Daily Wisdom

 2 Tim 2:15 ‘Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.’

The Scriptures equip and empowers us for every good work. It’s the perfect manual to assemble our life as to operate and function properly. Life is like a toy of bike for our child, some assembly required. And the Bible is the source of instructions to accomplish it. And just like the instructions we get with a toy, it starts with step one and proceeds on. Likewise notice what Paul states as the first step to properly assemble of our lives, “Study.”

To get frustrated with assembling a product because we refuse to properly read the instructions first is foolishness on our part. It’s not difficult, we just make it so by refusing to follow the steps, and instead we focus on the picture on the box in hope of the same result. We can greatly simplify the assembling of our life by staying in the instruction manual and follow each step. 

When you faithfully read and follow the directions you don’t worry about the next piece you come across, you already know where it fits and how to use it… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

‘… Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.’ Mt 8:10b

Interesting to consider, that while the Jews penned the Bible, it was a gentile who was said to have had the greatest faith. This man was a leader, a military officer of many men but he shows us that a little piety goes a great way. He obviously was a Godly man with a humble heart, meaning no man’s calling or place in this world will excuse him from unbelief or humility.

Be cautious not to let the elements of this world imped on your faith. The religious man can get distracted by his religious acts rather than his humble faith. In the preceding part of (vs 10), we’re told Jesus “marvelled” at the centurion’s faith. The word “marvelled’ comes from the Greek meaning “to gaze in wonder.” Do you desire to marvel the Master? Then: 1. Give God’s Word the “authority” it deserves in your life. and 2. Give God’s Word the “respect” it deserves for keeping it’s promise. We don’t obtain God’s blessings by trying to earn them, simply be obedient to His Word and you’ll experience them.

Obedience is the path one follows in faith that leads to the Father’s favor… HSAY 

Daily Wisdom

 “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  Mt 7:21

“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:  Mt 7:24

The person Jesus is speaking about here in (vs 21) is someone who continues to pray over and over again to the Lord, with no results. Why? Because there is no obedience.  The word “saith” is the Greek word (legon) meaning ‘continually’, thus Jesus is speaking to those who ‘continually’ ask, yet don’t do what God’s ask. Seek His favor but refuse to live in His faith.

It is impossible (vs 24), to serve God without obeying His Word (and doeth them). The man whose life collapses under the weight of circumstances is at fault not because he fails to labor, but because he fails to labor according to the Word.

‘A ton of prayer will not produce what an ounce of obedience will.’ … HSAY

Daily Wisdom

‘Judge not, that ye be not judged.’ Mt 7:1

Red-Letter truth…

It would be much more beneficial to focus on the good in others, rather than looking for or at the bad in them. One will never make their own character look better pointing out the lack of character in another. Pro 11:27 ‘Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor, but evil comes to him who searches for it.’ The truth being, anyone can find the dirt in someone, but we should strive to be the ones who find the gold.

It can be easy to focus on the negative in others, that’s something anyone can do. It takes a humble spirit to think of the good in others. It is so much healthier for our spirit and our hearts to be positive. Often, when we focus on the good in others, we find an opportunity to grow our own character in the process.

Don’t be pulled into a pit digging at another’s character, be on top building it up… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

‘Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust corrupts…’ Mt 6:20

Red-Letter truths…

If someone told you that your home was going to burn down in less than an hour, what would you remove? The question answers itself. You would only remove what’s truly valuable. Both Jesus and Peter reminded us that this earth of ours (this present home) isn’t going to last “as is” (Mt 24:35 and II Pet 3:10). Meaning: It’s not the investment you want to be investing in.

Jesus admonishes us to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven instead of treasures here on earth. This isn’t defined by tithing alone, but all purposeful acts in the Father’s will. When we do give tithes/offerings to a gospel focused church, then yes, we are investing eternally by investing in the gospel and the souls of man. The concern for man is defined by Jesus in (vs 21) ‘Where your treasure is there will your heart be also.’ Missing this truth is like a treasure hunter working with a misguiding map, all his efforts will prove to be unprofitable. 

Do your giving while you’re living, then you’ll be knowing where it’s going… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

‘so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.’ Mt 6:4; 6

Red-Letter truth…

It's easier to do what's right when we gain recognition and praise. To ensure that our motives are not selfish, our good deeds should be done quietly or in secret, with no thought of reward. Jesus says we should check our motives in three areas: generosity (Mat 6:4), prayer (Mat 6:6), and fasting (Mat 6:18). These acts of faith should not be self-motivated but God-glorifying, done not to make us look good but to seek the Father and His perfect will.

