Jeremiah 8:8-9

How can you say, 'We are wise, And the law of the LORD is with us'? But behold, the lying pen of the scribes Has made it into a lie. The wise men are put to shame, They are dismayed and caught; Behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD, And what kind of wisdom do they have?

Have you ever watched a horror movie and found yourself shouting at the actor "Don't go in there! What are you thinking?!?" There is something within us that cries out when we see someone rejecting the "obvious wisdom" for the situation they are in. Usually they do this because there is some other form of wisdom in their hearts that makes them feel more comfortable, though it is clearly wrong to an outsider. They reject the obvious for the comfortable, and that usually ends in the movies with that person dying. Luckly, in life, that isn't always the case, or most of us would be dead now. What is even worse than this, though, is when someone in a position of power leads others to do this through purposely not sharing the truth. God isn't pleased with this at all. This is what the scribes, or the sole group of people charged with copying God's Word, were doing. They knew the Word and were in it all day, every day, and yet they did not tell the truth to the people who sought them for answers. God was not pleased, to say the least. We too need to be careful that we don't seek to change, lighten, or manipulate the Word of God to make it "easier" on people to receive God. While it might lead people to Christ, it won't please God and will make it harder for that person in the future when they realize the truth. Don't worry about making the Gospel more appealing or easier to accept. It is what it is and doesn't need any changing. Simply share it as it is and let God do the work. Be faithful to share the whole truth and watch God work.

Job 28:12-13, 23, 28

But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man does not know its value, Nor is it found in the land of the living... God understands its way, And He knows its place... And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.'

The world around us is filled with information. In our generation, there has never been more information available to the average man, and yet we are no wiser then those of the past. Wisdom is not simply having information about something, that is knowledge. Wisdom means using the information you have in a useful and powerful way. In that regard, we are truly no better then any other generation as many still do not understand how to apply the things they know in a good way. True wisdom begins with understanding that 1) there is a God, 2) we are not it, 3) we should listen to the One who is God. That is why God says the beginning of wisdom is to fear the Lord. This is not a natural thought though, since it is not a part of the "natural" world. Many Christians even shrink back from the idea of fearing the Lord, thinking that because God is love, there should be no fear in our hearts towards Him. We need to understand that God is mighty, awesome, and just! This shouldn't make us afraid as in a horror movie, but it should make us respect and honor that power and authority as it deserves. This is what it means to fear God; allow Him His proper place in our lives. When we do that, then everything else can come into focus and wisdom can begin to build up in our lives. If you don't fear the Lord in this way, then I pray you would begin today. You will see a change in your life that will truly make you wise for eternity, not just for a time.

Psalm 39:4-5

LORD, make me to know my end And what is the extent of my days; Let me know how transient I am. Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my lifetime as nothing in Your sight; Surely every man at his best is a mere breath. Selah.

Do you realize how short our time is on this earth? One person, when asked what his greatest fear was, responded "I'm not afraid of hell, but of wasting my life." If we are lucky, we spend 80 years on this planet. In that time, we experience less than 1% of the world's history! We can accomplish things in this limited time, but many of those things will simply pass away into dust and air. Even the work we do today is quickly replaced with more work and more things to do. With this in mind, we can become like Solomon and think that "all is vanity." However, not all is vanity. Some things we do in this life have eternal meaning. These are the things that make those 80 (more or less) years worth it. So, the question before us is then, in light of the transience of our life, what, if anything, are we doing that really matters? If the answer is nothing, then start, today, to seek the Lord to see how you can make your life matter eternally.

1 Sam 16:18

Then one of the young men said, "Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is a skillful musician, a mighty man of valor, a warrior, one prudent in speech, and a handsome man; and the LORD is with him."

This verse describes King David as many people know him; powerful, wise, skillful, and a servant of the Lord. However, this description is given of him before he is ever recognized as anything other then the 7th son of Jesse who shepherds the sheep. He had not yet killed Goliath, he had not yet led the armies of the Lord into battle, he had not yet become known as the sweet psalmist of Israel. Despite this, he already had cultivated a life fit for those achievements. Most people who are used by God in a mighty way are developed long before they are used. David had the choice to be lazy, or work. He had the choice to waste his free time, or use it to worship the Lord. He had the choice to run when he was scared, or stand and fight. Because he consistently chose, day by day, to be brave, strong, hard-working, and close to the Lord, his life produced a lot of powerful fruit in this area. What are you cultivating in your life today? If you want to see powerful fruit, then seek the Lord, be diligent, and wait for His perfect timing.

Exodus 3:19-20

"But I know that the king of Egypt will not permit you to go, except under compulsion. So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My miracles which I shall do in the midst of it; and after that he will let you go."

The Israelites were hard pressed and persecuted. They were worked very hard and treated very badly, and in this state they cried out to the Lord for deliverance. Then Moses came... and things got worse! God sent them the person who would deliver them and the Israelites began to complain about him also! Why? Because they said "he made things worse before he made them better." Did he though? In reality, it was the hardness of the Pharaoh's heart that made things harder, not Moses. Moses was simply God's catalyst to bring about the change they were praying for. However, to bring about that change, God had to change something in Pharaoh's heart, and to do this He had to allow a little more suffering into the lives of the Israelites. When we are in a situation where it is bad, we pray, and it seems to get worse, we need to cling to the fact that God promises not to abandon us. It might be that our suffering is God's way of reaching out to someone else, teaching someone else, or forming someone else into the person they need to be to accomplish His will. Don't loose hope and don't blame those God sends into your life. Rather, praise God that He has heard your prayers and wait in expectation, no matter how bad it might get.

1 Corinthians 11:17-18, 22

But in giving this instruction, I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse. For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that divisions exist among you; and in part I believe it... What! Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I will not praise you. NASB

The Corinthian church had a major problem; they had formed groups within the church that saw themselves as better then other groups. This was causing problems and people began to see the church time not as a time of growing closer to God and each other, but an opportunity to get back at the other groups and demonstrate that their group was better then the others. It had become a brutal display of selfishness and lack of self control. This is a horrible condemnation against them, that Paul himself says their meetings cause more harm then good! When anyone in a church sees themselves as better then the others, division happens, and this leads to selfishness and self indulgence. Beware of this in your own life and don't allow yourself to fall into the same condemnation as the Corinthian church. Remember that Jesus said about the greatest among us should be the servant of all and that we in the church should not lord our positions over each other, but love one another by submitting to one another and serving in love. Be an example of the grace and love of Jesus, not the selfishness and evil of the world.

Mark 6:35-37

When it was already quite late, (Jesus') disciples came to Him and said, "This place is desolate and it is already quite late; send (the crowds) away so that they may go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat." But He answered them, "You give them something to eat!" And they said to Him, "Shall we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread and give them something to eat?" NASB

The crowds had come to seek Jesus, just as they always did. After Jesus ministered to the people for a long time, the disciples saw a problem develop and got worried. They brought this to Jesus' attention and He told them to help the people solve the problem so they could continue to seek Him. However, the disciples first response was a logical, but selfish one; where could they possibly find the resources for that? The response Jesus was looking for was one of faith and trust, one that desired to enable the people to see Jesus more; Tell us how we can do this Lord! At first glance, there isn't much of a difference between the two statements, but one is really saying "we can't do that" and the other is really saying "I don't see how we can do that, but show us." One expresses a lack of trust in the Lord and a desire to remain comfortable, the other, a desire to see God work, no matter the cost. What is your response when God challenges you to do something beyond your understanding? Pray that you can be more like the disciples should have been and ask God to show you how. Then, you will see God work and know that you didn't fail to trust in the Lord to do it.