My Moment of Truth

 

It’s interesting how we often feel justified in the things we do. We don’t like to acknowledge when we’ve done something wrong. It seems to be a universal human trait. And if we can’t outright justify it, we come up with a justification through an ancillary excuse.

Have you ever been wrong and you couldn’t see it at first because you so badly wanted to be right that you made justifications for it? Well I’ve seen myself do this to some degree. It’s easy to think, “I know I shouldn’t have said what I said, but what they did to me was worse”, or “I know I should have helped them out but they’ve never helped me with anything.” These things are usually relatively minor. What about more severe offences, though?

We often don’t think about people who commit offences on the level of being criminal. Many people who have committed some of the worst crimes in history were people who came up with justifications for they’re actions. Certainly our prisons are filled with many people who think their problems are someone else’s fault. They stole from a bank because…..well, banks are insured anyway. Or, they might have just been mad at the insurance companies. The employee embezzles from their company because they think their boss had it coming. They think they should be paying them more anyway.

We can wonder sometimes how people can do some of the things they do. Well, it can sometimes be because they’ve justified it somehow to themselves. People often justify what they don’t want to take responsibility for. We want to find a good reason for doing what we know is wrong. And we don’t like feeling like things are our fault. However, if we were to truly be objective we would realize that we’re not standing on very solid ground. I guess this is why, when we go to court, we don’t get to decide our own fate. Our guilt or innocence and our punishment is decided by an objective third party. If we got to decide on our own punishment, our prisons would be nearly empty. I guess that would be one way to cut our crime rate. We could just say, “Here, you decide your own punishment.” Everything would essentially be legal then. Our laws would become meaningless. I guess that’s why our parents never let us decide our punishment when we were kids. We might have had a tendency to institute too light a punishments on ourselves.

We can easily see the futility of an immature child deciding for themselves when they’ve done wrong and the repercussions for that action. But what if we did, though, as adults? What if, with the maturity that comes with age and wisdom, we decided on our own when we were not just doing wrong, but just not quite measuring up? What would be different about us? What would be different about our society? One wonders of the possibilities.

 

…Let’s go deeper

 

I was thinking about Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Where Eve was deceived by the serpent to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which God had commanded them not to eat. Here’s the scenario where God finds them in the Garden. Genesis 3:11 says, “And he said, Who told thee that thou [wast] naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest [to be] with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What [is] this [that] thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.” It’s interesting what they both said when God confronted them. God first confronted Adam and he passed blame off on to Eve. Then God confronted Eve and she passed blame off on to the serpent. See, not much has changed today, has it? This is the first case in human history of this happening. And it’s been happening ever since.

There’s a most dangerous state we can remain in. It’s the most dangerous thing we can do. We can be like Adam and Eve were here and be in a state of denial about our sin. The reason it’s dangerous is because we never acknowledge the truth about the state we’re in. And if we never acknowledge the state we’re in, we can never come to repentance. 1 Corinthians 11:31 says, “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.” This is key for us. God doesn’t want us to suffer the judgment of transgressing His laws. He would rather we acknowledge our wrongdoing and seek forgiveness so that we can be brought back in to right relation with Him.
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1 John 2:1 says, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:” This is the good news we all have. God’s will is for us to be righteous. If we are in a state of sin, though, we have an advocate, Jesus Christ. He is our trial lawyer. If we come to God and confess our sin, accepting the price Jesus paid on our behalf, we can be free from the judgment of our sin.

Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:” The result is we are finally justified by our faith that we are forgiven. So, we can never justify ourselves. We are only justified through our faith in Him.

Genesis 3:11 says, “And he said, Who told thee that thou [wast] naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest [to be] with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What [is] this [that] thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.”

1 Corinthians 11:31 says, “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.”

1 John 2:1 says, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:”

Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”

 

I have to admit. I have a problem with complaining sometimes. I don’t know why. If I look back in hindsight I don’t really see what benefit it provided me. It’s just kind of like verbal nothingness. It doesn’t really serve a purpose. At least not a positive purpose.

I have a little situation I’m dealing with right now. My heater blower motor in my car stopped working last week. As you know, this isn’t the warmest time of year. It makes for a cold car ride in December. This is generally something I would normally complain about it. I’ve since realized that doesn’t help anything. I could easily think about it in purely negative terms. I could think, “Why did this have to happen at the coldest time of year?”, or, “Why did such an expensive part have to go bad?” Of course, these wouldn’t be very positive reactions to the situation. I would also be ignoring some very important points. Because the reality is that I was taking for granted all the times when it was working in the past. Now I know what it’s like when it doesn’t work and have a better appreciation for when it does. I’m also missing the big picture. So, my blower motor doesn’t work. But what if I didn’t even have a car for the blower motor not to work in. I would have a lot more to complain about then, wouldn’t I? We often lose perspective when we take things for granted.

