I recently was reading some of the Proverbs and noticed many referred to “be wise”.

Proverbs 8:33 (NLT) “Listen to my instruction and be wise. Don’t ignore it.”

Proverbs 19:20 (NLT) “Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the reset of your life.”

Proverbs 23:19 (NLT) “My child, listen and be wise: Keep your heart on the right course.”

As Christians, the wisdom that we need has three distinct characteristics:

1. It is practical – wisdom from God relates to life even during the most trying times and if you follow it, this wisdom can be the tool by which difficult trials can be overcome.

2. It is divine – God’s wisdom is “pure; then peace-loving”. If you allow it, this wisdom leads to living by God’s direction.

3. It is Christlike – the Bible identifies Christ as the “wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24), meaning asking for wisdom is ultimately asking to become more like Christ.

James 1:5 (NIV) “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”

By wisdom, James is talking not only about knowledge, but about the ability to make wise decisions in difficult circumstances. Whenever we need wisdom, we can pray to God, and He will generously supply what we need.

Over the last year I have experienced so much of the beauty of God’s creation. This morning I heard His soft drizzle; last night it was His majestic sunset; I have seen His
natural bridge in Kentucky all the way to His Indian Ocean in South Africa. But, soon and very soon, I will step into the ocean of heaven. I will open my eyes and look into the majestic face of God. And I will listen and hear the praise of His angelic choir.

But all this is conditional on how I live my life from today. So, friend, our most important day on earth will be our last day.

On that final day we will feel His tender touch as He wipes away every tear from our eyes and we realize we will never attend another funeral (Rev.21:4). Death, mourning, crying, and pain will be in the rear-view mirror – even as our own funeral on earth is being conducted.

Oh my, what glory that will be!

As Charles Gabriel wrote: When all my labors and trials are o’er and I am safe on that beautiful shore, just to be near the dear Lord I adore will thru the ages be glory for me.

Philippians 3:13-14: Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 

Pre-existing conditions.  We all have them.  Situations we were born into, things we were born with, habits and tendencies that we developed over time, and decisions we have made in the past that stick with us.  Sometimes those are good things that still have a positive effect and sometimes it feels like we are always struggling and climbing uphill.

We may often think ‘we are the way we are’ and there is little we can do to change; that we are just victims of the past.  But that is just not the case.  We make decisions every day that affect our future self.  “Line upon line, precept upon precept” (Isaiah 28:10) we continue to shape who we are and who we can become.  The difference between who we are now and who we were five years ago is largely due to the choices we have made; how we spent our time, the people we have surrounded ourselves with, the places we have chosen to go, etc. So, where will be five years from now?

The Apostle Paul said, “forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on ….” Phil 3:13.  We press on.  Each day we can do a little more.  Practice a little more patience, show more compassion, be a little more generous, gain a little more insight, grow a little closer to God.  We press on to make it our own, because Christ Jesus has made us his own (Phil 3:12).

· On Tuesday I saw three daughters say goodbye to their only surviving parent.

· Yesterday I counseled those struggling with suicide, depression, anxiety, and divorce.

· And this morning I read of an old school friend losing his 19-year-old to suicide.

My old school friend says that there were no warning signs to his straight A, son’s suicide. All he can come up with was the extra stress and confusion surrounding COVID-19.

It would be good for all to realize that our loved ones, whether they say anything or not, are struggling. Pay attention to anything that points to them wanting to die, hating their lives, feeling trapped or hopeless, having no purpose, being a burden to others, increasing use of alcohol, acting more anxious, agitated or more reckless than usual, a change in sleeping patterns, feeling isolated, showing rage or revenge or displaying extreme mood swings.

Here are two tools:

• Q, P, R: Question. Persuade. Refer.

• The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255

2 Corinthians 4:16–18 (ESV) — ¹⁶ So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, ¹⁸ as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. -Matthew 5:3

During the Wednesday evening Bible class last week, we talked about the account of Jesus healing the paralyzed man whose friends lowered him through a hole in the roof to get past the crowd that barred their approach to Jesus.  I became fixated on the crowd of religious people who refused to give way to this man who so clearly needed to get to Jesus.  I imagine the friends who brought the man pleading with those at the back of the crowd to let them get closer to Jesus.  Thankfully, the friends didn’t let the story end there.

It seems that the crowd had failed to hear Jesus’ most foundational teaching, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”  They were unwilling to set aside their own comfort and enjoyment to help one who needed Jesus.  They were not looking at the situation with spiritual eyes.

