The Wisdom to Know the Difference

 "The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the Lord, what kind of wisdom do they have?" Jeremiah 8:9

    While in a waiting room recently, when the talking heads on the television wearied me, I pulled out my phone to learn more about the wisdom of God, which is where the Spirit has been nudging me lately. 

    A search displayed many choices, so I selected one entitled, "The Wisdom of God: What it is and Why it Matters" on a Christian website. 

    Initially, the writer was spot on as she spoke of God, our amazing Creator of heaven and earth, whose complexities can be found in the delicate balances of our ecosystem, the mysteries of gravitational pull and the entire minute world of a single cell. The wisdom of God, she rightfully declared, culminated in the Person of Jesus Christ, quoting from 1 Corinthians 1: 24, 30 and Colossians 2:3. All along, she cited the scriptural references to support her words.

    Then I came to this confusing paragraph: "The universe burst into existence with the Big Bang event, giving rise to particles, atoms, stars, and galaxies over billions of years...Life eventually emerged when suitable conditions were met to support it.*" I wasn't surprised to find no biblical references here. 

    The irony was not lost of me that, in the midst of a teaching on the wisdom of God, ignorance was found. 

    This so unsettled me that I wrote to the author requesting to know from whence her information came. I will await her answer prayerfully.  

   Job asked, "Where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell?" (Job 28:12) The answer came further in the same chapter: "God understands the way to it and He alone knows where it dwells. He said to the human race, 'The fear of the Lord - that is wisdom and to shun evil is understanding.'" (28: 23, 28)

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth... He also made the stars." Genesis 1:1, 16

*"The Wisdom of God; What it is and Why it Matters" by Amanda Williams, www.christianwebsite.com

     

Little is Much

 "As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 'Truly I tell you,' he said, 'this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.'" Luke 21: 1-4

    Some generous folks at my church donated gifts towards our Operation Christmas Child collection. We began to gather items early this year so we can host a packing party in November and the donations are piling up. As the coordinator, I can attest to the "showers of blessings" stacked in my basement.

    Because some had donated money, off to Wal Mart I went today to purchase toys. I couldn't think of a more pleasant way to spend a rainy afternoon. 

    Pushing my cart through the toy section, I became distracted by the baby dolls on an upper shelf so I was unaware that my cart blocked the way for an older woman who was riding an electric Rascal-type device. 

    "Oh, so sorry," said I. She kindly reassured me that all was well. I ventured to share my reason for blocking the lane, going on to explain a bit about the toys I was buying.

    "Billy Graham's son, Franklin, has an organization called Samaritan's Purse," I told her. "Since 1997, they have collected shoe boxes filled with personal hygiene items, school supplies and a toy such as this baby doll." She was interested to learn more so I continued, "The real gift, however, is the gospel booklet that is placed in each box, sharing the good news of Jesus with each child. They also provide discipleship classes for those who are interested to know more about this God who loves them."

    Her expression glowed as she asked, "Will you accept a donation from me?" 

    With a full heart I replied, "Certainly!" She rooted about in her purse, pulling out the only cash she had.  Then we selected a doll which she said resembled her granddaughter. After I placed it in my cart, I implored her to please pray for the child who will receive it. Right then and there, at her suggestion, we clasped hands and prayed together.

    We sealed the deal with a hug, just two shoppers who began as strangers and left as friends of Jesus who shared a common purpose: to spread the love of Christ.

    As I said, I can't think of a better way to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon.

"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38

Back to the Basics

 "When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'" John 8:12

    Last Tuesday, the tornado siren went off. Though this was meant to incur protection, it still sent a shiver though Dave and me as we headed for our basement as strong winds buffeted about. We were so thankful to have had no damage, but we did lose power for four days.

    Those four days gave me cause to reflect on the goodness of the Lord. 

