Wise Counsel

 “Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight . . .”

I Corinthians 3:18-19 (NIV)

 

Week after week the young woman in our Sunday school class shared that her marriage was in trouble. No excitement, she said. They had grown apart and their interests were totally different she told us. Just not sure she loved him anymore, she would comment over and over. And each Sunday we all prayed for her and encouraged her to seek Christian counseling to find wise direction and help for her marriage.

Finally, she agreed to go that week. She lived in a larger city where there were several counselors, she said. Everyone prayed over her and her decision to seek wise counsel and could not wait to hear from her the next Sunday. We were thrilled to see her in our class but totally shocked by what she shared.

“Well, I took your advice and went to a counselor this week,” she announced. “And he told me that the best way to find out if I should stay in this marriage or get out was to have an affair.”

Shocked silence in the room followed her matter-of-fact statement. Finally, our teacher was able to speak. “You went to a Christian counselor and he told you that?!” Shaking her head, she replied “Oh, no, not a Christian counselor. I looked up the number of a counseling group and went to one of them.”

Worldly wisdom versus Godly wisdom. Is there any question about what the sad outcome of that marriage eventually was?

I Corinthians 3:18-19 (NIV) makes crystal clear where to find the source of true wisdom. It says “Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight . . .”

As Christians, we should not be shocked when we hear that advice given by someone, not in the Word, is anything other than the “whatever makes you happy” philosophy of many today. But let’s take this one step further. What kind of advice do I give when asked? Are my answers to tough situations based on what God says in His Word or does my advice reflect worldly “whatever makes you happy” thinking?

To be honest, we know that there will always be people who ask for our advice but really do not want it and have already made a decision to do what they want. But Godly counselors will always go before the Lord in prayer to seek His wisdom in everything that comes before them and then search the Word for His answers. We must make certain that, when asked for advice, we also put aside our opinions and ideas and first seek the One who will always give wise counsel.

  Father, I want to be a reflection of you and you alone when I am asked for help in life’s situations. Please keep me focused on your Word. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 R.A.P. it up . . . 

Reflect

• Have you ever given advice, only to realize later that what you said was completely opposite of God’s Word?

• Did you correct your advice immediately?

Apply

• When asked for advice, let that person know that you want to pray over him/her first and ask the Lord to be in the center of everything that is said.

• As you listen to what they share with you, ask the Lord to speak truth to your heart. Pray for guidance and share if the Lord prompts you.

Power 

• I Corinthians 3:18-19 (NIV) “Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. . .”

•  James 3:17 (NIV) “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”

• II Timothy 3:16 (NIV) “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness . . .”

 

 

Deal With It

 “I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.” Psalm 116:1-2 (NIV)

 

My husband and I had taken our three children on a mini vacation to visit family in another state. There wasn’t a lot of time to do very much but the one activity that everybody loved was going to the local swimming pool.

  Our three kids were part fish and never missed an opportunity to swim, no matter where they were. Off we drove late one afternoon with four adults, six children, inner tubes, towels, goggles, and sunscreen but we had forgotten one very important thing: the closing time for the pool.

  We walked up to the counter, money in hand. But instead of letting us pay and go on in, the two pool managers began a lively debate on how much to charge or whether they should even let us in since it was almost closing time.

  Finally, one girl turned to the other one and said, “I’m really too busy for this so…deal with it!” and walked off.

  The manager who was left looked at us for a few seconds and sighed: “I just don’t have the time to deal with you either. There’s no point in your coming in since we close in a few minutes.” and turned away, leaving us standing with everything we needed to swim except permission to enter.

  How thankful I am that when I approach my Heavenly Father in prayer, He has never said “You got yourself into this situation so deal with it!” and turned His back in dismissal.

  Not once have I knelt before God, only to have Him say “Permission to enter refused, Nancy. I have too many other things much more important than you. Come back tomorrow when I’m open between the hours of 10 and 2 and I’ll try to work you in.”

  David knew about calling on the name of God. In Psalm 34:15 we read David praising the Lord for being “attentive” to his cries for help and then thanking Him for His answers when he cried out loud to the Lord in Psalm 3:4.

  David never got a busy signal or a recorded voice nor was he ever told to “deal with it.” Instead, he got a Father who not only heard his cries for help but answered!