In our time, Christians sometimes form a crowd around Jesus that blocks those in need from receiving Christ’s healing.  We might do it through projecting an image of self-righteousness that causes a sinner to believe he could never measure up.  We might do it as we judge that a person would never be interested in Jesus before we even talk about Him.  We might even do it by the strength of our bonds of fellowship with other Christians that don’t leave room for new relationships to form and grow.

Let’s be like the friends in the story who did whatever it took to bring a sick man to Jesus.  Let’s never be part of a crowd that blocks the way to Jesus.

We have a lot of name calling and condescending disrespect going on. Maybe you are the one who is intellectually superior to everyone else. Or maybe you are the one being treated like the “village idiot”.

Whenever we start to focus on the world, we become pawns in Satan’s arsenal. Matthew 5:22 (ESV) — 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

Instead we need to be like the blind man who heard Jesus was coming to his town – Jericho. So, even though he had just heard the rumor of the itinerary of the itinerant Rabbi, he made his way from his begging corner to the path the Christ would cross. His town was like our Las Vegas – fat with wealth. It was driven by greed and not grace – by money and not mercy. But for too many years the blind man had let circumstances determine his supper. Now, he was going to step up and do something.

Luke 18:35–43 (ESV) — 35 As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 38 And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” 42 And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.” 43 And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

Friend, are you the belligerent slogan flinging social media advocate or are you the blind man shouting, “Son of David, have mercy on me”?

In his sermon on Sunday morning, Neville talked about the “choices” we make as Christians. In the song “The Redeemer” by Sanctus Real, the artists sing about the struggle with choices.

Sometimes I just want to start over
‘Cause everything looks like a wreck
And I need the courage to carry on
‘Cause I can’t see what’s ahead

And there are places I’ve wished I could be
Battles I’ve wanted to win
Dreams that have slipped through my hands
I may never get back again

But I’m still a dreamer, a believer
Oh, I’ve lost my faith in so many things
But I still believe in You
‘Cause You can make anything new

Sometimes I just wish we could say
All the things that are easy to hear
Ignore the injustice we see
And explain every unanswered prayer

But I’d rather speak honestly
And wear a tattered heart on my sleeve
‘Cause in the middle of my broken dreams
Redemption is here

And I’m still a dreamer, a believer
Oh, I lost my faith in so many things
But I still believe in You
‘Cause You are the answer, the Redeemer
Oh, I’ve given up on too many things
But I’m not giving up on You
‘Cause You can make anything new

I don’t have every answer in life
But I’m trusting You one day at a time
‘Cause You can make a weak heart stay alive
Forever

This is where heaven and earth collide
I lift my hands and I give my life
This is how my weary heart stays alive

Oh, I’m still a dreamer, still a believer
And You are the answer, the Redeemer
‘Cause You can make anything new
Yeah, You can make anything new

Throughout the song the artists express their choices to “still believe in You”, “not giving up on You”, and “trusting You one day at a time” even when things have not gone as planned.

Ephesians 1:7

“⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace…”

As Christians, we need to remind ourselves daily of the choice Christ made to redeem us. Through His death, Jesus paid the price to redeem us from death due to sin. We cannot earn salvation, nor do we deserve it, because it comes from God’s grace and unfailing love.

To receive it, we must acknowledge that Jesus is the answer, the Redeemer and that our only way to receive this loving favor is by making the choice to believe and be baptized into Him and to start “Trusting Him one day at a time”.

Meaningless matters. It is during times of crises or severe mental anguish that people question the purpose of life. It was during these times that wealthy and wise King Solomon said life was meaningless (futile, useless, senseless) – like trying to catch or capture the wind, (Ecclesiastes 2:17).

Ultimately, without God, life will always be meaningless. Proverbs 19:21 (ESV) — 21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.

For our lives to feel complete or whole requires three parts to come together: sense, sights, and significance.

Sense: Does your life make sense? Three times Paul asked God to remove the one thing that did not make sense. However, he found a sense of coherence, or completeness in God’s grace. The thorn in his flesh was designed to bring him back in line by removing conceit, (2 Cor 12:6–10).

Sights: What do you have your sights set on? A life without purpose is pathetic. Like David, we were designed to fulfill God’s purpose in our generation (Acts 13:36). This is because “you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9, ESV).

Significance: Is your life meaningful?

Friend, when you allow God’s discipline to realign you, and His purpose is once again your purpose, then you will be living a life of significance.