Heed Wisdom's Call

God has shown us what is right and good. He has told us how we can navigate this life in a way that we can do well. He has laid before us wisdom and it calls to us that we might heed its instruction. Proverbs 1:32-33 (ESV) tells us,

32 For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them; 33 but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.

Whenever we fail to heed the wisdom and truth of God, we are playing a dangerous game. This happens sometimes because simply reject what God has told us. As the scripture says, like the simple, we turn away. We simply tell God no and go about our life as we please. Other times, we understand what God has said, but we keep putting it off. We never do anything about it. We tell ourselves I will do that next week, when I have more time, or when other things are taken care of first. We, like the fool, become complacent and fail to heed wisdom’s call. The end results of such rejection and complacency are death and destruction.

However, the benefits of heeding God’s wisdom are security, ease, and freedom from fear. Wisdom protects you. You live with a sense of confidence and calm assurance knowing God will take care of you because you are trusting Him. Many have missed the peace, joy, and contentment God has for them because they have neglected wisdom. What about you? Is there a bit of wisdom you have rejected? Are you being complacent and putting off something God has told you to do? No more messing around. Don’t live like the simpleton or the fool. It’s time to heed wisdom’s call.

Be a Person of Purpose

Do you live your life like you have a purpose, or do you just go through the motions? Do you even feel like you have any purpose? Isaiah 14:26-27 tells us that the Lord is a God of purpose, and that when He plans something it will come to pass. God has designed us all for specific purpose in life. John 10:10 states "A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it in abundance." Jesus knew His purpose.

We all need to know and understand we have a purpose in this life or it can lead to feelings of uselessness, worthlessness, and frustration. God wants us to enjoy the life He has given us. He has also called us to produce good fruit, the fruit of the Holy Spirit within us.

We need to know our purpose, and we need to do it "on purpose." We should purposely decide to live our lives in a way that would please God. Such as, loving on purpose. We do not love because we feel like it: we love because we choose to do it. It is a conscience decision we make about how we relate to other people. Giving is also a decision we make on purpose. We do not give only because we feel like it. We give because we know that is what God wants us to do. We give on purpose and for a purpose.

The same is true of being kind and being merciful. We do not do those things because we necessarily always feel like doing them, but because we are called by God to do them. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and goodness are all fruits of the Holy Spirit living in us when we accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior. We need to purposely decide to release those fruits to others so that they may be blessed, and God be glorified.

Our flesh is not always going to agree with us to do these things, but we must choose to love on purpose, give on purpose, and stay at peace on purpose. Everything we do for others, and in life needs to be done on purpose. God can help us all become a person of purpose if we just ask Him.

Fulfillment in God

Since I am a golfer and have been a sports fan my whole life, this is a slant on trying to be fulfilled through a sport or anything else that we are interested in. I was thinking if I could just shoot par golf I would be satisfied. However, after shooting par, I was thinking maybe I could shoot five under par. I did that, but I wasn’t fulfilled or satisfied. We can never reach perfection or attain a level that we can’t improve on. There is nothing wrong with competing or trying to improve on something as long as we don’t become obsessed with it. We can only find fulfillment in God and not in a sport, hobby, or job.

13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.” -John 4:13-14

4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: 6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. 7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; -Psalm 37:4-7a

To delight in the Lord means to gain joy from Him and seek happiness in Him. Intentional effort must be put forth in taking delight in Him. It is a conscious decision and heart posture. It is important to ask ourselves, “To whom or what are we looking to in order to gain happiness or fulfillment?”

We must eagerly desire to gain all fulfillment in Him, fixing our eyes and posturing our hearts towards Him. We will truly delight in Him when we truly know Him.

God has made each of us with a bigger thirst than anything the world can fill. He is the only one who can satisfy us. So, enjoy golf or whatever sport, hobby, or activity and within reason try to be the best you can be, but in the end, let it go and keep it an enjoyable game. These activities are all good, but they are a terrible god. We have to be careful not to let our recreational activities become our god. God is perfectly good and the only one who can fulfill us.

Heavenly Father, I am thankful for the incredible life you have given me. Help me to never let the blessings in my life become distractions from what is important and that is You, my God and my Father. Amen.

What Does God Require?

Have you ever asked the question "What does God require from me?" Thinking about that answer can sometimes feel overwhelming. There are so many things that we "think" God requires from us such as, doing a lot of church work, doing a certain number of "good deeds", extreme sacrifices in our lives, always doing everything perfect, spending lengthy hours in meditation, or reading our bible from Genesis to Revelation every year. With that kind of a list we can definitely feel overwhelmed. What if our idea of what God requires from us, and His requirements of us are not the same lengthy list at all, but just 3 things? Micah 6:8 specifically tells what God requires from us:

"He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you except to be just, and to love and diligently practice kindness and compassion, and to walk humbly with your God, setting aside any sense of self-importance or self-righteousness.”

God is just, which means He is always fair, and He works to make wrong things right. We should treat people justly and work to see justice is done in their lives. Many people have been terribly mistreated and abused. As God's representatives we have the opportunity to tell them of what Jesus Christ died to give them, life, everlasting life. We can help to restore them to the knowledge of God and His love for them, as well as bring aid and help to them in their current situation.

God is also merciful and kind, so therefore we should be merciful and kind toward others. The world pressures people to be and act perfectly that is the opposite of what God does. God loves and accepts. Romans 2:4 states that "it is the kindness of God, not the judgement of God, that leads people to repentance". Our job is to not be fault finders, but to give mercy and compassion to others, just as God showed us mercy and compassion.

Finally, we are to walk in humility with God. We all know how it feels for someone to look down on us as if we just don't quite measure up. The attitude of our heart and mind towards others and ourselves should always be focused on humility. The bible states that "everyone has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God"; therefore no one is above anyone else. A disrespectful attitude and harsh behavior towards others are what results from lack of humility in our walk with God. It also causes hurt feelings and anger between us and other people.

We should all strive to give God what He truly requires, which is to act justly towards each other, love kindness, and walk humbly with Him. Amen