  The great news is, we have that same access today to our Creator. He longs for us to come before Him with every praise, every problem, every sorrow, every situation. Not only does He hear our voices, but He is attentive to each word that we utter in His presence.

  Call on God today. He longs to “deal with” everything you bring before Him, and you will never be turned away.  

  Father, I praise you for allowing us to come before you with every detail of our lives. Thank you for your faithfulness to your children. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

R.A.P. it up . . .

 

Reflect

• Have you ever experienced a situation like this?

• How did it make you feel to be told that you and your situation were not important enough to be addressed?

 Apply

• Journal prayer requests that you bring before the Lord along with the date.

• As God answers each prayer, write down the date and compose praise to Him for His willingness to hear us when we call on Him.

 Power

• Psalm 116:1-2 (NIV) “I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.”

• Psalm 34:15 (NIV) “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry . . .”

• Psalm 3:4 (NIV) “To the Lord I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill.”

 

 

Perfect

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

Proverbs 31:30 (NIV)

  An interview in a magazine about the Miss Universe Pageant really caught my attention. A gentleman who was a major supporter of the contest was asked what determined the final outcome and the winner. His answer was frank and to the point: “Let’s just say what it is: it all comes down to beauty. How they look. Oh, yes, they can be intelligent and businesswomen and all those things, but what really matters is how they look . . . how beautiful they are.”

  I looked at the pictures of each young woman in the contest and they were truly all physically beautiful. Perfect skin and perfect teeth. Perfect hair, perfect curls. Perfect gowns on perfect bodies. Perfect smiles. Perfect conversations with the judges. They . . . were . . . well . . . perfect.

  And then I looked at my reflection in the mirror. A scar on my neck from surgery. Wrinkles that make deep inroads from the corners of my eyes to my hairline. Varicose veins on my ankle resembling a tattoo gone horribly wrong. Crazy hair that wakes up in a whole new world every morning. A crooked tooth in spite of three years of braces. Nothing perfect at all. According to that gentleman, I would not compare or ever come close to his – or the world's – definition of what matters: physical beauty. Can you identify with me?

  Look at Proverbs 31:30. It says“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Solomon must have been well aware of that truth. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines. He knew a beautiful woman when he saw one and he was surrounded by hundreds of them. And yet he makes the startling observation that charm and beauty are not what’s most important. He says that the key to what makes a beautiful woman beautiful is her spiritual life. Wow!

  Those lovely women in the pageant will not always look perfect as they did during the competition. No one can escape the aging process. Solomon reflects in Ecclesiastes that we all came from dust and that is where we will all return.

  Solomon understood true beauty when he said “a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” She fears the Lord; in other words, she respects and reverences the holiness of her Creator. Her heart is focused on being an example of Jesus. That inner beauty will not fade with age as physical beauty most certainly does.

Will physical beauty continue to be what most consider “perfect” in this world? Oh, I’m positive about that. But, more than anything, I want my beauty to come – not from a reflection in a mirror – but from a reflection of Jesus. The Perfect Creator.

  Father, too many times I look at my physical appearance and forget that you made me in your image to worship you. Today my heart is focused on you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

  

R.A.P. it up . . .

 

Reflect

• Can you think of a woman who you would consider to be physically beautiful?

• Does she reflect a mirror of physical beauty only or does she also reflect the inner beauty of Jesus?

 

Apply

• Society today is continually focusing on physical beauty. If you have children or grandchildren, take time to share with them about God’s viewpoint of real beauty.

• Share today’s power verses with them and praise their desire to be a beautiful reflection of Jesus.

 

Power

• Proverbs 31:30 (NIV) “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

• I Samuel 16:7 (NIV) “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

• Psalm 139:14 (NIV) “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

 

Four Little Words

 “The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said . . .””

Matthew 28: 5-6 (NIV)

 

I am amazed at the significance that four little words can have in our lives. Let me give you some examples:

            “The toilet is overflowing.”   (“Where is the plunger?”)

            “My mother-in-law is early.” (“The house is trashed!”)

            “You have been fired.”           (“I have no job.”)

 

But the most significant, most important four words that have ever been spoken, I believe, are these:             “Just as He said.”

 

In Matthew 28, we are told that after the Sabbath, two women went to the tomb where the body of Jesus had been placed after He was crucified. They needed to prepare Jesus’ body for permanent burial.

