Tag: wisdom

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            I think most people can resonate with the wisdom from Ecclesiastes:  “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”  We intuitively know that there must be balance to life, and that there needs to be a sage approach to living-out all of the many responsibilities and duties of this present time.  The problem, it seems to me, is not that we don’t recognize the need for movement from one season to another; the issue is that we do not deliberately and intentionally stop one thing and start another – we just keep going.  We keep working when we should stop; we continue eating beyond what we know we should; we do not stop yelling, or being angry; we continue in abject furrow-browed seriousness with no end in sight; parents keep treating their adult children like little kids who need their constant guidance; and, churches ensconce a particular time in their history as normative even though it has outlived its shelf life.
 
            The Church Calendar is attentive to the movements and seasons of the Christian life.  We are now in the season of Lent.  This is the time for healthy soulful introspection, examination of the heart, and repentance which leads to the eventual new life of Easter.  It is the time to stop and question why we do what we do – why we cannot stop our compulsions and obsessive behavior.  It is the season to feel something of the suffering of Jesus Christ and discern that our salvation was obtained at a very steep cost.  It is the time to ponder why we even need deliverance in the first place, and what it is we need to be saved from.  Now is the moment for contemplation, fasting, and prayer.
 

 

            Eternal God, you are infinitely patient with my failings and foibles.  As I consider the cross of Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit, lead me to Calvary’s mercy and sacrifice.  Grace me with the repentance which leads to life.  Amen.

2 Chronicles 1:7-13

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment


             Wisdom is a word that is not often used in normal conversation.  It does not typically arise in talking about a politician, a businessman, or even a church leader.  “Oh, the Congressman is so wise!” “Isn’t that CEO a wonderfully sage person?”  “My Pastor is full of wisdom!”  You might even be laughing at this point because these kinds of statements just aren’t part of our daily interactions with others.  We are more likely to say that somebody is full of something else other than wisdom.  But all the aforementioned statements could be said about King Solomon.  He was wise – the wisest man that ever lived.
             Wisdom is the ability to put truth into practice.  It is to see everything and everyone from God’s perspective.  Wisdom is to have a solid knowledge base with the skill set to use it for godly and constructive purposes.  And Solomon had a load of it.  But the really important thing to note from today’s Old Testament lesson is how Solomon obtained such wisdom.  It came from God.  Solomon asked for it, and he got it.
             The Apostle James tells us in the New Testament that if any of us lacks wisdom we should ask God, who gives generously without finding fault and it will be given to him.  Maybe the reason why so many persons today are not immediately characterized as being wise is because they rely on their own ingenuity and hard work; asking for wisdom is not even on their mind.  But in a world of dire straits where significant problems often overshadow effective solutions, wisdom is needed more than ever.
             Like Solomon of old, ask for wisdom and knowledge from God.  We all are in some position of governing others, whether it is being a parent, a church leader, or in charge of something at work.  We all need wisdom.  Just ask.  In every circumstance ask God for the ability to know the truth and put it into practice.
             Wise God, you know all things and how everything works.  Give me wisdom and knowledge so that your purposes and plans might be accomplished in and through me for every situation to the glory of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Psalm 90

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            Sometimes we might forget that the Bible is first and foremost a collection of books about God.  There are times when we get too focused on ourselves – our fears, inadequacies, weaknesses, failures – and lose sight of the hugeness of God.  This psalm is the kind that helps reorient our lives back toward the grand Sovereign of the universe.  There is a decidedly theistic worldview espoused and embedded in the psalm.  It is a cosmology dominated by the immensity and largeness of a God who is pictured as completely in control of his creation.
 
            Let’s face it:  our lives are this weird and complex concoction of fear and joy that can combust at any time.  We swing from high to low, and low to high.  If we are on an even keel it is only because we are currently in the middle of swaying to one extreme or the other.  Even introverts know this – it just happens to all take place inside their vast inner world instead of on the outside for all to see.
 
            So, every one of us needs the grand vision of God in this psalm to anchor us through all the vicissitudes of life.  “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”  The transcendent God, however, is not at all aloof from his creatures; he is also closely imminent.  “You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.”  Nothing gets by God.  He always knows the score.
 
            Our appropriate response to such a God is this:  “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”  When we appropriate a biblical worldview, we learn to measure our days and live consistently moral lives with wholeness and integrity.  This is why a regular regimen of the psalms is important to us, so that we will have before us the nature and character of God.  As we do so, we cannot help but reflect his glory and contribute to human flourishing.
 

 

            Mighty God, satisfy me in the morning with your steadfast love so that I might rejoice and be glad all day, every day.  Let your favor be upon me, and establish the work of my hands for the glory of Jesus.  Amen.

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            My late Dad was, I think, one of the smartest guys I have ever known.  That is saying something, since I have three academic degrees and studied under intelligent professors and worked with gifted students.  Yet, he would sometimes say in the course of a cerebral conversation, “But what do I know? I’m just a dumb farmer.”  The self-deprecation came from the fact that he never attended college and did not study formally. 
 
            Today’s New Testament lesson shifts the focus away from any earthly wisdom.  Whether a person has a formal education and much learning; or, has a well-developed common sense; or, possesses a perceptive social intelligence; the Apostle Paul places the onus for Christianity in none of those attributes of the wisdom of humanity, but, rather, in the power of God.
 
            Although I believe Paul was a very gifted individual with every kind of human wisdom available to him, he himself did not ultimately put his trust in any of it.  What was of ultimate importance to Paul was that people would know Jesus Christ and him crucified.  Paul did not want people to be persuaded by his eloquence, or lack thereof, nor did he want to develop people who would follow him personally.  No, Paul wanted people to rest their faith squarely in Jesus Christ.
 
            It is the Spirit of God which uses us to demonstrate the power of God to a needy world.  Therefore, developing our connection with God in the Holy Spirit is of paramount importance.  And this is something everyone can do, not just an elite few.  This is the beauty of Christianity, that the most common of persons, as well as the most extraordinary of people, can both be equally used by God if they maintain a faith relationship with God.  Take time today and every day to foster such a relational experience in Christ.
            All-wise God, all power, glory, and honor belong to you.  My faith and hope rest securely and confidently in you.  Fill me to the full with your Holy Spirit so that the words that come out of my mouth and the actions that I do are a demonstration of God’s power to the glory of Jesus Christ.  Amen.