hebrew word there for 'pursue' carries this sense of chasing it down, to harass in a sense to get it, to aim to secure it, to be ardent and persistent about it.

I wonder when you consider just this one short verse and what it really means, the different light that it casts on your relationships and their conflicts. I love this. Just eleven words in that verse and yet powerful wisdom that can last you for a lifetime. Jesus said:

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (Matthew 5:9)

So being the one who brings peace into a relationship, even though it requires humility and sacrifice and not getting your own way all the time, is a powerful witness of the love and the reconciliation that is available in Jesus Christ.

Peacemakers, through their peacemaking, speak the love of Christ into the hearts of their enemies. And that, after all, is exactly what you and I are on this earth to do. But beyond being the proactive peacemaker, there’s another way in which you and I can apply God’s wisdom to our relationships.

Sometimes the things that we do – albeit that they’re innocent, albeit that they’re not wrong, per se, bring conflict and strife to a situation. Have you been there? And when the other person gets upset with you, you’re left wondering, “Hang on, what did I do wrong?”

Yah! We’ve all had that experience. And believe it or not that very situation is something that God’s Word has some wisdom on. I love this. I love it how God has thought all these things through and poured out His wisdom through His Word.

Back when Christianity was being birthed out of Judaism in the first century, there was some conjecture and dispute over what people could eat and not eat. Was pork in or out. Were shellfish in our out. We take that for granted today, but back then, it was a big deal.

Those who understood the grace and freedom they now had in Christ, understood that they were free to eat anything, but were prone to criticise those who still thought the old way. But the Apostle Paul turns around and says to them:

Let us therefore no longer pass judgment on one another, but resolve instead never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of another. (Romans 14:13)

So, don’t use your freedom, to be a stumbling block to others. He goes on to say that if what we do is going to be a stumbling block to others in their faith, we should curb our freedoms for their sake.

In a world that’s so focussed these days on individual freedoms, what a powerful message that is! When you think of it, much of the conflict in our lives arises out of our assertion of our individual rights. But I’m entitled … is what we so often think. And yet, according to God’s wisdom, there is something more important to the things that we think that we’re entitled to. And that thing, is preserving peace in our relationships. Because, after all, when you boil it all down:

… the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17)

How many times have you and I disrupted the peace, when, all along, we could not only have kept the peace, but built up and encouraged those around us.

Let us therefore pursue what makes for peace and for mutual building up. (Romans 14:19)

So beyond just peace, you and I have the opportunity, through the things we choose to day and do, and, importantly through the things we choose not to say and do, to build others up. To encourage them. To strengthen them. To serve them by helping them to grow. What a privilege to be put in a position where we can sacrifice our entitlements, to serve others like that.

Wisdom for Today

I don’t know how it is for you, but for me, wherever I happen to be, every morning starts of pretty much the same way. I wake up, shave, clean my teeth, shower, get dressed, have breakfast … and then it’s off to work or if it’s a weekend, mostly, it’s time for a rest.

As at today, I have lived 21,163 days on this earth and, other than the fact that I didn’t have to shave when I was young, and I went to school rather than to work, each day has started, pretty much the same way.

It’s a bit scary when you think of it like that isn’t it? But for each and every day that you and I have left on this earth God has some powerful wisdom ready and waiting. The first piece of that, that I’d like to share with you is this:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23)

That was written at a time of complete devastation. Jerusalem and the temple had been destroyed, and God’s people had either been killed or taken into captivity to Babylon. Sometimes our lives feel like that too. Complete devastation. Either because something bad has happened to us, or because we, through our own stupidity, through our own sin, have brought it on ourselves. But each and every morning, no matter how bad things were yesterday, no matter how dark it was during the night for you, the sun comes up, right? Nothing stops the sun from coming up.

And it’s exactly the same with God’s steadfast love for you. It never ceases. When you open your eyes each morning you can be certain of two things. Either the sun has or soon will come up, and the steadfast love of the Lord for you hasn’t failed. In fact just as the sun does its thing each and every day for you, so the mercies of the Lord are new for you, each and every morning.

But … but … I don’t deserve it. Nope. Neither do I. But that’s the whole point. Mercy is only mercy when it’s undeserved. And the completely undeserved favour of God, the mercy of God, the forgiveness of God, the steadfast love of God is new for you, each and every morning.

That means that you can roll out of bed, put your feet on the ground, open your eyes and rejoice. You can live each moment of today … the good, the bad and the ugly … filled with the joy of the Lord.

Because the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. And that’s why, before the day begins, I want to tap into those mercies.

After my morning ritual of shave, teeth, shower and make a cup of coffee … the very next thing that happens for me, is that I wander into my study, I close the door and I spend a half an hour or so with God.

But the big temptation is to get distracted. What’s come in on the email overnight? How many likes did I get on Facebook? What’s in the news? These days, technology being what it is, the whole world is ready and waiting for you in the palm of your hand. And I think it’s because of that, that we’ve forgotten how to settle down, quietly, and spend some time with God. To, in essence, wait on God.

The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. (Lamentations 3:25-26)

The concept of waiting for anything these days is almost, like … Hang on, wait? Why do I want to wait for something? We live in an instant world. Hey, most of get touchy when the internet’s running a bit too slow, or if there are two people ahead of us in the ATM queue. Wait? Wait? But … just let these words sink into your heart.

The Lord is good to those who wait for him, the soul that seeks him.

How do you kick your mornings off? Is there any time there for waiting on the Lord?

Just yesterday, I was having a conversation with a man about exercise. And he said, “Well, I don’t really have time.” So, I asked him, “Do you have time to get sick? Do you have time to be tired and drowsy? Because they’re some of the consequences of not getting enough exercise. So if perhaps you find yourself “too busy” to wait on God, let me ask you, “Do you have time to miss out on the goodness of God?” Because that’s the full effect of this Scripture here. God is good to those who wait for Him.

