Who's your daddy; knowing God as Abba Father: June 2011

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Where does “wisdom” begin?

"We thought, because we had power, we had wisdom" (Stephen Vincent Benet). "The beginning of wisdom is to desire it" (Gabriol). "The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names" (Adam Hammond)

Wisdom, from our human understanding, often equals hindsight. Wisdom rarely is the first thing we pray for but always the thing we need. Wisdom is priceless, timeless and unbiased. However, the beginning of wisdom is the turning point in our lives; without it we simply run in circles looking for answers that seemingly elude us and keep our dreams and desires at bay.

"But wisdom is shown to be right by what results from it." (Matthew 11:19)

Jesus' life was the ultimate example of living a life birthed in wisdom. Daily, Jesus sought God for direction, spent time in the word of God and obeyed God's calling upon His life. Even Jesus, who was both God and yet a simple man, knew that wisdom wasn't a given but a lifestyle of devotion and obedience, resulting in what was right.

Thought to live by: The beginning of wisdom comes from fearing that we haven't asked God for the answer.

Friday, June 3, 2011

The two sides of “entitlement”

"An Albuquerque man was sentenced to prison Wednesday after he asked to repay his investment scam victims through poker tournament winnings, but failed to find luck at the card table." (Albuquerque, AP, April 8, 2011). It's hard to imagine such stupidity exists along with the sense of entitlement that goes with it. Not only did this scam artist rob innocent people of their hard earned money, he attempted to take a short cut in returning it. Fortunately, the judge said "no" to his suggestions and sent him on his way to prison.

"Lord, you have poured out amazing blessings on your land! You have restored the fortunes of Israel. You have forgiven the guilt of your people; yes, you have covered all their sins." Psalm 85:1

What life hands us will never seem quite fair if we look at it from our point of view. The innocent victims of a scam artist not only lose their fortunes they lose their faith in mankind. But God, who is the only One we can ever fully trust, steps in on our behalf (much like a judge) and finds a way to restore us even if it doesn't appear to be what we expected or thought we would be "entitled" to.

Thought to live by: Entitlement isn't always something we deserve but what God bestows upon us even when we don't expect it.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

You've got mail!

There’s hundreds of email service providers on the internet but only one stick’s out in most of our minds when you hear the familiar words, “You’ve got mail!” Just the sound of these three words tells us that someone is trying to “speak” to us, hopefully, with a message we need to hear.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6).

When God speaks to us, audibly, internally or through supernatural occurrences, we have the option of listening or turning away. Whether or not we act upon God’s calling is always up to us. But the one thing we can rely upon is this; God will speak to us through whatever manner He chooses. It’s up to us to open the “mail” He sends our way and read it if we’re to walk with Him, today.

Thought to live by: God speaks to those who listen.