Wisdom Of Life

"I will give thanks to the Lord."   Psalms 9:1 Thanksgiving should always follow answered prayer, just as the mist of earth's gratitude rises when the sun of heaven's love warms the ground. Has the Lord been gracious to you and inclined His ear to the voice of your prayer? Then thank Him as long as you live. Let the ripe fruit fall upon the fertile soil from which it drew its life. Do not fail to sing in praise of Him who has answered your prayer and has given you the desire of your heart. To be silent about God's mercies is to incur the guilt of ingratitude; it is to act as poorly as the nine lepers who after they had been cured of their leprosy did not return to give thanks to the healing Lord. To forget to praise God is to refuse to benefit ourselves; for praise, like prayer, is one great means of promoting the growth of our spiritual lives. It helps to remove our burdens, to excite our hope, to increase our  faith . It is a healthy and invigorating exercise t...

"I chose you out of the world."  John 15:19 Paul has four of these "trustworthy" sayings. Here is distinguishing grace and discriminating regard, for some are made the special objects of divine affection. Do not be afraid to dwell upon this lofty doctrine of election. When your mind is heavy and depressed, you will find it to be a spiritual tonic. Those who doubt the doctrines of grace or who throw them into the shadows miss the richest clusters of grapes; they lose the best wines, the choice food. There is no balm in Gilead comparable to it. If the honey in Jonathan's wood when simply touched illumined  the eyes , this is honey that will illumine your heart as you love and learn the mysteries of the kingdom of God. You must feed on this; live upon this choice provision, and do not be afraid that it will prove too delicate a diet. Meat from the King's table will hurt none of His servants. Desire to have your mind enlarged, that you may comprehend more and m...

" The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly."     Psalms 104:16 Without water the tree cannot flourish or even exist.  Vitality  is essential to a Christian. There must be life--a vital principle infused in us by God the Holy Spirit--or we cannot be trees of the Lord. Being a Christian merely in name is a dead thing; we must be filled with the spirit of divine life. This life is  mysterious . We do not understand the circulation of the water, by what force it rises, and by what power it descends again. So the life within us is a sacred mystery. Regeneration is performed by the Holy Spirit entering into man and becoming man's life; and this divine life in a believer afterwards feeds upon Christ and is in this way sustained by divine food, but how it comes and where it goes who will explain to us? What a  secret  thing the water is! The roots go searching through the soil, but we cannot see them suck out the various gases or transmute the minera...

"We are to grow up in every way into him."   Ephesians 4:15   Many Christians remain stunted and limited in spiritual things and never seem to make progress from year to year. No surge of growth and spiritual interest is seen in them. They exist but do not "grow up in every way into him." Should we be content with being in the green blade when we might advance to the ear and eventually ripen into the full corn in the ear? Should we be satisfied to believe in Christ and to say, "I am safe" without wishing to know in our own experience more of the fullness that is to be found in Him? It ought not to be so; we should long as good traders in heaven's market to be enriched in the knowledge of Jesus. It is all very well to keep other men's vineyards, but we must not neglect our own spiritual growth and ripening. Why should it always be wintertime in our hearts? We must have our seedtime, it is true, but oh, for a springtime-yes, a summer season that wi...

Scriptures: P salms 138:7‭-‬8  David was a man who walked through trouble on a regular basis. His psalms express the struggles and disappointments he faced, yet in the end, he always turned his focus back to God. The key to his victorious attitude was his strong  faith  in the Lord.  David was confident in God's purpose. That's why he could say, "The Lord will accomplish what concerns me" (v.8) . The only way we can walk through trouble and not be defeated is by keeping our focus on the Lord and His purpose. He has promised to do a good work in our lives, but sometimes the only way He can complete it is in valleys of hardship. He relied on the Lord's power. When troubles arise, we, too, can trust God to deliver us, but it may not be by escape. Sometimes He sustains us through the difficulty, walking with us every step of the way. David believed the promises of God. Throughout these two verses, he repeatedly reminds himself what the Lord will do. We also need to...

"Your wagon tracks overflow with abundance."    Psalms 65:11 Many of the Lord's tracks overflow with abundance, but a special one is the track of prayer. A believer, who is often in private  prayer , will not need to cry, "My leanness has risen up against me." (Job 16:8 ) Starving souls live at a distance from the mercy-seat and become like the parched fields in times of drought. Consistent wrestling in prayer with God is sure to make the believer strong-if not happy. The nearest place to the gate of heaven is the throne of heavenly grace. Often alone, you will have plenty of assurance; seldom alone with Jesus, your  faith  will be shallow, polluted with many doubts and fears and not sparkling with the joy of the Lord. Since the soul-enriching path of prayer is open to the very weakest saint, since no high achievements are required, since you are not invited to come because you are an advanced saint but freely invited if you are a saint at all, see to...

Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 2:9-16 "The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit."  (v.14) One of the reasons that many people—including believers—don’t read the  Bible  is because they can’t understand it. We would expect that to be the case for those who don’t know Christ, but why do so many believers fail to comprehend the truths of Scripture? Maybe it’s because they haven’t asked for help from their divine Teacher. One of the Holy Spirit’s chief responsibilities is to enable Christians to understand the things of God. When looking at believers who know more than we do, we’ll sometimes think,  I will  never be able to reach that level.  The issue, however, isn’t how much knowledge you have right now, but whether you are growing in your unders...

