Seeking Wisdom

“My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth comes knowledge and understand.” Proverbs 2:1-6

If I have to choose one topic that Proverbs focus on, it is wisdom. Time and time again, Proverbs talk about the need for wisdom, learning, and applying that in all its forms. In my current reading of Proverbs the importance of this has become much clearer than any other time that I have read it.

It talks of listening to you parents’ instruction and discipline. If there is one thing we should remember and learn from in our childhood and teenage years it should be that discipline, especially if your parents were believers that raised you up in the way of God.

I think that our parents deserve more respect than we give them. They spend 18 years trying to raise us the best we can and oftentimes we as their children spurn their discipline and ignore their teaching. We should take some time to think about everything they tried to teach us and see if we could learn from those lessons now that we are older.

Something that strikes me in the passage I chose to start with is the fact that we have to seek His wisdom. It says He’ll give it to us, but it does not say He will do it without our wanting it and looking for it. We have to strive to learn from Him. We have to seek for it as for silver and hidden treasure.

Imagine if we actually looked for His wisdom as we would look if we knew a great treasure was hidden near. We would spend hours reading His Word, looking at commentaries, praying and working to do just one thing: gain His wisdom.

Think about it this way, since it may be hard to relate to the treasure analogy. Think about how much time we spend on trying to get money. In America especially, it’s all about the money. We spend half our lives just trying to attain money. Now imagine putting that time and effort into learning about God. WE would fervently be following Him.

And if we seek Him with this fervent attitude, we will find Him. He promises to give knowledge of Him. In verse 6, it says that knowledge and understanding comes from God’s mouth. He is the source of all wisdom, so He the only one we can go to for it.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil.” Proverbs 3:6-7

In short, it’s not about us. We should not rely on ourselves. We should not consider ourselves wise because we are not the source of wisdom. Alone, we are foolish and have no wisdom. We gain wisdom only from God when we seek after Him. So often we think of ourselves as intelligent of “wise” because of everything we have done.

Because that’s what the world teaches us.

We don’t need anyone.

We can do anything on our own as long as we work hard enough.

It’s all about us.

That’s the world we live in.

And it couldn’t be farther from the truth.

We were made to have relationships with others, to work together towards our goals. Most importantly we were created for relationship with God. To rely and lean on Him.

“My son, do not lose sight of these- keep sound wisdom and discretion.” Proverbs 3:21

If we seek His wisdom and he gives it to us, we must never lose sight of it. We should meditate on what He has revealed and use it to the fullest that we can.

We shouldn’t fall back into our complacent lifestyles. We should take what God has revealed and ask Him what He desires for us to do with it. And we should do whatever He tells us to do, even if it’s not what we necessarily what we thought it would be.

And we should never stop seeking. Because no matter how many times you read the bible, you can get something new out of it. Every time. As long as you are seeking. 

The Heart of the Matter

I’ve been questioned by quite a few people as to why I would have any desire to be a missionary; why would I want to risk everything like that.

“You have a great life, why give it up?”

“You’re so smart and could do so much. You should use that here.”

Those are some of the nicer comments I’ve received. There are also the people who don’t say anything and just raise an eyebrow to question my judgment.

I’d like to answer these queries with a question of my own- Why not?

Why shouldn’t I go out to help people? Why shouldn’t I share the good news of Christ with others who don’t know Him?

Yes, I do have a good life here, and I am relatively intelligent. So why not use these gifts to help others?

Let me back up for a second to explain exactly what it is that I want to do.

Ultimately, I want to translate the Word into languages where it was previously unknown. I want to go into these unreached cultures and learn the language; spread the Gospel in those areas as I get to know the culture and the people and help them however I can.

I want to use my life to extend the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

A lot of people tell me that this sounds extreme, and yes, it is, but then again so is my faith. If you really think about it, isn’t what Christ did for us extreme? He didn’t just die for us. He died in the most torturous way possible after having been beaten, flogged, mocked, and forced to carry the instrument of His own death to the place where He would die. Not only that, but the only perfect Man; the Son of God, took all of our sins onto Himself until His Father turned His face away. I honestly believe that that was the probably far more painful for Him than anything He endured physically.