There’s something I learned in psychology. There are different levels of needs a person has. There was a guy named Abraham Maslow who, in the 1940’s, came up with a hierarchy of needs. It’s called ‘Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs’. He wanted to understand people and their motivations. So, he came up with these different levels of needs. They start widest at the bottom moving up to the top until it forms a pyramid. The bottom (most basic) need is ‘physiological’. These are things like food, shelter, water, air, etc. The second level is ‘Safety’. This is obviously just our basic need to feel safe. The third level is ‘Social’. This is just our need to have relationships, whether it’s family, a spouse, or friends. The fourth level is ‘Esteem’. This is just a sense of achievement, self-respect and such. The fifth, and final, level is Self-Actualization. This would be our sense of fulfillment and realizing our potential.

When I look at these levels of needs I come to an important realization in my life. Most of the time I’m probably at the very top level of that pyramid. Especially for most of us in this country, we have so much more to be thankful for than a lot of people in the world. And probably more than most people who have ever lived. Yet I still have a tendency to complain, even at the top, when all those other levels of needs are already being met. Maybe from now on, before I start to complain, I might just ask myself, “Wait, what level of the hierarchy am I on right now? Oh, I’m still on the top? Never mind.” But the reality is, no matter what level I’m on, I still don’t have any right to complain. There’s always something I can be thankful for.

 

…Let’s go deeper

I think the most important thing for me to remember about complaining is that it isn’t pleasing to God. Because, really, when I do that I’m not being very grateful for all He’s given me. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Now this doesn’t mean we give thanks for everything, but I give thanks in everything. This means in every situation I’m in, I’m still thankful for what I have, and I’m thankful to God. This is what’s honoring to God, when we can do this.

Consult your wholesale viagra online accountant prior to when making any primary buys, still keeps in mind a financial savings may just be substantial. Being a PDE 5 inhibiting medication, it is regarded as the generic tablet that levitra online pharmacy works very similarly to the kamagra. Few mild side effects like headache and nausea have been experienced previously may reoccur transiently during detoxification; sometimes it is hard to stay on top and continue to do so, hence we are introduced to new and appalachianmagazine.com viagra no prescription amazing features every now and then. As a result, this specific remedy helps in treating type-2 sale of sildenafil tablets diabetes. Philippians 2:14 says, “Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.” God has called us to a life of thankfulness. That begins with us not complaining. This verse says, “…That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world…” What stands out to me here is that we are to shine as lights in the world. The reality is that if I’m complaining and having a negative attitude around other people, I’m not being much of a light, am I? It’s certainly not attractive to others. When we have a positive around other people this helps us to stand out in a ‘crooked and perverse nation’. People may wonder what makes us so different. This gives us the perfect opportunity to tell them why we’re different. It goes on to say, “…Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain.” When I read this section I think about being fruitful. God wants us to be fruitful. Being thankful is a part of us being fruitful. This is us bearing good fruit for others to see.

If you want to look for some good verses on being thankful and full of praise, the book of Psalms is a great place to begin. Psalms 106:1 says, “Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for [he is] good: for his mercy [endureth] for ever.” See, if we have trouble finding anything to be thankful for, there’s always these two things—God is good, and His mercy endures forever. No matter what else, God is good to me, and He’s been merciful to me. These aren’t just true because these are what God does, they’re true because they’re what God is. He is good and merciful. And He cannot be less than himself. Why? Because God says in Malachi 3:6 “For I [am] the LORD, I change not…..” See, God doesn’t change. Hey, there’s another thing we can be thankful for!

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Philippians 2:14 says, “Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.”

Psalms 106:1 says, “Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for [he is] good: for his mercy [endureth] for ever.”

Malachi 3:6 “For I [am] the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”

 

We sometimes get discouraged along the way in the process of living life. We can sometimes feel like continuing on in our quest isn’t worth our while. It’s important that we keep going and not let discouragement get the better of us. We know from experience, however, that this isn’t always easy.

Think of this metaphor. Imagine somebody in a track and field race. The gun is fired but they don’t get a very good start. Everyone else gets a little bit of a head start on them as a result. So, they keep going for a while, but they start thinking about how bad their start was and just how much that is going to affect their finishing well. So, they end up quitting and just walking over and sitting in the stands with the crowd. It’s kind of funny to think about, but sometimes we allow this to happen to us.

The interesting thing is, while that person’s start in the race can certainly have implications later on, they are overlooking a lot of other factors in the race. For example, their skill level is important to consider. They may be one of the best runners in the state and be able to overcome that gap. They’re also making a lot of assumptions about the other runners in the race. How do they know that any of the other runners won’t want fall behind somewhere in the race? Different runners have different spots in a race where they excel and areas where they don’t. Some runners start strong, but may fade in the distance. Other runners may be more affected by the weather, but that may not have as much of an effect on you. So, there are a lot of things to consider. That gap may not be as impossible to overcome as it may appear.

I remember saying something when joking around with my brother once. I mistakenly said, “Why don’t you start what you finish?” That’s a mind bender isn’t? Since you couldn’t finish something if you’ve never started, it’s a foregone conclusion that if you finished something, at some point, you had to start it. Anyway, the point is to not get too focused on the start. I guess in that statement I got too focused on the start myself.

