Wisdom From Above

 Prov. 3:18
She (wisdom) is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are those who hold on to her.
To be truly wise, one must know wisdom. The Bible speaks of the wisdom of this world, and the wisdom from above. They are not the same. The wisdom of this world is grounded in humanity, and the welfare and the success of man. Choices that gain riches and material gain for this life. What is expedient and advantageous. Jesus talks about building your life on a firm foundation. The person who has wisdom will build it on a solid rock, a foolish person will build it on the sand (wisdom of this world). The wisdom from above is life from God. It is focused on doing what is right and not what is expedient. Following the wisdom of God will many times go contrary to the thinking of the world, it is wisdom that will lead to eternal life. Wisdom from God is to have Christ the center of life choices. For in Him we have life and have it more abundantly, it is finding happiness and fulfillment in Him, something the wisdom of this world cannot give. 
“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts on them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”- Matt 7:24

The Arm of Flesh

 Isaiah 41:13

For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand, Who says to you, “do not fear, I will help you.”

Ten percent of the world is known to be left handed, therefore the left hand is the weaker hand for most of the world. In our need of help, God removes our dependence on our human strength to show us our need for Him. Too often we depend on the arm of the flesh to carry us through. Human endurance is great and is capable of many feats, but in the end, we need Him to make it through the hard times in life. He wants to help us when we are going through difficult times and we are struggling with the human cares of life. There are many things in this world that the devil wants us to fear. The fear of Covid has the world in a pandemic of fear. Covid is real and many have succumbed to this deadly virus, but God is greater than any virus, and we can trust Him that He has this virus under His control. We need not fear if we know the Savior. Our lives are in hand. “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain”. Phil 1:21

Be Not Afraid

 Luke 2:10
 …“Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people…”
Being afraid is a natural instinct of humanity. Fear is an emotion that kicks in when we sense danger. We are not safe and there is a possibility that we are in harm's way. I have seen inscriptions on hats and T-shirts with the words “Fearless”. The message implies that they are not afraid of anything. The reality is that we have an element of fear that God puts in us. The shepherds in the field were not chastised for their fear. Who would not be afraid if angels all of a sudden appeared all around you and a supernatural light glowed all around them. The comfort comes when we are assured that God is in control and putting our trust in Him means that we do not have to fear. When God says, “do not fear”, we can believe that He knows where we are and what we are going through. We no longer have to hold on to our insecurities and fear the unknown. We can let go and rest in the knowledge that God is good and has our back. 

Cheerful Giver

 2 Corinth 9:7
Each one must do just as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver
Giving money is not the only way to be a giver, but money allows us to purchase the essential needs of survival. Providing for the needs of those who are in need of food and shelter is grounded in scripture.  Giving to the ministry of spreading the Gospel of Christ is also foundational to the support of God’s work. Giving to the work of God was established in the Old Testament when God required the people of Israel to give a tenth of their income. This was written in OT law, but Christ changed the heart of man, putting within each believer a new law,  the desire to give. We are not giving because God is holding a stick over our head and requires us to empty our pockets, but He tenderly touches our heart, showing us that He gave His indescribable gift to us in Christ. Putting in our heart a thanksgiving spirit to give and sacrifice our wants and desires to help others, and to further the Kingdom of God. Are you a cheerful giver, or do you give out of obligation and duty? Blessed are those who give out of love and not duty

Light of Life

 Dec. 4th, 2021
John 8:12
Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
A light shining in darkness will dispel fear of the unknown. The light may not always reveal what is hiding behind the shadows, but if one stays close to the light, the light will shine a pathway to its destination. We live in a world that is full of darkness, Satan has blinded the eyes of many and has deceived them from seeing the true light. He has deceived others to think, that which is good is evil, and that which is evil is good. Following Jesus, is to follow His teachings and life. Jesus never condoned sin (The life of darkness) but he came to shine the light of God on sin so that others may see their sinfulness and start to walk toward the light of God’s love. It is not good enough to just stop committing sin, to have real life is to have Christ be the light within you. He is the Light of Life, follow the light.