And He did this while we were still sinners.

“But God shows love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

While we were still spurning Him, hating Him, spitting in His face, He was willing to die for us and take our sins onto Himself.

This is extreme.

And I think everyone should know it.

I don’t see a problem with living a life to tell people of what my Savior did for me, and what He did for them. I think that such an act of love and mercy deserves a response, and this this is the response I have chosen.

In addition, I think it’s unfair for someone to live and die without ever knowing Christ, just because they never had the opportunity to hear His Word. Christ’s sacrifice shouldn’t go unknown by an entire people-group because no one brought the Gospel to them.

To put the reason I am doing this into one sentence, and to get to the heart of the matter- I want people to know Christ, because of Who He is.

“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news.” Romans 10:15

More Than You Can Handle

We’ve all heard the phrase, “God will never give you more than you can handle” when we’re going through a hard time. I don’t know about you guys, but I know that when I heard this after my mom died, I was mad. I couldn’t handle what I was going through.

I’ve come to the conclusion that, standing on its own, this saying is not true.

God does give us more than we can handle. At least, more than we can handle on our own. On our own we are weak; in the hard times we find ourselves breaking down and blaming God. “Where are you, God?!” we may scream in anger.

The answer is that, He is right next to us.

I think that the saying should be changed to read; “God will never give us more than we can handle as long as we put our faith in Him.”

Because with God, we can handle anything. As long as we continue to walk on our own path and turn our back on God, we will face countless circumstances that we cannot handle. However, with our trust placed in Christ, and our minds on Him, we can have His peace.

The truth is, it’s ok to feel like we can’t handle a situation. Though the world may say that we have to be strong and that we should be able to handle anything, we don’t have to be.

We can tell God that we are feeling like we are at the end of our ropes. We can ask Him why He’s doing this to us. It’s ok for us to find ourselves on our knees pouring our hearts out to God and crying.

As a matter of fact, that is the best place you can find yourself in when you are suffering.

God often uses these times to bring us close to Him. These are times when God can draw close to you and carry you if you’ll allow Him to.

Lyrics from Mandisa’s Overcomer oftentimes remind me of this.

Whatever it is you may be going through
I know He's not gonna let it get the best of you

The part I pick out from this lyrics is the fact that, it isn’t about us. I think she hit the nail on the head when she said that He’s not going to let it get the best of us. We can’t make it on our own. We need to put our faith in God and He will help us through.

Don’t fall for the lie that we have to be able to handle everything on our own. Because we can’t. You will find yourself in a situation where you feel like you’re drowning. But god will reach you and lift you out of the water if you will allow Him to.

So next time you hear that God will never give us more than we can handle, just remember that that isn’t true.

Remember that instead God will never give you more than you can handle if you put your trust in Him and lean on Him instead of on your own strength.

Making the Best of Time

At my school, there have been five snow days in a row this week. I knew it was likely from what I knew of the coming weather last week, and I wasn’t happy. I hate being stuck at home.

As I found myself getting grumpy and easily annoyed, just like the last stint when I wasn’t able to go to school. And I realized- should this really be the attitude I am taking?

It wasn’t, and I knew it.

So I decided to make the most of the week.

The first thing I realized as the week started was that I should be grateful for it. My body had been exhausted from my sleep patterns during the school week and it needed the extra sleep that not waking up at 5:30 would provide.

I felt myself feeling healthier than I have for a couple weeks after the first couple days it. I knew that, even though I didn’t like the circumstances, this week off was a gift.

Secondly, I thought and realized that just because I wasn’t going to school didn’t mean I was stuck where I was. I spent more than one day this past week at a good friend’s house and her bubbly and cheerful personality helped improved my clouded mood. Just being with her and her family reminded me of the awesome family I have in Christ, and all the things He has given to me through them.