    Our street, a main artery for travel, was closed due to downed lines so it added to the feeling of serenity and quiet that a lack of internet and electricity gave to us. The nights were inky black without and within. Because no electronic auras, nightlights or streetlamps cast their shadows, I slept very soundly. "In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety." (Psalm 4:8)

    When necessity called, I got up during the night and proceeded across the bedroom without my flashlight, only to run smack into the wall! Though I thought I knew my way, I needed the light to guide me. "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." (Psalm 119:105)

    Neighbors gathered together for the common good, supplying needs in whatever way possible. Debbie came by sharing her peaches and tomatoes. Our perishables didn't perish after all because Tom and Kathy afforded us room in their refrigerator, which ran on a generator. I washed some laundry at the home of my niece while we all played games and enjoyed a lunch. Whatever the need, there was always someone there to supply it. "Love your neighbor as yourself." (Leviticus 19:18)

    Free ice and cases of water were offered at our senior center, as well as a refuge for cooling and charging ones phones. As I drove up to the supply trucks to accept this offer, I thought of the Living Water of Jesus. As He told the Samaritan woman at the well, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:13)

    It's interesting to me that when a crisis comes, people get back to the basics as all the frivolous entrapments of life fall to the wayside. We needed water in its frozen form to fill our coolers. Without light, some of us ran into a bedroom wall. A lit match was needed to light the burner of our gas stove. Water, light, fire - all key for survival, all made directly, exclusively by God. 

    When the electricity was restored, we let up a happy holler. As I texted concerned friends and relatives, "We have power," the thought occurred to me that I was never powerless as long as I was attached to the Vine. As Jesus said, "Apart from me, you can do nothing." (John 15:5)

"Power belongs to you, God; and with you, Lord, is unfailing love." Psalm 62:11, 12

    

    

    

     

God, not god

 "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me; your right hand will hold me fast." Psalm 139: 7-10

    Although I was raised in a Christian home and attended church every time the doors were opened, I wasted half my life serving god while running from God. 

    The god I desired fit into my purse, like a compact mirror. I could take him out every now and then to check my reflection, then tuck him back in so he couldn't see what I was doing, and so I couldn't see how poorly I reflected Christ. I wanted to bring him out only when I needed him. 

    I guess I just assumed it was He who followed me, because, for example, when I became lost in the woods as a child, I felt His presence with me, guiding me to safety.

    When in communion with nature, I lay cradling my head in my arms as I gazed up at the majestic maple tree, appreciating how she swayed in the breeze, it was as if He were laying right beside me at times like that.

     As a young woman, alone and bankrupt, He encouraged me through his holy scriptures, wrapping me in His warm embrace. So, I knew that He was with me, even when I had "settled on the far side of the sea."

    But, it wasn't until I morally hit rock bottom that I sold all I had and accepted His invitation to follow Him. (see Matthew 19:21) I had to leave my nets on the shoreline.

    When Jesus called the disciples Simon and his brother, Andrew, He didn't say, "Hey, fellas, can I come fishing with you?"

    No. He invited them to "Come, follow me." (Matthew 4:19)

    I wasn't found until I admitted I was lost. I became alive when I died to self. When I thought I was seeing clearly, I was so blind. 

    These days, I follow Him wherever He leads me. "Wait for me, Lord! I'm comin'!"

"And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:27

Stranger Danger

 "The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run from a stranger because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." John 10: 3-5

    When my daughter, Hannah, was over the other day, I invited her to come to the back yard with me to toy with my new app which identifies bird song. Avian activity was rather sparse that day until a rather raucous bird call reached our ears. We glanced at the app for its identification.

    It seemed to ruminate on this sound for a few minutes as we waited. When the answer popped up, we looked at each other in disbelief: Great Horned Owl?! 

    Zealous for an adventure, I ran inside to retrieve the binoculars and we set out to see this rare occurrence. The sound led us around the block as the excitement built. 

    "It must be in that maple tree!" I exclaimed, peering through the binoculars. Then Hannah delivered the crushing news: "Mom, the sound is coming from that parrot over there." 

    Sure enough, on a porch sat a caged white bird mimicking the cry of a Great Horned Owl. Alas, even the app was deceived. Though crestfallen, we were still able to laugh at our experience.

    I thought of how easily we can be deceived, especially as the wonders of technology increase. Hannah and I could have reported that we had heard an owl, but we wisely searched for truth. 

    When listening to all the talking heads in our society, how do I separate truth from fiction? I dare not trust any voice other than the one of my Shepherd, who speaks to me from his word, the bible. 