And that word “wait” means to look for eagerly, to hope, expect, anticipate … to linger in that place. I think in this world of 24/7 connectivity and instant gratification, so many people are missing out on the goodness of God in their day, because we’ve forgotten how to wait on Him.

So here’s the challenge that I believe God is setting before you today. Build in just a bit of time, ten, fifteen, twenty minutes of quiet time alone with Him … and spend some of it just waiting on God. Reading His Word, yes. Praying, yes. But also waiting, quietly. Hoping, expecting, anticipating the goodness of God. Because He is good to those who wait for Him. And that goodness is something that never, ever leaves you, the whole day long.

Sometimes you read a story in the Bible and you kind of gloss over it without realising how powerful and profound it is. Here’s a great example.

The Israelites have just escaped from slavery in Egypt and Pharaoh and his army – the greatest army on the earth at the time – are about to chase them and destroy them. Scary times.

But here’s something interesting that we’re told about how God behaved in this situation:

The Lord went in front of them in a pillar of cloud by day, to lead them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people. (Exodus 13:21-22)

Well, that’s not quite true, because in the next chapter, we read that God positioned this pillar behind the Israelites, between them and the pursuing Egyptian army to protect them. That being said, for the next 40 years, that pillar of cloud and fire never left them in the wilderness.

Well, okay, I guess most of us have heard that story a hundred times. Yeah sure … pillar of cloud by day, pillar of fire by night. I get it. But do you? Really?

You see what’s so powerful about this is that back in that day – and in fact, still today – all the other gods that other nations worshipped, lived in temples that had been built on hilltops. The gods didn’t come to the people, indeed they couldn’t, so the people had to go to their temples to worship them. But the God of Israel went on the journey with His people. Back then, that was a mind-blowingly radical concept. In fact if you travel to countries where there is a lot of idol worship, it’s still a mind-blowingly radical concept.

This idea that God is on the journey with you, to protect you from your enemies, to give you shelter from the harsh sun by day, to give you warmth and light by night. But that’s exactly what’s going on in your life right now. If you believe in Jesus, the Presence of God never leaves you. God is on your journey with you to guide, protect, shelter and love you every step of the way just as He was with Israel.

Only now, now He’s put His Spirit in you … and He will never leave you or forsake you. So … the upshot of all that is that every step you take, you can take in the confidence that your God, your mighty, loving, powerful, wonderful God, is on your journey with you.

You can actually live your life as though it’s true. Because it is.

Wisdom for the future

If the truth be known, our past is completely out of our control. Of all the things in our lives that are out of our control, the past is the biggest one. Because no matter what you do, you can’t change the past. And so what many people do, is they turn their attention to the future. What’s going to happen? What’s next? Will it be something good or something bad? I mean, we’re always hoping for good things.

Our default position is that life should be a bed of roses 100% of the time. But, you know, there are little things that niggle away at us. A dark cloud emerging over there. An ill wind blowing here. And before you know it, you’re worrying about your future.

In fact if you took stocktake of your thoughts over just the next twenty–four hours, you might well be surprised just how much of your time, you spend worrying about your future. So if you perhaps have those negative thoughts swilling around in your head and in your heart, here’s a Word from God, to set you free – because that’s what God’s Word does. It sets us free in a way that nothing else, in a way that no one else can do.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? (Matthew 6:25-26)

Good question there Jesus. Who by worrying can add a single hour to their life? In other words – worrying doesn’t produce a single positive outcome. Not a one. In fact, these days, doctors will tell you that worry causes stress and stress can actually cut your life short.

Do you believe that God loves you or not? Well if you do, then you can get on and live your life as though that’s true, because it is. He does love you. According to Jesus – not me you understand – according to Jesus, He will provide your every need. And that means that you no longer need to worry about anything.

So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today. (Matthew 6:34)

There’s absolutely no point in worrying about tomorrow. There are no surprises there for God. There’s nothing there that He can’t handle. Keep your eyes on today … and be the best you that you can be, today. Because your ultimate tomorrow, your ultimate destiny is a heavenly prize that is beyond anything that you or I could imagine.

When we think about the future, mostly we just think about our future here on this earth. That’s what appears so important at the moment. What’s going to happen to my health? My finances? My marriage? My children? Where am I going to live if things don’t go the way I’d planned?

We have plans you see and anything that looks like it’s going to disrupt those plans – even if, actually, God has something much better for us than we’d planned – we get all touchy and we worry about it. But let’s lift our eyes for a moment, and look at the eternal destiny that God has for you and me. Because eternity, compared to our days here on this earth, is an incredibly long time. Right?

Yes, we suffer on this earth. Yes, there are tears, there’s pain, there are things in your life right now that you wouldn’t have wished upon yourself. But they’re there and that’s it. And in the middle of that reality, in the middle of your reality, God has this to say to you today:

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. (Romans 8:18)

There’s just no comparison between then and now. Because one day, one day in the not too distant future,

… the home of God will be among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things [will] have passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4)

That’s where your life is headed if you believe in Jesus. That’s the ultimate destiny. That’s the certain hope, the rock-solid, certain hope that God is giving you today and I believe that He wants you and me to accept that certain hope into our hearts right now. Whatever suffering you are travelling through right now, you have a future that is beyond anything that you can ever imagine, ready and waiting for you.

And Jesus has gone ahead to get things ready:

In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. (John 14:2-3)

So, my friend, take courage today. Your life is headed towards an eternity in the Presence of God. An eternity where you will worship Him, enjoy Him, be with Him … without end.

And the sufferings o this time are not worth comparing with that glory that will be revealed to you. Soon.