The important thing to remember is that we can easily get too focused on our start and not realize we have an entire race still in front of us. A lot can happen in that time in between start and finish. We don’t win or lose a race in the first 5 seconds. Give yourself the opportunity to get over a bad start. We don’t know how it will end up if we just keep going. We do know, however, how it will end up if we just quit. So, don’t go sit in the stands in the middle of the race.

 

…Let’s go deeper

Galatians 5:7 says, “Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?” In Paul’s letter to the Galatians he actually commends them for running well. Once they learned the liberty they had in Christ they were doing well. They got tripped up, though, when they ended up returning to their legalistic practices. Galatians 4:9 says, “But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?” They were running well, but then they wanted to return to the way they were when they started. They were really focused on thinking about how they started.

Galatians 5:1 says, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” Paul admonished the Galatians to remain in the liberty Jesus had provided for us. He knew that they, and likewise ourselves, can’t move forward if we return to a legalistic mindset. God has so much more for us. It’s often easier to get stuck in what we know. Learning a different way can sometimes be difficult. That’s what life is about, though. Learning.
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Christ has given us a liberty to run this race of life with confidence. We can be confident and run with nothing holding us back, not even our flawed start. It’s what we do in the middle part and leading up to the end that counts.

Paul was confident in the knowledge of the way he had run his race. 2 Timothy 4:7 says, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished [my] course, I have kept the faith:” Paul certainly knew he had made some mistakes. He had started out in the wrong way. He didn’t get stuck on that, though. He made some changes and adjustments in his life as he allowed the Holy Spirit to work in his life. God led him in a new direction from the way he started out. This resulted in him writing 2/3 of the New Testament and helping countless others in their walk with Christ. I’m certainly glad Paul didn’t get stuck on the way he started out. He kept his eyes focused on the finish. When we look at his life, that’s a pretty good finish.

Galatians 5:7 says, “Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?”

Galatians 4:9 says, “But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?”

Galatians 5:1 says, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”

2 Timothy 4:7 says, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished [my] course, I have kept the faith:”

 

It’s really interesting when you watch some people in conversation. Some people are real talkers, while others are real quiet. It’s important that we communicate ideas and get our point across. However, this can only get us so far.

As far as being a talker or being more reserved, I would fall in the latter category. I definitely use an economy of words to communicate ideas or convey concepts to others. I am a headliner. I guess I believe that there is no need for me to add more words than is necessary. As a result, I haven’t in the past appreciated other peoples’ tendency to verbalize using copious amounts of words. I have come to a more balanced understanding of things. I do now see that it can sometimes be a valid approach to use additional words to be more descriptive and better convey an idea. There are times when you just can’t give a proper understanding using the least amount of words possible. Often times I find myself needing to be more descriptive. A large number of adjectives aren’t necessarily a bad thing if they serve a purpose. At other times they just serve the purpose of being extra words.

Being my quiet, more reserved self, I sometimes marvel at the amount of words others can use to communicate. I end up sitting with my mouth dropped open thinking, “How are you even doing that? You just keep going and going and going.” I think politicians are especially good at this. I guess this skill is a prerequisite for their chosen profession. So, I tend to cut them a little bit of slack. However, I have close friends, and even family members, who are also quite gifted in extensive wordplay. So, I’m wondering, what’s their excuse? Well, maybe they’re in sales. I have to cut them some slack as well, I guess. The thing is I couldn’t even do that if I tried. I guess, in some ways, I’m a little jealous. I wish I was a better verbal communicator.

Although, there’s definitely a time to communicate instructions, or new ideas, there also comes a time to take action. If all we ever did was talk, then we wouldn’t get much accomplished in this world. I just think of the military. What would happen if all that ever happened was the leaders communicated orders to their underlings? What if they just told all the lower ranks what to do and everyone just sat there? I imagine that army wouldn’t win many wars. Unless it was a war of words. Maybe they could stand on the battle line and have a strongly-worded debate. Try to make the other side cry or something. The other side could come back with the ‘sticks-and-stones’ retort. War doesn’t seem to work that way, though. What is usually required following the dispensing of new information is some kind of action. This is often where we get tripped up.

 

…Let’s go deeper

I was reading this verse in Exodus when I thought of this topic. Exodus 14:15 say, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:” I found this verse interesting. We all know the importance of prayer in our daily lives. God repeatedly tells us to petition Him with our requests and we know He is willing to grant us those requests. So, in reading this verse, I found it interesting to hear God telling Moses to get up and tell the Israelites to move forward. I believe God was saying, “I’ve heard and granted your request, now get up and tell the children of Israel to move.”

See, there’s definitely a time for prayer. However, following our time talking to God, He will often require us to do something. This is often our step of faith. We ask God for something, but then we need to show our faith by acting on what we just prayed over. ‘Faith in action’ it’s generally called.
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The book of James is known for this subject. In James 1:22 it says, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” James spoke a number of times about adding works to our faith. He knew that we had to evidence our faith through our actions. Here he says that if we just sit and hear the Word without acting on it, we’re only deceiving ourselves. I mean, we can talk a good talk. We only know the extent of our faith, though, when we start to walk it out.

