Wisdom cries aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the markets.
- Proverbs 1:20
God wants us to use wisdom, and according to today's scripture, wisdom is not difficult to obtain; the Holy Spirit wants to reveal it to us; we simply need to pay attention. For example, have you ever needed to make a decision and had your "head" (your intellectual abilities) try to lead you one way while your heart is leading you another? Have you ever had a situation in which your natural thoughts and feelings seemed to be guiding you in one direction, but something inside of you kept nagging you to go another direction?
Chances are, wisdom is crying out to you. One way to love yourself is to listen to it and obey. Many times, it cries out in your heart that you should or should not do a certain thing—you should eat healthily, you should be kind to other people, you should not spend money you do not have. These are all practical examples of using wisdom in everyday life. When you sense such leadings, the Holy Spirit, who speaks to your heart, is trying to help you make a wise decision, even though it may not be the choice you want to make or it may not seem to make sense in your present circumstances.
The Spirit wars against our flesh, and vice versa (see Gal. 5:17). When we know the wise choice and don't make it, the reason is often that we are allowing our flesh to lead us and to see if we can get away with unwise decisions—which are also known as "foolishness." The flesh leads us to foolishness, but God wants us to walk in wisdom and make choices now that we will be happy with later.
Love Yourself Today What is wisdom saying to you today? Are you willing to follow it?
Nothing but Jesus
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.”
Luke 18:22–23
In 1859 Charles Blondin became an international sensation when he made the first of what would eventually be more than three hundred crossings above Niagara Falls on a tightrope. When people became accustomed to his feat, Blondin began adding even more difficulty by carrying various objects, including a camera to take pictures and a stove on which he cooked an omelet which he then lowered to passengers on a ship below. Perhaps nothing matched his feat of carrying his manager Harry Colcord across the falls on his back.
Blondin, who stood only five feet five inches tall and weighed just 140 pounds, carefully balanced the man in place and said, “Look up, Harry…you are no longer Colcord, you are Blondin. Until I clear this place be a part of me—mind, body, and soul. If I sway, sway with me. Do not attempt to do any balancing yourself. If you do we will both go to our death.” The two men successfully made their way to safety across the roaring falls below because Colcord completely trusted Blondin.
The Christian life is not about us—it is all about Jesus. Paul wrote, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). The selfish pride that tempts us to rely on our own strength and resources robs us of what Jesus provides when we yield ourselves fully to Him. Nothing can be allowed to come between the Lord and us.
Luke 18:22–23
In 1859 Charles Blondin became an international sensation when he made the first of what would eventually be more than three hundred crossings above Niagara Falls on a tightrope. When people became accustomed to his feat, Blondin began adding even more difficulty by carrying various objects, including a camera to take pictures and a stove on which he cooked an omelet which he then lowered to passengers on a ship below. Perhaps nothing matched his feat of carrying his manager Harry Colcord across the falls on his back.
Blondin, who stood only five feet five inches tall and weighed just 140 pounds, carefully balanced the man in place and said, “Look up, Harry…you are no longer Colcord, you are Blondin. Until I clear this place be a part of me—mind, body, and soul. If I sway, sway with me. Do not attempt to do any balancing yourself. If you do we will both go to our death.” The two men successfully made their way to safety across the roaring falls below because Colcord completely trusted Blondin.
The Christian life is not about us—it is all about Jesus. Paul wrote, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). The selfish pride that tempts us to rely on our own strength and resources robs us of what Jesus provides when we yield ourselves fully to Him. Nothing can be allowed to come between the Lord and us.
Today’s Growth Principle:
To follow Jesus we must be willing to completely abandon ourselves and rest solely on Him.
Wisdom is Calling
by Joyce Meyer - posted August 14, 2016Wisdom cries aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the markets.
- Proverbs 1:20
God wants us to use wisdom, and according to today's scripture, wisdom is not difficult to obtain; the Holy Spirit wants to reveal it to us; we simply need to pay attention. For example, have you ever needed to make a decision and had your "head" (your intellectual abilities) try to lead you one way while your heart is leading you another? Have you ever had a situation in which your natural thoughts and feelings seemed to be guiding you in one direction, but something inside of you kept nagging you to go another direction?
Chances are, wisdom is crying out to you. One way to love yourself is to listen to it and obey. Many times, it cries out in your heart that you should or should not do a certain thing—you should eat healthily, you should be kind to other people, you should not spend money you do not have. These are all practical examples of using wisdom in everyday life. When you sense such leadings, the Holy Spirit, who speaks to your heart, is trying to help you make a wise decision, even though it may not be the choice you want to make or it may not seem to make sense in your present circumstances.
The Spirit wars against our flesh, and vice versa (see Gal. 5:17). When we know the wise choice and don't make it, the reason is often that we are allowing our flesh to lead us and to see if we can get away with unwise decisions—which are also known as "foolishness." The flesh leads us to foolishness, but God wants us to walk in wisdom and make choices now that we will be happy with later.
Love Yourself Today What is wisdom saying to you today? Are you willing to follow it?
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