    Satan, the great deceiver, would have me believe I am good enough on my own merit to go to heaven, but what does God say? "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2: 8, 9)

    Satan will tell me that I am not a sinner, that I haven't done anything wrong, but God says, "for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)

   Or, that snake will whisper, "You've done the unforgiveable! And you call yourself a Christian." Here's the truth: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

    Again, Satan will say there are many paths that lead to heaven, but Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

    I choose to believe the One who won the victory over the grave, who lives and reigns from heaven and who has sealed me with his Holy Spirit as a guarantee that He is coming back for me. 

"Out of all the voices calling out to me, I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of truth." - Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns 

"So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land you will possess." Deuteronomy 5: 32, 33

Cyber Attack

 "In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me." Psalm 18: 6, 16, 17

    During my bible time this morning, I was distracted by a column I spied in the newspaper my husband was reading.

    In the middle of meditating on Psalm 18, a victory song written by David after the Lord rescued him from Saul, I read about the massive computer related outage we experienced last week due to a glitch in software. As you may know, flights were grounded, surgeries were delayed, banks and their ATMs were affected. Even my brother-in-law, who sought license tags for his new truck, was greeted by a closed door at the BMV. It was frightening to see just how vulnerable we really are.

    The writer of the column labeled the outage as a warning of future cyber attacks that could be intentionally caused by enemy nations.  Cyber attacks from outer space seem so surreal and dystopian, as if I am reading a comic book from the '50s, and yet they are a very real, invisible threat. Security against cyber crimes costs our country millions of dollars annually.

    As a novice in the world of technology, when I hear such terms as "cookies in the browser" or "CrowdStrike," I must investigate to understand. When I first learned of the "cloud," I thought of the Lord of heaven, whose abode is above the clouds:

"He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet. He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind. Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning." (Psalm 18: 9, 10, 12)

    While washing the morning dishes, I talked to God about my fears of cyber attacks. "Lord," I said, "it was one thing for David to take on a tangible foe in a physical battle, but we are faced with invisible threats from outer space! I feel so helpless."

    "Ah, my child," He answered in my heart, "I am above the clouds!"

    How soon I had forgotten the words of Psalm 18, allowing the words of a column to replace faith with fear. As I rinsed away the suds on the dishes, the anxieties I had felt went down the drain as well. After all, Jesus said, "In this world you will have trouble. But, take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

"He said, 'Surely they are my people, children who will be true to me;' and so he became their Savior. In all their distress, he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them and carried them all the days of old." Isaiah 63: 8, 9

This Little Gospel Light

 "In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it." John 1: 4, 5

    Now in my 60s, I remember many of the children's songs I learned in Sunday School. 

    We kids loved the one about the poor man who built his house upon the sand, mainly because we got to demonstrate rather noisily the crash of his poorly constructed abode when the rains had come down. The final verse urged us to build our life on the Lord Jesus Christ.

    Another favorite was recounting with our motions the story of Zacchaeus, the "wee little man who climbed up in a sycamore tree for he wanted the Lord to see." Because we were small, we could especially relate to this diminutive tax collector with whom the Lord had supper. Would I have climbed a tree to see Jesus?

    In my mind's eye, I see us all singing loudly as we held our "candles" up toward heaven: "This little gospel light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine!" We had such enthusiasm behind our childlike faith. As young as I was, just one kid among many baby boomers, the flame that lit my wick was enough to light a very dark room. 

    Never underestimate the power of the gospel.

    The Bible says, "A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out." (Isaiah 42:3) Indeed, the candle that had illumined my young heart remains lit to this day.

    While walking around a public event recently, we explored the various vendors' wares. Beneath brightly-colored canopies were offerings of sunglasses, tie-dyed garments, political agendas and jewelry of all shapes. Tantalizing aromas bid us to approach the different food trucks as upbeat music quickened our step. 

    Not much caused me to pause until, like a ray of brilliant sunshine, I spotted a familiar sight when I espied a table offering the Good News of the Gospel! Like a moth drawn to a flame, I buzzed over to strike up a conversation with the attendees. I felt as refreshed as if I had drank from flowing streams of Living Water. 

    Though it was the only table of its type, it shone like the noonday sun among gray clouds.

    As our culture continues its descent into the darkness, I am persuaded all the more to raise my candle high and let my Light shine for all to see. "I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine all the time, let it shine." It points the way to heaven .

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:16