Wisdom! Is there anyone here who is wise and has all of the wisdom they will ever need?
And, you all have probably heard the old quote attributed to Yogi Berra about the fork in the road, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it!”
Life is filled with forks in the road, choices, decisions.
We are all faced with decisions every day.
Spiritual decisions: Will I be a fully committed follower of Christ?
Financial decisions?
Bag lunch v. restaurant?
Turn up heat v. put on sweater?
Starbucks or thermos of coffee?
Time decisions? Late night hours
Stay up late & too tired to work or sleep and be productive?
Surfing the net at work or doing my job?
Moral decisions? Entertainment choices, flirting,
I think you’re getting the idea! We need wisdom!
James goes ahead in chapter 1 and talks about wisdom in verses 5-7
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
“But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
“That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”
Ok James 1:5
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”
What is wisdom? Knowledge? Experience? Tradition?
So, what is wisdom?
Wisdom is dependence on God for direction in any and all decisions.
We all know Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord … (recite the rest)
Years ago I remember being in an adult SS class with many who had been Christians for a long time. One lady told about two interviews she and two job offers she had had that week and was not able to decide which to take. People started asking her about the benefits and pay of each job and the responsibilities, etc. One person said, “Have you asked the Lord about which one you job you should take?”
The conversation stopped and the people looked at that person like they had two heads. There was silence for a moment and then they all went back to discussing the comparative aspects of the two jobs.
You can make all of the comparative lists you want. You can go back and speak to the interviewers. You can talk to the potential co-workers. You can read the company backgrounds on the internet but you will never, ever have enough information to make the decision in a way that pleases God.
In this case you have a 50/50 chance of choosing the job that God would have you choose but your method of choosing will not be pleasing to God because you did not “Trust in the Lord …”.
So should we be asking the Lord to show us how to make
Spiritual decisions?
Financial decisions?
Personal life decisions?
Work decisions?
Is there anything too big/small that we should not consult the Lord about it?
I mean … what kind of toothpaste to buy?
OK. So in all of these decisions let’s just go back to the Sunday School example. Which job is the best one for me?
We may even pray it that way!
But that is the question asked by immature Christians.
What is the question that a fully mature Christian would ask???
God, please let me know which job is best for You and Your kingdom?
Where do you want me so that I can best represent you to others?
I don’t even know right now why You want me there I just need to know the one You want for me!
It may pay less.
It may have longer hours.
It may have horrible benefits.
There may be a mean boss.
You may need to work standing on your head but that’s not the issue.
Is that where God wants you for His kingdom at this time. PERIOD!
This world is so “me” centered that it takes some time for God to readjust our focus of devotion.
How does that refocus happen?
Scripture and the Holy Spirit!
Proverbs 3:5-6 (recite)
Matthew 6:31-33
“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Look again at verse 31
“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’”
This verse is not saying that we should not pray about these things and seek God’s direction regarding them. It’s saying we should not worry about them but when we are seeking the kingdom of God He will provide for us even if the decision we make appears to be insane to the world.
If two job opportunities come up and the Lord tells you to take the one that pays half of the other, He’s not going to sit back and laugh and say, “I guess I got you that time, didn’t I?”
No! He will care for you because you will be His obedient child!
That, my friends, is wisdom!
Just recently I’ve heard several people from other churches talking about moving south because they hate the weather or they hate the politics of the state or some other thing. At the same time they’ve never mentioned that they felt the leading of the Lord to move.
Even in the church there is a undercurrent of decision making based on what’s best for me.
That’s not wisdom. It is the wisdom of the world but not of Christ.
In worldly wisdom all of the analysis is based on, “What’s the best job for me.”
As Christians who are “mature and complete, not lacking anything” our interest should be “what’s in it for God” not “what’s in it for me”!
Matthew 6:33
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Trusting the direction of God for any decision allows Him to place you where He wants you to be for the maximum benefit for Him and His kingdom here on earth!
If you make a decision without consulting Him it is a sin.
If you make a decision with you as the primary beneficiary it is a sin.
Of course if you ask Him to forgive that sin He will but you will never know what impact you might have had for His kingdom on earth if you had consulted Him first.
What is the first sentence in James?
James 1:1a
“James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ …”
That position of being a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ is the foundation of wisdom.
Here’s the thing. God wants you to ask Him for wisdom.
He has an inexhaustible supply of wisdom!
He’s just waiting for you to ask Him for some.
He’s not going to find fault with you for asking.
God’s not ever going to say, “Well that’s a stupid question.”
Verses 6-7 are all part of the same thought process so I’ve shoved them together on the same slide.
James 1:6-7
“But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”
We have an amazing example of this doubt cutting us off from the presence and might of God in the Gospels.
Matthew 13:54-58
“Coming to His hometown, He began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. ‘Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?’ they asked.
“Isn’t this the carpenter’s Son? Isn’t His mother’s name Mary, and aren’t His brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all His sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?”
“And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in His own town and in His own home.’
“And [Jesus] did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.”
Was Jesus’ power to do miracles impeded by the lack of faith of the people?
Yes and no … let me explain …
Let’s look at some of the miracles Jesus did perform …
The man lowered through the roof
The Centurian’s servant
The blind man by the road
The woman who had been bleeding for 12 years
The man whose son was demon possessed
The deaf and mute man brought to Jesus by friends
Contrast that with the disrespect being shown to Jesus in His hometown
Here is the general feeling about Jesus in His hometown, “They took offense at Him.”
What if you were sick and needed to be healed but you also knew that you would have to live in that town long after Jesus was gone and you knew that the leaders of the town were offended by Jesus. You just might be double minded!
“I believe Jesus can heal me.”
“I fear my hometown leaders.”
“People might ridicule me.”
“So, I’m gonna stay home with my sickness.”
These people may have actually believed that Jesus could heal them.
They also had a fear of the world.
They were double minded.
They stayed home.
They were not healed.
Was it Jesus’ fault? No. Was His power limited? No. Could Jesus have walked into each house and healed the sick whether they wanted to be healed or not? Yes! But, Jesus doesn’t work that way!
When we are double minded we cannot expect any other results!
When we are first saved it is obvious that we will need to unlearn the ways of the world and the world will continue to pull on us.
We cannot stay in that position, where part of our heart still belongs to the world. It is dangerous. It can be spiritually fatal.
It is, in fact, disobedience to the greatest commandment of all!
There is only one way to become totally devoted servants of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
There is only one way to gain the wisdom that will enable you to seek God’s will and His kingdom above your will and your kingdom.
Ask for help! Ask for God’s wisdom!
Ok James 1:5
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”
Who is here that needs the Lord's wisdom today?
