We live in an age where vast amounts of knowledge on most subjects can be readily accessed from the internet. Printed encyclopedias and dictionaries are becoming the dinosaurs of a bygone age to the younger generations. The internet is a wonderful source of information, but do not trust in it ultimately. God’s word, the Bible, is timeless and eternal, higher than earthly wisdom, the wisdom of men.
What is wisdom? You cannot learn wisdom by researching and memorising information. Wisdom is knowing how to apply information. The apostle, Paul, had much to say regarding the wisdom of men, (earthly wisdom), as opposed to heavenly wisdom, sourced from above. He declared, 1 Corinthians 2: 4-5 “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God”.
The Lord Jesus Christ should be our source of godly wisdom. 1 Corinthians 1:30 “But of him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification and redemption”. Wisdom does not operate without information, but the question is: “Where did you get your information from?” God, a heart out of order (allowing emotions, feelings, fear to dictate), or the devil? This was God’s question to Adam in Genesis 3:11, “……who told you……?”. Where did he get his information from? The devil! What a lesson for us to learn from. It is so important to operate in our God-given portion of the wisdom of Christ. Earthly wisdom will always oppose it, man’s wisdom scoffs at it, but God vindicates and protects that which belongs to Him, whose foundation and source is of, and in, His Son.
Proverbs 9:8-10 “…..Rebuke a wise man and he will love you……give instruction to a wise man and he will be yet wiser…..The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”. The fear of the Lord is the only healthy fear to embrace, built on the understanding of who He is and His righteous character.
God’s word plainly depicts the opposition of men’s wisdom to God’s. 1 Corinthians 1:19 “For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
20 Where is the wise….where is the disputer of this world? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
23 But we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block, to the Greeks foolishness.
24 But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For you see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.
27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise,……the weak to confound the things which are mighty.
28 And base things of the world , and things which are despised, has God chosen, yes, and things which are not, to bring to nothing things that are:
29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.
30 But of him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption.
31 That, according as it is written, he that glories, let him glory in the Lord”.
God does not need our earthly wisdom…..but He can do without our ignorance! Let us apply our hearts in humility to “learn of Him”, (Matthew 11:28-30), the Lord Jesus, our source of all wisdom. After entering into salvation the learning begins and continues until I am called to my heavenly home. I am a new creation in Christ. Now the school of life has become the school of the Spirit where my old fleshly identity must die, that Christ may live in me. As I die, He lives! Jesus is my identity now, not some position or attainment. Do I know who I am in Christ? What a wealth of His riches is at my disposal if I walk in humility with Him guiding me. “Nevertheless, not my will, but Thine be done” must be my daily portion with a glad Amen! I cannot do the will of God miserably, for Christ’s joy and peace are the hallmarks of His presence for daily living. All of my ambitions for self glory and recognition of men must be surrendered, if I desire for Christ to be my identity in the fullness of the birthright made available through Calvary. What a foolishness to hang on to the right to myself and my ideas at the expense of never attaining to the fullness of my inheritance. Why be a pauper when I can experience the wealth of Christ’s kingdom? Christ’s kingdom, and ours, is not of this world, but of the eternal. Jesus declared that He was in the world but not of it. So it must be for us, too. When the Holy Spirit shines His searching light on an attitude, item, relationship etc……that He knows is detrimental to our walk with the Lord, He requires us to choose surrender of it. As I make the right choice, the Holy Spirit comes alongside of that choice and enables me to access resurrection power and the life of Christ to go through with the commitment. Christ enables, Christ fulfils, His is all the glory…Christ in me, the hope of glory!
It is time to embrace godly wisdom and WISE UP!
THE LOSS OF MY IDENTITY CREATES THE LIVING CHRIST IN ME!
Paul declared “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ……I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things , and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ. And be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death……forgetting those things which are behind……I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus”. Philippians 3: 7-14
