Meditation

06/14/2022

“And he said to man, ‘The fear of the Lord—-that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.’” (Job 28:28)

Beloved. Wisdom is more than accumulation of information or training in logical thinking. True wisdom is inseparable from knowledge of God, for He is Truth in its ultimate form. Genuine education goes back to the basic sources of knowledge, and the Lord is the fundamental source of all knowledge and wisdom. True wisdom produces a moral life not just an admired mind.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY:

Precious Abba, in this reading from Job, we have taken that which for some would be an oracle consisting of hours, days, months, maybe even years. However, in the context of education, as it is presented in God’s Word, this subject we call education as it pertains to wisdom, is taken from the concept of creation from the very beginning, when God thought it was necessary to teach His creation what true wisdom is. We cannot separate God from the subject matter, for He created everything in this universe along with this little blue orb that we call earth. God is Truth. Abba, You desire for us to know Truth and gain wisdom, but to do so we must first know You. You are our example of truth and wisdom and moral living, so we ask you once again, to walk with us and talk with us, and let us know You as we had not come to know you yet, but desire to know all about You. Today we continue to pray for those who are suffering in body, mind, and/or spirit, with friends, family, for those we don’t know, especially the people in Ukraine, as they are fighting for their very lives and way of life. Amen

THOUGHT OF THE DAY:

“What man creates feeds our desires. What God creates feeds our needs.”

KNOWING GOD:

“Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him.” (2^nd Kings 12:2)

Here we have a teacher-priest that dramatically influenced an Israelite ruler. So long as the priest Jehoiada instructed him in the way of the Lord, King Joash remained in God’s will. After the death of his teacher, Joash became very wicked. Kings and peasants alike need the corrective influence of godly teaching in their lives. I have worked in prisons with hardened criminals and seen the result of negative influences from family members, friends, teachers, etc. and what that does to people. That gives them no excuse for what they have done, though it certainly contributed to their fall in our society. I’m seen good Christian men working side by side with me, help to change those men into something more positive than anyone would ever think could happen. Does that help them get out of prison? No, but it does help them to know who they should be safe with; who they can talk to about their walk with Christ; where they can improve themselves to make themselves better men. Our society likes to label people, but in truth, it only segregates those with negative labels to congregate with those who are similar to themselves. We must move past labels and towards the problems with families torn apart with single or no parents; kids that we know need a helping hand or a kind word. We don’t have a lot of people seeking to help work on solutions, they just seem to want to tear down things that have been honored by God since creation began. King Joash lost his mentor and in so doing, he fell under Satan’s ways. It is time to stand up as communities and say, “What can I do to help out,” and then do it.

I AM:

“Blessed is the man who find wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. Long live is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed.” (Proverbs 3:13-18)

True wisdom promotes health, well-being, and happiness. Many of the problems that plague human existence spring from poor judgment, foolish choices, and confused values. God-given wisdom helps us avoid these pitfalls and heightens the quality of lives for everyone. This type of influences will most certainly make a difference in your life, but if you do not put them to use, it is a waste of time.

As the phrase in Proverbs tells us, “She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed.” We have opportunities every day of our lives, to enrich someone else’s day by just greeting them with a smile and comment on what a great day it is; maybe we see a neighbor struggling to dig a whole to plant a tree and we go and help them; maybe we see sorrow in someone’s eyes and we just reach out and tell them you’ll pray with them about whatever is bothering them; or see a child with a broken bike or tricycle and you help them fix it. It is in doing things for others, that we receive the biggest blessing and it helps us to continue to look for the opportunity’s, as they are all around us.

2ND THOUGHT OF THE DAY:

“Keep a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” (2^nd Peter 3-16)

This is not necessarily about someone saying something about you, where you sue them and get money! This is one of those verses that you remember when a friend says “so and so” was telling me you about not taking good care of your home or your parents or, well you fill in the blank. If you are living you life as best as you can, doing good things for others, and generally having a pretty decent day. Then someone who really knows you will not listen to those who do not really know you! They are not using the wisdom God gave us when speaking of other people. They most often lay their own problems on others. If you real friends hear them, they will stand up for you, and in the process expose that gossiper for what they are, not a friend.

Beloved, it starts with the Lord first thing in the morning, thanking Him for another day to serve Him. It includes asking forgiveness for those things we may have done and forgotten about and also those we do remember, because that’s not who we truly are. We love the Lord and seek to serve Him however He calls us to, as best as we can, and many times without anyone even noticing what we have done. That’s because it is not about us, it is about our humbling ourselves before Him and meaning it when we say we won’t do it again. It is primarily about our sharing our lives with Him and learning to be more like He wants us to be. When you live your life for Him, you don’t have a problem with conscience, you are busy serving Him.