Daily Wisdom

1 Sam 15:23 “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.”

King Saul entrapped himself in a sin (rebellion and stubbornness towards God’s word) that is just as prevalent today as it was in Saul’s day. It’s called a “lack of faith.”

According to Hebrews 11:6, honoring the word of God and giving God the last say is what please God the most. Thus, the opposite of faith is a callous, often stiff-necked, rebellion towards God’s word.

Now the reason Saul had such a “lack of faith” is because he was more interested in what man thought of him than what God thought of him (vs 24).  What Saul lacked, in essence, was basic God-given wisdom, which is based upon God’s Word (Pro 2:1-6 and Psa 111:10).

Creature rebellion against its Creator (the Word – Jn 1:1, 14) is rebellion against the very source of his own existence. It’s like the scent of a flower rebelling to destroy the flower… is it no wonder God rejected Saul!

HSAY… Todd

Daily Wisdom

Gen 45:5 “Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.”

Amazingly, what was considered an orchestrated loss of Jacob’s youngest son (Joseph) at the hand of his jealous brothers, was in reality a provision of grace on God’s part to preserve the future of a nation… for “where sin abounds, grace does much more abound” (Rom 5:20).

Grace, by definition, is an “undeserved blessing” that is freely bestowed upon us by God whenever we accept His solutions to our failures. Point being: Grace doesn’t start with us; it starts with God! Thus, grace is not earned or merited, but is freely and lovingly given to those who come to God by “faith” (Eph 2:8-9). God says, “I’ve got something for you that you don’t deserve, but if you’ll give me the “last say” in your life, I’ll bestow it upon you.”

Grace is what we should all strive for as believers. Jesus replied to Paul’s prayer telling him: “My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness, for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:9-10). This is not a new principle, mind you, but a prominent theme in both the Old & new Testaments.

Our theme should be: Grace has carried me here… and by God’s grace I’ll carry on!

HSAY… Todd

Daily Wisdom

Isa 10:1-2 “Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed. To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless.”

In Isaiah Ch. 10 we see the connection with Isa 9:8-21 concerning God’s anger towards both Israel and Assyria.  In Israel’s case God was angry at both their lack of humility and their lack of concern for the needy and oppressed (Isa 9:13-14). Isaiah then asks the corrupt folks in Israel what they’ll do when the time of judgement comes, for God will judge the unjust and those who make unfair laws to oppress the poor and needy.

Fact: Those who oppress others will be oppressed themselves.

Point being: It’s not enough to live in a land founded on justice; everyone must deal justly with the poor and the powerless and not pass that responsibility off onto the government or even the church institution (Mt 25:31-40).

“A kind gesture not only reaches a need, the compassion behind that gesture can heal.

HSAY… Todd

Daily Wisdom

Psa 41:1 “Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.”

The Bible clearly speaks of God’s care for the weak, poor, and needy, and of His blessing towards those who share this concern (Psa 1:1). Spiritually speaking, God wants our generosity to reflect His own free giving.  Meaning, as He has blessed us, so we should bless others; knowing that in doing so we can find comfort that the Lord will meet our needs and deliver us from our oppressors (vs 11).

This Psalm of the compassionate offers preservation for our spirit (vs 2), should we look past ourselves. By showing proper sympathy towards others in their troubles we can find the Lord will deliver us in time of our trouble. This is a statement of the general principle that the Lord will deal with us as we do with others (Psa 18:24-26).

Don’t let your prosperity feed your ego, it will only make you ripe for your enemies.

HSAY… Todd

Daily Wisdom

Ecc 8:16-17 “When I applied mine heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth… Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.”

Many equate wisdom (human knowledge) with success and eventual happiness, believing academia means one is among society’s elite and bight (thus making them successful). However, according to Solomon, that couldn’t be further from the truth (Ecc 1:13; 17)

Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, made it clear to everyone listening: if a man had access to all the world’s wisdom, man would still know very little, for no one can comprehend God and all that He knows or has done.  Fact: There will always be more questions than answers…

Thus, what we don’t know should not cast a shadow over what we can know (our faith). Meaning: We should not let what we don’t know hinder what we can know through God’s word, as God us ultimately in control of all things. You don’t have to understand God’s will just be willing to surrender to it and

Quit trying to figure out God’s work and just do God’s work.

HSAY… Todd

Daily Wisdom

Psalm 40:1-2 “I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.”

The clearest of statement concerning God’s purpose for one’s life can be summed up as follows: “Your Patience with God determines His purpose with you.”

David said, “I waited patiently for the Lord…” and in so doing, the Lord was inclined to:

·         deliver David from his pit

·         set David’s feet upon solid ground

·         established David’s path going forward

·         place a song of praise and hope in his heart (vs 3)

Clearly, a little patience with the Lord goes a long way!  A little waiting (Isa 40:31) on our part means God will eventually wait on us (Lk 12:37).

We can learn this from Job. Once Job found his peace in being patient in the Lord’s will, and started to pray for his friends, the Lord restored twice what Job had lost (Job 42:10).

Btw, don’t do as others often do and pout while being patience! Simply learn to wait on the Lord while serving the Lord’s purpose.

Remember: Anyone can say they love the Lord… but not everyone can wait and prove it’s true.

What we are, have been, and intend to be is shown more in our patience in God, than any other virtue (Ecc 7:8).

HSAY… Todd

Daily Wisdom

Jere 30:10 “Therefore fear thou not, o my servant Jacob, saith the Lord; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar and they seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid.”

Even though Jeremiah’s prophetic words are often heavily laden with warning and judgment, here in Jeremiah 30:10, Jeremiah offers Israel great hope and assurance that God will never forsake her, despite her self-destructive ways.

You see, God’s love by definition is an unconditional love, not based on our grievous conduct but on His great character!  Without God’s eternal love for us, we’d all be helpless and hopeless in our ways.  While we all may (at one time or another) scratch our spiritual heads pondering God’s sovereignty and purpose for our lives, we shouldn’t question or doubt His unwavering and unconditional love that he has for us.

Love isn’t demonstrated by how much one is willing to spend (the cost of a ring) … but by how much one is willing to sacrifice (the cost of the cross)!

HSAY… Todd