A little later on in James he conveys a similar idea. James 2:26 says, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” James shows for us the power of having a living faith. We have a living faith by doing those things in the Word we say we believe. How do we know we believe it? When we are doing it. Simple question, simple answer, right? But while these things are simple, we have a tendency to complicate them. Sometimes we often feel more comfortable in our ‘prayer zone’, rather than step out of our comfort zone. This can often times be really uncomfortable, sometimes even painful. But when God gives us the green light He’s also promised to back us up. We can take comfort in knowing He is with us all the way.

Even though I don’t have the tendency to speak extensively, this is still a good lesson for me. Because while I won’t speak at great length on anything, I can have trouble when it comes time to get myself moving and take action. So, I guess whatever end of the spectrum we’re on, we all need to get moving at some point.

Exodus 14:15 say, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:”

James 1:22 it says, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

James 2:26 says, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

 

I’ve felt the need lately to handle my finances better. I tend to get to the end of the month and wonder where my money went. I’m thinking there’s no reason why I can’t set aside a certain amount every month. I have a number in mind. So, I think it’s doable.

OK, here’s the plan. Since I get paid every two weeks, the way I’m thinking of doing this is to just take half that amount out of my account every pay check in cash. That way I can’t spend it and I will be limited to the resources available in my account. I know what you’re thinking, “Why not put that amount into an investment every month.” Well, I see your point. But for right now I’m just wanting to save enough to buy a decent used car. So, I guess this is a short term savings plan. Then I can concentrate on investing my extra income.

I know this will be good for me, besides just being able to set aside some extra money every month. It’ll force me to live on a budget as well. Never a bad thing. I think, often times, I end up nickel and diming my budget away. I’m not really a big spender on big ticket items. It’s just all the little stuff that really adds up, like eating out, or coffee, and actually I don’t know what else. But it sure adds up.

It’s interesting how we can easily waste our resources if we don’t keep an eye on them. Little things add up into big things. I can easily spend money without realizing where it’s going. I need to remember that my resources are a precious thing. I’m only given a set amount of anything, really. A certain amount of time, a certain amount of talent, a certain amount of calories I can consume each day. That last one is unfortunate. I like eating. The reality is, though, that it’s not always about having more to work with. It’s about working with what you have. I need to go in with the mindset “OK, this is what I have to work with. Now what can I do with it?” I think that helps us also appreciate what we have.

Consider if you were given infinite amounts of anything. Would you really appreciate having it? It’s kind of like having enough air to breathe. We don’t even think about it. We kind of take it for granted, unless we were climbing Mount Everest or something. Then I’m sure we would gain a new appreciation for our oxygen levels. Scarcity is partly what makes a thing valuable. That’s what makes us appreciate the value of a dollar as well. We learn that we’re only going to get so much of it. So, it’s what we do with what we have that counts. How do we find the best uses for our minimal resources?

 

…Let’s go deeper

 

What does the Bible say about finances? Well, quite a lot actually. First of all, I think it important for us to remember that money can only do so much. We need to keep it in its proper perspective. It’s not meant to be our source of happiness or meaning. It’s just a resource. These worldly resources are only temporary. 1 John 2:15 says, “Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” So, we are to not love these things that we can gain through money. It’s easy for us to forget that this is all temporary. Besides, if we start to look to these things, they will inevitably disappoint. A new car only stays new for so long. It eventually rusts and falls apart. Even if it doesn’t, our neighbor gets a new car and then ours starts to pale in comparison.

The troublesome thing about viruses, spywares, worms, and levitra 20mg uk amerikabulteni.com rootkits, is that they are difficult to detect until they’ve started causing real damage. Do not take tadalafil if you are not fond of oysters, then consume lobsters or generic viagra tab switch to shellfish and mussels. Kamagra is just another name for the trade name drug viagra free delivery and has been very effective and helping men resolve their premature ejeculation problems as well as other related male dysfunctions like impotence, erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, low sperm count, etc. A lot buy sildenafil no prescription of the lists that I belonged to started to distribute similar content in their newsletters. Luke 16:10 says, “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.” This is an important thing to remember. This is similar to what I was mentioning in the first part of my post. When we learn to be faithful stewards of the little we have, then we can be trusted with more resources. I think when we truly learn the place and the purpose money serves, we are free to finally be gracious stewards over a larger resource. When money is no longer our source and we learn that He is ‘The Source’, we now have an understanding of its place and money doesn’t really mean anything to us. It’s just a resource for our sojourn here on earth and accomplishing His will for our lives. This is when we’ve truly learned to do what it says in Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” It’s then that we know that, in seeking God first, He will provide and take care of us.

Finally, there’s one more thing we need to do with our money—be generous. 1 John 3:17 says, “But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels [of compassion] from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?” It’s important that we have a generous heart, a heart of compassion. You say, “What if I don’t feel this?” Well, let God work in your heart. Seek God and soon His heart will become your heart. You’ll have a truly giving heart, a compassionate heart, a generous heart that honors God. Remember to be thankful. A thankful heart is also honoring to God. When we approach our finances in this way, God has something He can work with.

1 John 2:15 says, “Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

Luke 16:10 says, “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.”

Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

1 John 3:17 says, “But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels [of compassion] from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?”

 

Did you know that there’s a difference between being smart and being wise? Yeah, really, there is a difference. We actually see it all the time. I’m sure we’ve all seen some really smart people make some really dumb decisions. I’ve even seen myself make some really dumb decisions. Yet, we wonder, “How can that be?”

I think the secret is in discerning the difference between intelligence and wisdom. Wise people make prudent decisions. They have a great ability for seeing things for the way that they are. And it’s not that they have to be super-intelligent to be wise. They may be of average intelligence. They just know how to see the big picture. Smart people can analyze something or a situation, and even if they don’t know the right answers, they can find a way to come up with the right answers. A wise person may not even know all the variables in a situation, but given what they do know, they can still make a wise decision. Sometimes that can mean that if they are presented with an opportunity, they may just pass on the opportunity. Not because they think, or know that it’s bad, but because they know they don’t have enough information. That’s an example of a wise decision. You may think, “But how do they know they didn’t pass up on a great opportunity?” They don’t. But they do know that getting pressured into a situation doesn’t usually end up well. They also know not to worry about it. They believe in opportunities finding them when they are ready. I think wise people are also patient. This probably comes from experience.

What about smart people? I’ve seen many legitimately intelligent people. You may be in awe of their intelligence. Then you’ll see them, all of a sudden, make some really bad decisions. And you’ll end up thinking, “What are they doing?” You know that they’re smart, but yet you see them make a really dumb decision and it’s difficult to understand. Well, the reason is that they’re smart, but they’re not wise. At least, in that situation they weren’t. For example, you may see a smart person get their first good paying job, and then go off and buy an $80,000 sports car. This can leave you scratching your head. While the job may pay well, it probably doesn’t justify that type of expenditure. You see, people can often be smart, but it doesn’t mean that they’re wise.

While we may not be able to do much about our intelligence level, we can always learn more than what we already know. That, in itself, is wise. The great thing is we can all become wise. We all have equal opportunity here. I would even say that the wisest person of average intelligence beats the smartest person without wisdom any day of the week. So, what is the secret to wisdom? How do we attain it? Can we get more of it?

 

…Let’s go deeper

While the Bible doesn’t say much about intelligence, it does speak about wisdom. I believe that’s because no matter who we are, we can all attain wisdom. What does the Bible say about gaining wisdom? James 1:5 says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all [men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” This is the great thing. Wisdom is available to us if we just ask God for it. I would venture to say that many times the reason wisdom eludes us is because we just don’t bother to ask. So, we end up making questionable, or poor, decisions just because we don’t take the time or we’re not humble enough to ask God. It’s just that willingness to admit, “I don’t know what to do, but I know you do God. I humbly ask for your direction in this matter.” I think God honors when we do that. And when we wait for His answer, He will willingly give us the answer.

What’s another way that we can gain wisdom? Well, Proverbs 13:20 says, “He that walketh with wise [men] shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” So, we can become wise just by hanging around wise people. We can learn from the things they’ve learned in life. We can watch how they make decisions and emulate our own decision-making process from that. And I think just hanging around a wise person, it rubs off on you. You can just become better in your finances, relationships and every area. That’s why wisdom is so valuable. It can apply to all areas of your life.

Ephesians 5:15 says, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord [is].” This emphasizes to us the need to be wise because of the environment in which we live. There are a lot of unwholesome ventures taking place around us. We need to be wise in order to be able to identify them. We can save ourselves many problems this way. Also, with what this verse says, we can not only avoid wrong ways, but we can discern the right ways. Specifically understanding the will of the Lord. In the end, this is the ultimate wisdom—knowing what God’s will is for us.
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Finally, Proverbs 4:7 says, “Wisdom [is] the principal thing; [therefore] get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” This is telling us just how important wisdom is. If wisdom is fully in place we will be doing what is right in all areas of our lives. A wise person seeks God for answers when he doesn’t know. A wise person will make wise decisions in his family, and finances, and career. A wise person will seek counsel from other wise people.

I believe wisdom is often undervalued in our society. We can see, though, that God places a high value on it. And so should we. He wants to lead us in a direction that will produce the best possible outcomes for us. The great thing to know is that this is attainable and He will help us with it when we ask Him.

James 1:5 says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all [men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”

Proverbs 13:20 says, “He that walketh with wise [men] shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”

Ephesians 5:15 says, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord [is].”

Proverbs 4:7 says, “Wisdom [is] the principal thing; [therefore] get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.”

 

One of the things I find interesting about our modern society is how civilized everything appears to be. In many ways we can be really thankful. We generally don’t have to fear for our safety.

We have a complex and civil government that’s based on the rule of law which allow us basic rights. So, we can be thankful. At least don’t live during the middle ages. I mean, I know that they had some sort of leadership hierarchy, but it was pretty rudimentary. They had to deal with bands of invading marauders. Can you imagine living during the time of the Norse Vikings? They weren’t the friendliest bunch. I would certainly be nervous if they were my neighbors. It kind of makes you think of those Capital One commercials, doesn’t it? Where they’re living here in our modern day age. The reason those commercials are so funny is because their crude, crass, and malevolent behavior is just so out of place in our culture today. We would tend to look down on them and think, “Do they have an open carry permit for that battle axe?” Of course, they wouldn’t give it a second thought, mostly due to the fact that they wouldn’t know what that is.