 

However, when the women arrived, they found an angel sitting on the stone that had previously been rolled in front of the tomb opening. In verses 5 and 6 we read “The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said . . .”

 

If we can’t believe Jesus, if we can’t take Him at His Word - “just as He said” - then there is no need for the Bible. Forget Scripture, forget the promises, forget forgiveness and grace, and certainly forget salvation and resurrection.

 

But, if we DO believe those four little words with such a powerful meaning, then nothing prevents us from believing every other promise He has made in His Word.

 

Promises like this are found in Isaiah 41:13 (NIV):  “For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” Or the promise in Hebrews 13:5 that “. . . Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

 

And one of my favorite promises in Scripture: “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” Hebrews 8:12 (NIV)

 

The choice is ours: take God at His Word or rely on our own earthly wisdom. I choose four little words that promise Truth in everything He says.  What about you?

 

Father, I do not understand everything in your Word, but I believe you and trust you with my life every minute of every day. Keep my focus on you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

 

R.A.P. it up . . .

 

Reflect

• Is God’s Word also God’s Truth in your life?

 

• Do you find that you sometimes doubt whether God really means what He says to you in His Word?

 

Apply

• Keep a daily journal of the Lord’s promises to you.

 

• Begin each entry with “Just as He said . . .” and then write down His promise.

 

Power

• Matthew 28: 5-6 (NIV) “The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said…”

 

• Proverbs 30:5-6 (NIV) “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.”

 

• John 17:17 (NIV) “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holding it Together

 “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:17 (NIV)

 

            When our children were small, my husband and I decided to buy them a swing set. I was in favor of simple: one swing, a glider, and a slide. But my husband felt that with three children, bigger was better and we ended up with a monster set complete with monkey bars and every swing, slide, and glider known to man.         

            Stamped on the box in huge letters were these words: “five-minute assembly, instructions included.” May I tell you that it took five minutes just to pull the parts out of the box and another 55 minutes to find all the nuts, bolts, and screws that fell out on the ground? It did. And TWO days later (yes, you read that right), only the frame was assembled.

            When we finally completed the job (“we” meaning my husband, his brother, and two curious truck drivers who came over after delivering a dryer next door), there was a slight resemblance to the picture on the carton. But there were problems. Big problems.

            The bolts that came with the set weren’t long enough to hold the rides onto the frame and the frame itself was not sturdy enough to support one child, much less three. In addition, some important parts – like chains for the swings – were missing. We had to reinforce the entire frame and change the bolts and screws for every ride on it, just to get it to hold together. Our five-minute assembly was finally completed - in five days.

            Life is like that sometimes. Instructions say one thing but reality says something totally different. Marriages where two people promise vows of  “forever” fall apart and no amount of reinforcement can hold them together. A career that was supposed to have been a perfect fit until retirement crumbles to the ground without warning or explanation. The death of a spouse and adding a  second job to keep bills paid take the place of a carefully planned map of states to visit together. 

            In Colossians 1:17, Paul shares a part of Christ’s character that is vital to us as believers. When we have lost all hope, when there is no earthly way a problem can be solved or a relationship mended, Jesus the Creator is able to hold ALL things together. Not some things. Not a few things. But ALL things. While we know there may be times when restoration of certain situations or relationships may not occur, we also know that God remains in control. 

So where are you today? Are you facing a situation that promised to be a “five-minute assembly” but weeks, months, or even years later, there is no solution in sight? I encourage you to not give up. When everything seems hopeless to you, call on the Creator of the Universe. He will not fail you or leave you. He is holding your life together. No instructions needed. 

Father, thank you for holding my life together in your hands and keeping me on solid ground through your faithfulness and love. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

 R.A.P. it up . . . 

Reflect

• Have you ever felt like everything in your life was falling apart and you had no hope?

• Was your first reaction to take it to the Lord or to give up?

 Apply

• Journal a situation that you are currently facing that does not seem to have an earthly solution. 

• Spend time in prayer with Jesus and ask Him to take that situation and reassemble it for His glory. Praise Him for His faithfulness in all things.

 Power 

• Colossians 1:17 (NIV) “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

• Acts 17:28 (NIV) “For in him we live and move and have our being . . .”

• Psalm 75:3 (NIV) “When the earth and all its people quake, it is I who hold its pillars firm.”