pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: wisdom


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What Do You Want?

“Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”  Just imagine for a moment if God asked you that.  I am sure we have all had practice dreaming about what we would do if we won the lottery or if we somehow found a genie in a bottle.  Our answer would reveal a lot about us.

God asked Solomon this very question.  He could have asked for wealth or power or at least for peace during his reign.  He could have asked for long life.  He did not ask for anything for himself.  Or for his family.  Solomon asked God for a discerning heart to govern justly and to be able to distinguish right from wrong.  God was very pleased with Solomon’s request so He granted it and gave him more.

You and I may never be asked this question.  But we do answer it each day with how we live.  We reveal what we desire and what we value by the way we live.  Every word we speak, every choice we make, every action we undertake, every goal we set – all answers the same question: “What do you want?”

If we desire a deep faith, do we invest daily in the development of this faith?  If we long for contentment, do we choose to live simply and not choose to chase after the next, newest, best thing?  If we want quality relationships, do we give of ourselves honestly and sincerely all the time?  If we feel led to help the lost and the least, do we spend time with alongside them ministering to their needs?

So.. what do you want?  What has your answer been and how does it need to change?

Scripture reference: 1 Kings 3: 5-9


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Boasting in the Lord

God does not usually choose the rich and the powerful to be His instruments in the world. He does not usually choose the strong and the influential. It’s not that He couldn’t or that He sometimes doesn’t. Sometimes I wonder ‘why not?’ but then I am called back to 1 Corinthians 1. Those on top tend to think that they got there themselves, through their own hard work, brains, … They would not necessarily boast in God. But there is another side too. For those hearing someone like this, we may also see them as part of the reason God’s work is being done, as if they were at least partly responsible. This is natural for those who are looked up to.

Yet when God chooses the weak, the ones who do not have, He chooses them so that when we see them do great things for God, we see it as all God’s work and might. We are awed that they are doing the work they are doing and we see God’s hands all over it. There is a second purpose in 1 Corinthians as well. When the low and without are able to do much for God, it shames the wise. It shames the strong. It nullifies the things that are. It makes them see God’s presence and action in the world. It draws them to it.

When an observer asks someone about what they are doing for God, a humble servant boasts in how God is present and is the driving force behind their actions. They acknowledge the fact that they could not do this on their own. The wisdom of God comes to them through Jesus and through the Holy Spirit. They find guidance, direction, and strength from the true source. He is their, and our, righteousness, holiness, and redemption. His is their all in all, so that when they boast, they boast in the Lord. Like them, may our inner light shine the focus back on the source of that light so that others may see and come to know Jesus.

PS – As I was walking this morning, I wondered how one comes to discern where God is leading or calling us to go.  It is hard to not make our path seem like His path.  We must seek His guidance with humility and openness and an honest eye, lest our feet may not be unpon the path that God has set before us.