Why God Speaks Scriptures: James 1:23-25 "For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;"  (v.23) God is not one to speak in generalities. When He whispers from the pages of Scripture or confronts through a friend's words, the Father directly addresses issues in His children's lives. With that in mind, let's look at His three goals for communicating with believers—namely, for us to: 1. Comprehend the truth.  God wants us to learn His ways and principles, to recognize our own frailty, and to identify the needs of others. He does more than offer this as head knowledge—He makes truth applicable to our lives. For example, the Lord assured Paul that His strength was sufficient to carry the apostle through anything (2 Corinthians 12:9) . Circumstances taught the apostle that God's Word was true. 2. Conform to the truth.  Our lives are shaped by our belief system. What we hold as true influences...

Mourning For Sin "Godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation."  - 2 Corinthians 7:10 Genuine, spiritual mourning for sin is the  work of the Spirit of God . Repentance is too rare a flower to grow in nature's garden. Pearls grow naturally in oysters, but penitence never shows up in sinners except when divine grace produces it in them. If you have one particle of real hatred for sin, God must have given it to you, for human nature's thorns never produced a single fig. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh." (John 3:6) True repentance is  tied directly to the Savior.  When we repent of sin, we must have one eye upon sin and the other upon the cross; or it will be even better if we fix both our eyes on Christ and see our transgressions only in the light of His love. True sorrow for sin is  eminently practical . No man can say he hates sin if he lives in it. Repentance makes us see the evil of sin not merely as a theory but experimentally...

Scriptures: John 14:16-18 "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." (v.18) Most of us don’t like being alone for extended periods of time. In fact, we are not designed to live in isolation. Even at the very beginning, God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone” (Gen. 2:18) . But sometimes situations in life leave us separated from others. Or perhaps we simply feel lonely, even though we live with our mate or family. But whatever your situation may be, if you are a believer, you’re never alone. Knowing His followers could feel abandoned after His crucifixion and ascension, Jesus promised to send them a Helper who would never leave them—the Spirit of truth. The same One who came to them at Pentecost still abides within every believer. He has been sent to walk alongside us as our comforter, enabler, and guide. The Holy Spirit, unlike human companions, is perfectly adequate to meet our every need. Since He knows us intimately, He can com...

"Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in heaven."    Lamentations 3:41 The act of  prayer   teaches us our unworthiness , which is a very salutary lesson for proud people like us. If God gave us favors without constraining us to pray for them, we would never know how poor we are, but a true prayer is an inventory of wants, a catalog of necessities, a revelation of hidden poverty. While prayer is an application to divine wealth, it is also a confession of human emptiness. The most healthy state of a Christian is always to be empty of self and constantly depending upon the Lord for provision; to be consistently poor in self and rich in Jesus; to be weak as water personally, but mighty through God to do great exploits. This is where prayer comes in, because while it adores God, it puts the creature where it should be--in the dust. Prayer is in itself, apart from the answer that it brings, a great benefit to the Christian. As the runner gains strength f...

Scriptures: Galatians 5:16-26 "Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." (v.24 ) As believers, we all want the fruit of the Spirit, but how can we know if we truly have it? Even unbelievers can display these qualities when conditions are positive. This nine-fold fruit of the Spirit is not what we  do , but who we  are , and it is primarily on display in Christians when circumstances are unfavorable. Two characteristics help us recognize these traits in our lives. Fruitful believers are not controlled by their environment.  Everyone experiences trials and pain, but those who are filled with the Spirit do not lose His fruit because of their situations. They keep their joy even when difficulties overwhelm. If someone speaks harshly, they respond with kindness. Because the Holy Spirit is in control, He is free to produce His fruit no matter what the circumstances are. Even though such believers may feel pain, anger,...

Scriptures: 1 John 5:14-15 Since praying is such a common practice for believers, over time it's easy to fall into habits that result in a lifeless and empty prayer life. Instead of a dynamic conversation with thoughtful requests and active listening for God's response, our prayers can seem more like grocery lists. Because communication with the Lord is such a vital part of the Christian life, we occasionally need to step back and examine how we're doing. Begin by asking yourself these questions: How effective are my prayers? Is God answering my petitions, or does it seem as if they never go past the ceiling? Who am I praying for? Are most of my requests for myself or others? What am I asking the Lord to do? Have I looked in the Word to see what He wants, or am I trying to get Him to intervene according to my plans and desires? When do I pray? Is it only during emergencies or when I need something? If you discovered any selfishness in your answers, you're not alo...