I also went out shopping with Joanne and Becca. That was fun, and I had a good conversation that I had been needing to have. These two are just a light to me and being around them helps me to relax and talk about things I keep inside.

I also took the time to catch up on my Bible reading. I knew I was behind and was never sure when I would have the time to catch up with my frantic schedule. So I took my ample amounts of free time to study the Word and spend good time with my God.

Of course I did some other things; knitted a scarf, practiced my violin, that sort of stuff. I just wasn’t begrudging of the spare time.

The point is, for once in my stubborn life, I didn’t allow my circumstances to control my attitude. I instead looked for ways to either change my circumstances or to just not allow myself to be irritable an annoyed.

These snow days were a gift in disguise for me, and I think there are a lot of things in our lives that are blessings in disguise, but we let our preconceived notions be the basis for how we will react, so we never see the blessing.

Life can be surprising when you look back on it. You see the frustrating moments, the annoying moments, and even the downright hard moments, and if you look hard enough you may find that there is something in them to be grateful for.

So take your life one day at a time and make up your mind when you get out of the morning that it’s going to be a good day, no matter what happens to you. Because your circumstances don’t have to define your mood. You control that and only you can see the hidden gifts God has put in your life just for you. 

Just something I wrote a while ago

This is a poem I wrote a couple of months ago. Just thought I would share it with ya'll

It's entitled From the Heart of a Missionary

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Take a minute

Look around

See the breaking world

“Nothing I can do”

You might say

But you’re wrong

Reach out to someone

Give your time

Share a smile

“I’m too busy”

You might say

That’s just an excuse

Leave your comfort zone

Go somewhere else

Help the hurting people

“That is a scary thought”

You might say

Yes it is

Think about those people

What you can do for them

Change their lives

“I don’t know how”

You might say

You can learn

You aren’t the only one

Who occupies the world

There’s always someone worse off

“I haven’t thought about it like that”

You might say

Maybe it’s time to start

Look at the crying children, working for a meal

The women forced into the sex trade

They’ve never known anything else

“I want to help them”

You might say

You can do it, it’s possible

Show these broken people love

Bring them hope

Put your faith on display

“It’s time that I did something… anything”

You might say

Now you’re getting it

A Proverbs 31 Woman

Tis passage is one I personally aspire to live out if I ever marry, and even if I don’t, it still apples to a single woman working for the Lord. It is the kind of woman my mother was and it is who God calls us to be as women.

“An excellent wife, who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.” Proverbs 31:10

The series of verses starts out with this. A good wife is precious, and she is worth so much to her husband. She is more valuable than she can imagine.

The next verse states that her husband trusts in her.  He knows he doesn’t have to worry about her faithfulness or trustworthiness. He knows he can believe in her. It also says he will have “no lack of gain” because of this.

Being trustworthy is vital to having good relationships, whether you are single or married. Your friendships will thrive if you they know they can trust you. Your marriage will be much steadier if your husband knows that you are honest with him.

The next few verses speak of a woman that works hard. It says she does her husband good all of the days of her life. It says she rises while it is still night to provide for her household. It talks of her buying a field and seeding it to become a vineyard.

The Proverbs 31 women has an incredible work ethic, and she uses that to take care of her family. She gets up early to give them what they need and she is willing to do what she must to complete this duty.

“She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong” Proverbs 31:17

This woman is not a pushover. She is strong and uses that to the betterment of those she loves.

In verses 20-21 we see how caring of a woman she is. It speaks of her opening her hands to the poor and the needy. She will help those who need it and won’t just walk past. It also speaks of her not worrying for snow for her family, because she already has them clothed for it. She made sure she was prepared in advance for what she knew was coming.

“Strength and dignity are her clothing and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.” Proverbs 31:25-26

There is so much in these two verses. It hits on many of the points the passage has already made. This woman is wise, dignified, strong and kind. She is not afraid of the future because she knows who holds it and is prepared for it.  