So, in many ways we can be really thankful we live in the day and age we do. We generally don’t have to fear that our neighbor is going to break down our front door and just take over our house and steal all our stuff. That’s comforting. I like knowing I don’t need a gun on my coffee table when I’m relaxing and watching TV.

As much as I’m thankful in regards to the gains we’ve made in civility, my concern is that this appearance can give us a false sense of our true natures. I mean, we all appear to be pretty good when we know there are harsh penalties for malicious behavior. What about when those penalties aren’t apparent or aren’t there?

Picture this—Imaging that our society all of a sudden broke down. We lost our government and everything was a free-for-all. I know we don’t like to think about this happening. However, if it did happen, how many would still do what’s right. One thing we would lose is our basic infrastructure because no one would be paying taxes, since there would be no one to pay taxes to. What would happen, though? Would there be looting in the streets? What if someone does decide they want to take my house and all my belongings? There would be no one there to stop them except for me. Would people be able to govern their own behaviors? So, I guess my question is, “How many in our society would still do what’s right if they knew there were no consequences for their behavior”?

My conclusion is, that the presence of a stable civil government can create the illusion of a civil society and, to a greater degree, a moral population. So, I guess the question is, “How good are we really?” Maybe we’re not as good as we think. And if we’re not as good as we think, then what can we do about it?

 

…Let’s go deeper

Well, my conclusion is, as you can see in the first part of my post, that there’s a danger in thinking we can be good in ourselves. So, what do we do with this knowledge? Well, the Bible brings us face to face with our true nature. It doesn’t mince words. Romans 3:10 says, “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:” Here’s another one: Isaiah 64:6 says, “But we are all as an unclean [thing], and all our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” This also paints a grim picture. This says ‘our righteousness are as filthy rags”. So, not only do we end up doing what is wrong many times, but even the good things we do aren’t really that good. Why? Well, because we often do the right things for the wrong reasons. Somehow pride is involved, or jealousy, or envy. We have this selfish nature we can’t get rid of on our own.

Kamagra 100mg with discount is one of the essentials in purchase generic cialis living a happy life. Different discount tadalafil treatment options are available for this disease. There is a solution! If you’re desperately looking for things, both online free sample of viagra and offline, can sometimes make silly mistakes without thinking about the repercussions of the mistakes. Many people have buy uk viagra recognized this wonder medicine as magical male enhancement solution. I find this next verse a good guide for us. 1 Corinthians 11:31 says, “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.” What does this mean? This means that if we were to judge and take an honest inventory of our own hearts and realize the state they’re in, we wouldn’t be judged by God. See, I believe God doesn’t want to judge us. He would rather we come to this knowledge of ourselves, so that we can allow Him to change us. It’s because of His holy nature that we are held to a moral standard. He wants us to live right. And we can only start doing that when we have asked for forgiveness and accepted the work of Jesus on the cross. Then we submit to Him and can start living right.

Romans 2:14 says, “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:” This is an interesting thing. When we follow the matters of the law by the nature in our regenerate hearts, we become a law unto ourselves. We are expressing the law God has written in our hearts. Not only are we doing real good, we are doing good because we are good.

So, now we are not living a clean, moral life in and of ourselves. Because we can’t. It’s something that has to come out of us through the help of the Holy Spirit. A yielded life to him will produce in us a truly good and Godly heart and behavior. This is when we know what real and true good is.

Romans 3:10 says, “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”

Isaiah 64:6 says, “But we are all as an unclean [thing], and all our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

1 Corinthians 11:31 says, “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.”

Romans 2:14 says, “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:”

 

I was thinking the other day about the many things I could do, or should do. Many times, if I’m not doing these things it’s because of external reasons, often known as excuses. I realized I’ve allowed this to happen too many times in my life. So, while I may have good intentions of getting certain things done, I can easily allow those outside elements to keep me from my mission. In a perfect world we could get a lot more done. Only, we don’t live in a perfect world. This is why I say, “Life isn’t lived in a vacuum.”

So, obviously I’m using a metaphor here and not speaking of a literal vacuum. But the principle here is that we have certain obstacles, or resistance, we each face each day that will try to keep us from accomplishing great things. I’ve often seen myself trying to wait until circumstances are just perfect before I try something new or tackle a project. The problem, of course, is that I could end up waiting a long time. I need to remember the world I live in.

There are a lot of excuses we give for not doing what we know to do. Here’s a popular one, “I just don’t have time.” This can sound really convincing, especially to ourselves. We may seem really busy. But somehow we find time for other things without thinking about it. What if we gave up that hour of TV each day to tackle that worthy endeavor? There, we just freed up an hour every day for a worthy pursuit. Another excuse we can often give is that we don’t have the energy. This can sound convincing as well. However, it would have to ring true throughout in order to be believable, wouldn’t it? If I have energy to go exercise, but don’t have energy to clean my house, then it’s tough to really be taken seriously, I suppose.

