Wisdom from Above

 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. 

It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, 

and willing to yield to others.

It is full of mercy and good deeds. 

It shows no favoritism and is always sincere

 And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace

 and reap a harvest of righteousness.

James 3:17-18 (NLT)

What is causing the quarrels and fights among you?

  Isn't it the whole army of evil desires at war within you? 

James 4:1 (NLT)

Our human nature always gets us into trouble.  There is an army of evil desires at war within us, ready to fight and argue, ready to start war. The response of that old nature is usually negative, critical and judgmental.  It is hard and unforgiving, causing heartache and pain.  Our old self is an expert at rationalizing and excusing all kinds of sin like pride and selfishness.  When we give it a voice, what enormous damage it can do.

The wisdom from above, on the other hand, gives rise to good deeds that spring from pure motives.  It creates peace and handles every situation with a gentle spirit that is willing to yield.  It doles out large quantities of mercy and forgiveness.  Instead of causing war and destruction, under the influence of this wisdom, we become peacemakers, planting good seeds wherever we go. What a contrast!

We all make many mistakes and we are sometimes blind to them.  When we ask for God's light to shine on us, we may discover areas where our motives are not pure, where we have been hard and unyielding, where we have justified ourselves, or used words that have hurt another.  When we come to that realization and confess it to God, he promises to forgive us, to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and lead us along a better path.

Lord, thank you that our old nature was crucified on the cross when you died.  Help us not to give voice to it, but to yield to your wisdom from above.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me,

 and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalms 189:23-24 (NIV)

Repentance & Confession

Cactus Garden, Carefree, Arizona

Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 

  Put on your new nature, created to be like God—

truly righteous and holy.

 Eph 4:23-24 (NLT)

Our lives are never free from conflict with our old nature.  Whenever we become stressed, annoyed, tired, etc. we are faced with the temptation to become short or sarcastic and may say unloving things.  We become self-centered, more concerned with our own feelings than the other person.  In those times, it's hard to yield and allow the Holy Spirit to control our attitudes, thoughts, words and actions. 

Our goal is to be like Christ – even-tempered, understanding and gentle. But, because of our human weaknesses we fall short.  Whenever we are not acting in accord with the love of Christ, the spirit within us makes us feel uncomfortable.  When this happens, the only remedy is to turn our hearts toward him (repentance), acknowledge our failure (confession), and ask for his assistance.  He is the only one who can keep us from falling.  

Oh Lord, when I am out of sorts, come through with your sweet spirit to help me control my tongue.  Help me to allow your spirit to live in and through me. When I fall short, may I quickly acknowledge my failure and turn to you.  Help me to learn the art of self-care so that I do not become too hungry, too angry, too tired or too stressed out which leaves me vulnerable to temptation. 

If we claim we have no sin, 

we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 

But if we confess our sins to him, 

he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins 

and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

1 John 1:8-9 (NLT)

Glory & Honor

 When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers,  the moon and the stars you have set in place,  what are mortals that you should think of us, mere humans that you should care for us?  For you made us only a little lower than the heavenly beings and you crowned us with glory and honor.Psalm 8: 3-5 NLT

"Christianity is a lifetime of becoming who you really are." 

Ann Voskamp, aholyexperience.com, Sept. 5, 2011

When we look at the night sky and think of the vastness of all God has created we feel so small and insignificant.  How could the God who created all this care for us?  It is amazing to realize that we are actually the crowning glory of all he has made.  We were made just a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned with glory and honor.  We are infinitely precious and important to God.

Our position of glory and honor is a consequence of our recognition of our proper position under the one who created us.  When we step out from under the authority of our glorious creator we lose our position of glory and honor and become subject to this lower creation resulting in disorder and chaos.  Humans continually fall into the deception that they can be their own god.  (Genesis 3:5). 

Jesus came to restore our proper position by displaying what we were truly created to be.  He honored the father with reverent submission. (Hebrews 5:7) He is our example and as we look to him and live in him we are restored to that position of glory and honor we lost by our own self will.  In Jesus we are fully restored, accepted, and cared for.

My Creator King

by Don Moen

You, who made the mountains and the sea
Measured out the universe and you made me.
Echoes of the voice that called the worlds to be
Reached throughout the ages and now speaks to me.
You're my Creator King.

You, who made the valleys and the skies
Displayed your love on far horizons and before my eyes.
You, who lit the stars and set the dawn in time,
Called them all by name and now You whisper mine.
You're my Creator King.

Chorus
Who am I that You are mindful of me?
Who am I that You set Your love on me?
You're my Creator King.

You, who made the darkness and the light,
Sun and moon to watch the day and guard the night.
The hand that stretched the heavens like a canopy
Reaches down to cover and watch over me.
You're my Creator King.

Listen to the song:

http://youtu.be/2ITMxRfBx-E 

Honor

 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (Psalm 111.10) 

Fear of the Lord is the place to begin.  What does it mean to "fear the Lord"?

At the giving of the Ten Commandments the people were filled with fear when they saw the lightning and heard the thunder on the mountain. (Exodus 20:18-20)  Moses told them not to be afraid, but, in the same sentence, he also told them to fear the Lord. What's the difference?  They were not to be in dread of God keeping their distance, but to draw near honoring and acknowledging him.  

The simple act of acknowledging God, recognizing him as our powerful creator and Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It puts everything in perspective. It brings our life into proper alignment. Without this perspective our thinking becomes useless and unproductive (Romans 1:21,22).  Honoring God is a powerful thing. By recognizing who he is, all of his resources become available to us - his love, mercy, protection and guidance.  He is a great and powerful God for those who acknowledge him.

 But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,

Psalms 33:18 (NIV)

 He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him.Luke 1:50 (NLT)