"Why have you dealt ill with your servant?"   Numbers 11:11 Our heavenly Father sends us frequent troubles to  test our faith . If our faith is worth anything, it will stand the test. Gilt is afraid of fire, but gold is not: The  imitation  gem dreads being touched by the diamond, but the true jewel fears no test. It is a poor faith that can only trust God when friends are true, the body is healthy, and the business profitable; but it is true faith that rests in the Lord's faithfulness when friends are gone, the body is ailing, spirits are depressed, and the light of our Father's face is hidden. A faith that can say, in the deepest trouble, "Though he slay me, I will hope in him" (Job 13:15) is heaven-born faith. The Lord afflicts His servants to  glorify Himself,  for He is greatly glorified in the graces of His people, who are His own handiwork. When "suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope," (Ro...

"But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty forever."  John 4:14 The person who believes in Jesus finds enough in his Lord to satisfy him now and to content him forevermore. The believer is not the man whose days are weary for lack of comfort and whose nights are long on account of the absence of heart-cheering thought. The believer finds in faith such a spring of joy, such a fountain of consolation that he is content and happy. Put him in a dungeon, and he will find good company; place him in a barren wilderness, and he will eat the bread of heaven; drive him away from friendship, and he will meet the "friend who sticks closer than a brother." (Proverbs 18:24)   Destroy all his shade, and he will find shadow beneath the Rock of Ages; erode the foundation of his earthly hopes, but his heart will still be fixed, trusting in the Lord. The heart is as insatiable as the grave until Jesus enters it, and then it becomes a cup full to overf...

"At evening time there shall be light."  Zechariah 14:7 We often look forward with anxiety to  the time of old age , forgetting that at evening time it shall be light. To many saints, old age is the choicest season in their lives. A warmer breeze fans the sailor's face as he nears the shore of immortality; fewer waves ruffle his sea; quiet reigns, deep, still and solemn. From the altar of age the flashes of the fire of youth are gone, but the deepening flame of sincere feeling remains. The pilgrims have reached the promised land, the happy country, whose days are as the days of heaven upon earth. Angels visit it, celestial gales blow over it, flowers of paradise grow in it, and the air is filled with heavenly music. Some live here for years, and others arrive only a few hours before their departure, but it is an Eden on earth. We may begin to long for the time when we can recline in its shady groves and be satisfied with hope until the time of fruition comes. The setting...

Scriptures: Acts 4:13    Anyone who studies God's ways soon realizes they are quite different from man's. Worldly wisdom says that extraordinary people and abundant resources are needed for great tasks, yet the Lord often chooses the small and insignificant to achieve His purposes on earth. For example, Christ selected a rather unimpressive group of men as disciples, yet after being filled with the Spirit, they "turned the world upside down." During His ministry on earth, Jesus fed thousands with a child's meager lunch, and He viewed the widow's two small coins as a greater offering than all the other generous donations  (John 6:5-12; Luke 21:2-3). God specializes in using people who aren't naturally qualified to accomplish His tasks. Moses was a verbally impaired 80-year-old shepherd who liberated a nation. After Gideon hid from the enemy, God made him a valiant warrior. David was the overlooked youngest son who killed a giant with a small stone and b...

"The hope laid up for you in heaven."    Colossians 1:5 Our hope in Christ for the future is the mainspring and the mainstay of our joy down here today. Our hearts will be stirred by thinking often of heaven, for all that we can desire is promised there. (Here we are tired and weary, but over there is the land of  rest where the sweat of toil will no longer soak our shirts, and fatigue will be banished forever. To those who are weary and worn, the word rest is full of heaven. We are always in the field of battle; we are so tempted and so molested by foes that we have little or no peace; but in heaven we will enjoy the  victory , when the banner shall be unfurled in triumph, and the sword will be sheathed, and we will hear our Captain say, "Well done, good and faithful servant." (Matthew 25:23) We have suffered bereavement after bereavement, but we are going to the land of the  immortal  where graves do not exist. Here sin is a constant grief to ...

"Sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise!"  Psalms 66:2 It is not left to our own option whether or not we will praise God. Praise is God's most righteous due, and every Christian, as the recipient of His grace, is bound to praise God from day to day. It is true that we have no authoritative text for daily praise; we have no commandment prescribing certain hours of song and thanksgiving: But the law written upon the heart teaches us that it is right to praise God; and the unwritten mandate comes to us with as much force as if it had been recorded on the tables of stone or handed to us from the top of thundering Sinai. Yes, it is the Christian's  duty  to praise God. It is not only a pleasurable exercise, but it is the absolute obligation of his life. Those of you who are always mourning should not think that you are guiltless in this respect or imagine that you can discharge your duty to God without songs of praise. You are bound by the bonds of His l...

Scrptures: Proverbs 2:1-6 "If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will discern the fear of the Lord  And discover the knowledge of God."  (v.4-5) Despite Peter's vast fishing experience, he returned from a night's work with nothing to show for his efforts. It's quite possible that the Lord's request to let the nets down one more time struck him as unreasonable—after all, Peter and his partners were the professionals. Nevertheless, the fisherman complied, and his obedience blessed many. Scripture demonstrates that divine plans often defy human logic. For instance, who would design a battle strategy that involved only marching and shouting? God told Joshua to conquer Jericho that way, and doing so proved successful  (Joshua 6:1-5). Moses is another example. When he felt unsure about his leadership potential, the Lord gave reassurance in an unusual way—by telling him to throw down his walking stick. When Moses obeyed, Go...