All these verses lead up to what I believe to be the so-called thesis of the passage; verse 30.

“Charm is deceptive and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

This is the one most important verse in the passage. It states that, though her beauty and charm may disappear with time, if she fears God, she is still the woman she should be. This is the most important part of her character; the fear of God. This pretty much encompasses the rest of the things that she is supposed to be. If she fears the Lord, than the rest of the traits she should have will develop with time and patience.

This is the woman I would like to be someday. I’m not saying I am there, or even close, but I hope to be someday through the grace of God.

God bless.

Break Our Hearts, Lord

On the ride home from church this morning, a song came on the radio; Jesus, Friend of Sinners by Casting Crowns. ( Listen here ) It’s an excellent song and I’ve loved it since I first heard it. However, today one line stuck out to me that I’ve always blown over, probably because I’ve heard it a million times in a million songs. But it is so relevant.

Break our hearts for what breaks Yours.

Think on that for a minute. How often do we think on what breaks God’s heart? And more than that, how often do our own hearts break for those things?

There are so many things that should break our hearts. The persecution of our brothers and sisters in other countries, the hurting souls around us, the people who have no access to the Bible and will live and die with never hearing the Word. I could go on and on.

The bottom line is that our hearts should break for the people around us. How often do we even think about them? Do we think about that person sitting next to us at work or in class that doesn’t know Christ and who is dying inside?

We have very limited time on this earth, and we need to think about how we are using it. Most of us, myself included, use most of our time just to cruise through life and do things all for ourselves. And it doesn’t even cross our minds that we are surrounded by broken people that we could help. We need to pay attention to the world around us and actually see it, see beyond the surface.

If we actually take the time to see people, it can hurt. It can be overwhelming to look at the state of the world, and it truly can break your heart. But the problem is that, even after we have seen this, we do nothing. We hurt, we may cry and pray, but we don’t reach out.

How are people supposed to hear the Word and see the love of Christ if no one will tell them? Prayer is important and we should be praying constantly for someone to be reaching to these people, but we also need to be listening for God’s response and be ready to be obedient, because that someone could be us.

That is a frightening thought, to live our faith. But it is what we are called to do. Here in America, the Church has become so complacent. It’s become a world of compromise that tries to make itself look good to the culture around us.

That is not what we are called to be. It says multiple times that because we live for Christ we will be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12; John 15:20). It also tells us in John 15:19 that we are no of this world. We are supposed to be different and stand out. It tells us that we will wrestle with the rulers and authorities of this world (Ephesians 6:12).

If we are really living for God and not ashamed of it, we can’t expect it to be easy. Look at how it is for some of our brothers and sisters in other countries; they are killed simply because they believe in Christ’s name. Yet here, we are afraid to be made fun of by our peers?

Maybe it is time to take a look at our lives and rethink how we are living. It’s time to be obedient to Christ as we are called to, and to be willing to be different.

You never know if or when God may call you to do something radical for Him. Maybe He’ll tell you to move to the inner city and do ministry there. Maybe He will ask you to become a missionary and go to completely unreached people groups and learn their languages and tell them the Gospel.

There potential circumstances may seem to be far too extreme for you. You may be saying, “God will send someone else. He’d never ask me. I don’t have that type of skill.” But we are told that God will use the weak to shame the strong (1 Corinthians 1:27). It’s not about us. It’s about what He can do through us.

We never know what God is going to call us to do.

My point is that we need to see the world through God’s eyes. We need to see the needs of the people around us and then do something about it. We need to be obedient to what He is telling us.

An important side note- We won’t obey perfectly 100% of the time, and the more we obey, the more opposition we will face as times goes on. It won’t be easy, and we will fall. However, God calls us to obedience, not perfection. He knows we will fall, and He will be right there by our sides to pick us back up.

So take some time and look around to actually see the world. What you realize may be shocking, but God can use that to change your life, and then use you to change the lives of those people whose lives break your heart.