Where to find the knowledge you need

Pr. 18:15:  “The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.”

Have you ever felt like you were missing something?  I feel that way right now.  I seems like there must be some piece of knowledge that God is trying to reveal to me, but somehow I’m just not getting it.  (My dad always did say I was stubborn)

This morning I asked God to reveal something more of Himself to me.  I asked Him to help me understand what it is He is trying to tell me.  I know my prayer is not in vain because I read in Col. 2:2-3 that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in the Father and in Christ.  I like that!

I’m also reminded again that James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”  As long as I’m looking in the right place, the wisdom that I need will be revealed liberally from the treasures of my Father and His Son.  For these things I am so thankful!

If you need wisdom and knowledge now, join me.  Let’s ask the Ones who hold the treasures.

Seeking to acquire His wisdom,

jamie

 

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Prudently receiving instruction

Pr. 15:5:  “A fool despises his father’s instruction, but he who receives correction is prudent.”

Peter once had a remarkable vision of instruction from the Lord.

Meet another man:  a Gentile named Cornelius, a devout man who feared God with all his household, giving generously and praying to God always.  In a vision, he was told that His prayers and alms had come up for a memorial before God, and that a man named Peter would come and tell him what to do.

In His vision, the Lord revealed to Peter that no man is common or unclean, and that God shows no partiality.  This was a life-changing revelation!  When Peter preached to Cornelius’ household, the Holy Spirit fell upon the household.  The Gentiles not only spoke in tongues and magnified God through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but they were baptized with water, as well.

Because Peter received the correction of his Father, this was a major shift in the church and in the meaning of the Great Commission.

Peter certainly had a choice.  He could have ignored the correction and refused to go to Cornelius.  Upon arriving at Cornelius’ house, he even reminded Cornelius that it was unlawful for him to be there.  He went on; however, explaining that God had given him new instructions.  Peter prudently followed the instructions of the Lord and our lives have never been the same.

Also worth noting…Cornelius was following the instructions of the Lord long before this happened, this fact went up as a memorial before the Lord, and his life was forever changed.  God’s instructions are always for good.  Perhaps they are for our own good, as in the case of Cornelius.  Perhaps they are for the good of others, as we see with Peter’s instructions.  Regardless, He knows best.

The Lord humbles Himself to behold the things that are in the heavens and in the earth.  (Ps. 113:6)  It is prudent for us to follow His lead.

Listening,

jamie

Hide yourself

Pr. 27:12:  “A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself; the simple pass on and are punished.”

Prudent:  careful, cautious, discreet, sober.  the ability to govern & discipline oneself by the use of reason.  acting with or showing care & thought for the future.

Understanding that Jesus came to save us from eternal death and torment, (Thank you, Pastor) it is wise for us to hide ourselves from evil.  You may think of evil as some hidden force around us, over which we have no control.  However, there are many evils that we can foresee and from which we can hide ourselves.

We understand that drugs are an evil that can eventually rule us, therefore it is prudent to keep ourselves away from those who would persuade us that doing drugs is no big deal, from those who would like to make money by selling us drugs, and from situations where drugs are readily available and given a place of prominence.

Likewise, we understand that committing adultery or having sex before we are married are things that can be prevented.  Foreseeing the evil, we can take measures to prevent ourselves from creating the opportunity for such things.  Instead of thinking “simply” and allowing ourselves to be alone with someone we’re attracted to, allowing ourselves to have private conversations with someone other than our spouse, or allowing ourselves to push the bounds with someone physically, we can prudently place boundaries around us to prevent those situations.

Not only do we have authority over evil, through Jesus, but God gives us much wisdom.  We are not at the mercy of satan or the evil that is around us.  We are able to perceive evil situations and prevent ourselves from being overtaken by them.  By placing wise boundaries in our lives, carefully and cautiously governing ourselves, or acting with thought for the future, we can hide ourselves from the evil that would seek to lead us to ultimate punishment.

Perhaps you need to end a relationship, find a new job, take a different route to the gym, join a new gym, shop at another store, find a whole new set of friends, or find accountability partners.  Whatever you have to do to hide yourself from evil…do it!  Don’t be simple and continue “flirting” with the evil situations that loom around you.  Don’t think that you just need to be stronger.  With your future in mind, hide yourself, remove yourself, protect yourself.

We cannot allow satan to distract us or lead us down paths that will lead to the punishment from which Jesus saves.  Our God died so that we can live.  Be prudent.  Be cautious.  Be careful.  With our minds on our future…meaning eternal life…we must keep ourselves from evil.  Our salvation was bought at a high price, let’s not treat it as something worthless.

Soberly,

jamie

Prudent or simple?

Pr. 22:3:  “A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished.”

When I think of simple, I am reminded of sheep.  They’re depth perception is poor.  In order to check something out, they get very close to it to see the details.  Here’s an excerpt from a book I’m currently reading:

“One never could completely relax with a flock of sheep.  A lamb might escape the pasture and get lost, drown in the swiftly flowing creek, become entangled in the blackberry briars, or wander into the road.  Then there was the possibility of a hungry predator selecting one of her beloved creatures for his evening meal.”

It reminds me of us with sin.  Instead of just steering clear of sin and hiding ourselves, we let our guard down or get curious.  We get close, examine all the options, and check out the details.  Once we’re that close we are in danger of getting lost, being completely caught in the current of or drowning in sin, or entangled in thorns and snares.

Boundaries are for the prudent.  foreseeing all the evil and temptations in this world, we must have boundaries to keep us safe.  There are boundaries in our wedding vows, in the Word of God, in the laws of the land, and in our families.  If we still choose to pass on, danger and punishment will be waiting on the other side.

We also know that when we wander off alone, we are much easier prey for a hungry predator.  Satan will stop at nothing to devour us and rob us of our God-given salvation.  Let us not be simple any longer, but to prudently stay within the boundaries that protect us.  Not only that, but let’s stay safely away from the boundary lines and not go looking at the details of the evil around us.  No reason to get that close.

Let’s stay safe with our good Shepherd, Jesus, who knows us all and gave His life for us.  In His presence we will have life everlasting.

Known by my Shepherd,

jamie

excerpt from:  Ellis, Mary. (2009).  A Widow’s Hope. Eugene Oregon:  Harvest House Publishers