The reality is, there are a countless number of bad excuses, but good ones seem to be pretty rare. Another reality is, that for every worthy endeavor I have on my list of ‘things to do’, I can find an endless list of reasons not to do it. Most of the time, however, I can eliminate most of them. When something is important enough, we find the time for what really matters. And when we really want to, we find the energy for what’s really important. Sure, we have things to deal with in life. But letting those keep us from a productive and meaningful pursuits would be unfortunate. Many times I believe I can run through my list of excuses and probably eliminate all of them. So, with no excuses left, I guess I had better get to work.

 

…Let’s go deeper

While we often face obstacles, or have trouble in getting important things done in life, there’s a spiritual component we need to recognize. When we are given a work, and a Godly task to do, we often face resistance from the enemy of our souls. He will try to get us off the path we are supposed to be on. As though some of our own excuses weren’t enough to deal with, we have to deal with him as well. God has equipped us, though, to have victory.

1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” Here Peter wants us to be aware that the devil is working against us when we are trying to do what is right. It’s important that we aren’t ignorant of this, so we can resist him when he works against us.
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2 Corinthians 2:11 says, “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” This reiterates for us that we need to be aware of the devil. This goes one further, though and tells to also be aware of his devices. We should be aware of his ways. We can often recognize when something in our lives is a result of the enemy working against us. We don’t need to be afraid, though. Why? Because, 1 John 4:4 says, “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

James 4:7 sums it up well. It says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” If you’ll notice, there’s three parts to this. First, we need to submit to God. That means we are living in obedience to Him. We have a submissive spirit. When we do that, we can do the next thing. The next thing is to ‘resist the devil’. We do that through saying what the word says and through prayer. So, really the second part is just another form of submission as well. These things then produce the result, which is that the devil will flee from you. When we do these things the devil has no choice. He has to go.

1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”

2 Corinthians 2:11 says, “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.”

James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

1 John 4:4 says, “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

 

How do we know what we want out of? Sometimes it’s difficult to tell. We may have to sit down and take an inventory of our lives. Because if we don’t know what we to be, we won’t know when we get there.

I think sometimes it’s easy for us to coast along in our lives thinking that the things we want in life will just end up presenting themselves. It doesn’t always seem to work that way. I figured this out when I was in college. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to be. I ended up kind of drifting along because I couldn’t decide on anything. I wasn’t exactly laser focused. I had yet to find what I was really good at and enjoyed. I think this is why it’s good sometimes to really sit down and take an inventory of what goals I have in life.

Sometimes we do know what we want. However, sometimes these things come down to how bad we really want them. I can say I desire a lot of things out of life. I can say that I want a big house on a hill. But if I’m wasting all my money and not putting anything away for savings, it’s probably not going to happen. Or, being married with a family might be a goal. However, if I’m not willing to do what is required, then I’m going to have difficulty achieving my goal.

Here’s one thing I figured out that I was able to do. It’s really a simple thing. I was wanting to get an entire book read while on vacation. I like to read but I don’t often read through books very fast. Many times, when reading a book, I’ll read through a few pages and then not read it again for a few days. But this time I was determined. I had a goal. So, I sat down and read the first part for a few hours. I was able to get about half way through. Then I read some more on another day and then finished it off in one more day. But altogether it probably only took me only 4-5 hours to read it. I was actually kind of surprised that I was able to focus that long and get through that book so easily. I also got part way through another book. It wasn’t really too difficult. I found out how productive I can be when I’m determined. One other thing that probably was a detriment in the past was just making it too big a project in my mind. This time, though, I guess I just didn’t over think it. A lesson I can probably apply in other areas, I guess.

So, periodically it seems prudent for us to first take an inventory of what we want out of life. Not only what we want, but what are we willing to do to get it. Many times if we want something bad enough we somehow find a way to get there. I just need to be intentional about my destination. Although, we do need to make sure that those things we want are worthy and righteous goals to attain. Some things aren’t good righteous goals. And sometimes something we want isn’t necessarily bad, but we may want it for the wrong reasons. So, how do we deal with these?

 

…Let’s go deeper

 

There’s an interesting thing about desires when it comes to our spiritual lives. As believers, we have desires in our hearts and desires in our flesh. It can sometimes be difficult to distinguish the two. Of course, if those desires go against God and His will for our lives we can be sure that they are fleshly or worldly desires. This is what Paul was talking about in Romans. Romans 7:18 says, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but [how] to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Paul, here, was describing a battle between his hearts desires, which are from God, and his fleshly desires, which are sinful and selfish. When we are first born again we have a regenerated spirit. However, our flesh is still worldly and selfish. So, this is the battle we face. We have to make sure our spirit is in charge of our lives.

Apart from that, its earliest viagra sale purchase at appalachianmagazine.com findings were in certain locations in East Africa. On the other hand, without sexual incitement in the body buy cialis generic with changing physical behavior. And if you are able to figure out if there are any long-term effects to extended use of sildenafil canada online. Among many other problems, medical problems in sexual life are busy work schedule, depression, order cheap viagra stress, tension and sex related problems or issues. So, what do we do here? A couple things. Romans 12:2 says, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” It’s important that we are filling our minds daily with things that are good and true. Most importantly, God’s Word should be in our hearts and minds. We have a culture we live in on a daily basis that goes against what is in our hearts to do. So, we have to combat this with the Word.

Another important principle is spelled out in Galatians 5:16, it says: “[This] I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” Being equipped with the Word, we now walk according to our renewed spirit in Christ and we are to be led by the Holy Spirit. See, this is key. Once we’re saved we can have a renewed spirit but still be walking according to the flesh. This is why the Bible instructs us to ‘Walk in the Spirit’. This regenerate heart, then, is to take priority over our flesh. This also involves crucifying the flesh. Paul states this also in Galatians 5:24: “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”

It’s important that our heart trumps our flesh. That we are led by the Holy Spirit in all matters. These things are a learning process, but we can learn them. Just like a baby learns how to walk, we can learn too.

Romans 7:18 says, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but [how] to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”

Romans 12:2 says, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Galatians 5:16, it says: “[This] I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”

Galatians 5:24: “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”

 

It’s easy for us to sometimes wonder if anyone is there for us. Sometimes in the dark times in our lives we can wonder if we matter to anyone. Even with family close by we may sometimes wonder what kind of support system we have outside of that.

I just read a story about a mother in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She was in the line at Walmart buying diapers. However, she learned that they would only match the price of one set of diapers. There were three boxes set aside. An older lady standing further back in the line noticed there was a hold up and walked up to her. She put her hand on her shoulder and said, “Is there a problem?” She learned that she didn’t have enough money to pay for all of them. She said, “You probably need those.” She offered to buy them. The young mother said, “You don’t need to but thank you very much.” The older lady was a former director of the March of Dimes. So, she had a heart for young mothers and their babies. So, she proceeded to buy $120 worth of diapers for the young mother. The mother was overwhelmed. She said, “I couldn’t believe it. I was shocked. I kept saying, “Thank you and God bless you…” Then I walked out in the parking lot and started crying. It just hit me. It was an awesome statement of what God’s love does.”

Well said. I find it encouraging when I read stories like this. It’s not unusual to hear stories of a person or family who are going through a rough time and someone steps in to help them. Many times when a family loses their home to a fire or tornado, we’ll hear about how the entire community stepped in to help them. Or we may hear about a family that is having trouble paying their bills and neighbors offer to help. Often times, these people or families didn’t know how much they mattered or that people cared until they go through a crisis. This can be an overwhelming experience for many of us. It not only makes people thankful. It makes them realize that they have value and worth when a stranger gives out of the kindness of their heart.

Think of this metaphor. Picture yourself walking into your house at night. The lights are off, so you don’t think anyone else is there. However, your family and friends are waiting in the dark to surprise you because it’s your Birthday. So, you turn on the lights, and everyone yells, “Surprise!” Now, were those people not there just because you can’t see them? No, they were just as much there as they were before the lights came on. I think this is often the case when we go through dark times. It’s easy for us to think no one is there for us. We don’t see anyone there, so we don’t feel like anyone cares. Many times, though, we find out that’s not the case.

However, sometimes we often have a need and no one is there to help, or no one knows, or maybe there’s just nothing any person can do. What do we do then? Do we still matter? Does anyone still care?

 

…Let’s go deeper

I can tell you that there is someone else who cares even if there were no one on earth who cared. In Acts 17:27 it says, “That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:” This says here that we should seek the Lord, even though He is not far from any of us. God is often nearer than we think. We may not feel like it because we can’t see Him. But He is there watching and wanting to help us. Even if he doesn’t remove our problem from our lives, he wants to help us walk through it.
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Here’s another similar verse. Psalms 145:18 says, “The LORD [is] nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.” This also tells us that God is near us when we call upon Him with an honest heart. You remember the metaphor about the dark room? I think we can often feel this way in regards to God. This can especially be the case when we are going through hard times. We may be going through all this mess and wonder, “God, where are you?” I find these verses comforting. They let us know He is near us regardless of how we feel or what we see. If we seek Him in our dark times and call out to Him, He will eventually turn on the lights. We may not see Him, but we will see Him work in us or the situation we’re in.

Here’s a good example of God promising His presence and provision. In Genesis 28:15 it says, “And, behold, I [am] with thee, and will keep thee in all [places] whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done [that] which I have spoken to thee of.” This is in Genesis where God makes a promise to Jacob. Jacob dreams a dream and sees a ladder with angels ascending and descending on it. God was standing at the top and spoke these words to Jacob. God assured Him of His presence here. I’m sure these words were a comfort for Jacob in his dark times. Remembering back to the words God spoke to him probably helped him get through things when he might have felt like quitting or wondered if anyone was there.

Acts 17:27 it says, “That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:”

Psalms 145:18 says, “The LORD [is] nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.”

Genesis 28:15 it says, “And, behold, I [am] with thee, and will keep thee in all [places] whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done [that] which I have spoken to thee of.”