Be sure in knowing, that the Father sees past our spiritual actions and into our heart, “sees in secret.”  Meaning the Father sees past the accolades, praise, promotion, and applause of man and looks solely on the motive of the heart.  In (Mt 6:2) Jesus tells us there are to be no trumpets involved, just a secret heart that is motivated in Jesus getting all the attention. 

Be sure not to shine so bright that others can’t see Jesus because of you… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

‘Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;’ Mt 5:43-44

The easiest thing to love is that which reciprocates an equal or measurable amount of love back. But true love doesn’t measure by such standards. Christ like love isn’t self-seeking but serving. In the flesh, often our first line of defense in dealing with a challenging individual is avoidance, and the second is to restrain compassion or affection towards them. But Christ states that for us to only extend compassion/love towards those whom we’re comfortable with, we’re then just like the Pharisees/hypocrites (vss 46-47). 

Instead, we’re called to be perfect, Greek word (teleios) meaning complete, mature, as Christ was mature in assuring His love was experienced by all that He encountered. The easiest and most powerful way to illustrate not only your love for Christ, but His love being present in you, is to love as He loved; without measuring the cost or applying demands and expectations. 

If you truly desire to look more like Jesus, it starts with loving like Jesus… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

‘But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment:’ Mt 5:22

Killing is a terrible sin, but anger is a great sin, too, because it also violates God's command to love. Anger in this case refers to a seething, brooding bitterness against someone. It’s a dangerous emotion that always threatens to leap out of control, leading to emotional hurt, increased mental stress, and spiritual damage. But don’t focus on the words ‘without cause’, that does not justify anger, Jesus gives us a path to reconciliation. Know that any anger keeps us from developing and maintaining a spirit pleasing to God.

Self-control is good, but Christ calls us farther and into mind-control (Phl 2:5). Difficult, yes. But we are held accountable to such. If you have angst/anger against a fellow believer, go to them, before you go to the altar/prayer, and reconcile through the love of Christ. Anger does the deepest and most destructive damage within our own spirit, and never evens any score, it only makes for an ugly game.

 Anger is never a bonding agent to build, only an explosive to destroy… HSAY 

Daily Wisdom

‘For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.’ Mt 5:20

The Pharisees were exacting in their attempts to follow the laws. So how could Jesus reasonably call us to greater righteousness than theirs? The Pharisees' weakness was that they were content to obey the laws outwardly without their heart being changed (or attitudes). They looked pious, but they were far from Christ-likeness. God judges our hearts as well as our deeds, for it's in the heart that our real allegiance lies. Mirror the effort, but change the heart/attitude.

Jesus is calling us to a different kind of righteousness altogether (out of love for God), not just a more intense version of obedience. Our righteousness must (1) come from who God is, not what we do. (2) be God-centered, not self-centered, (3) be based on reverence for God, not approval from man, and (4) go beyond keeping the law to living by the principles behind the law. But be clear, we can’t ‘hide’ behind grace (God loves me unconditionally). True He does, but don’t let it become an excuse in your obedience. (Psa 5:6) God ‘abhors’ unrighteousness in one’s heart.

We must respond to God’s Word for who and what He is, not for what He bestows… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

'Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ Mt 5:16

Have you ever sat down and just read the “Red Letters” in the gospels? I encourage you to do so.  It offers a direct connection in hearing from God Himself. Here Jesus encourages us to make sure our light is focused and shinning on the right source. While the lights of the world are intended to shine and illuminate on itself, Jesus directs us to let out light shine on good works that reflect the Father’s glory and His heaven.  

Words alone will not do the job. In most cases less words are more affective when good works are seen. Consider, Jesus didn’t interview the widow lady about her two mites, He simply pointed out her good works for the disciples to see. As a believer we all possess a light. The issue is what is it illuminating, the glory of heaven or self and the world around us?

If you’re doing good you don’t have to say much; often the more one talks, more of them come out and less of Jesus… HSAY 

Daily Wisdom

‘… that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.’ 1 Tim 3:15

Behavior of the believer - the local church is the support and foundation of the truth, the behavior of the believer within the local church is of the utmost importance. We’re told in (Gal 2:9) the disciples appeared to be pillars, those who uphold the truth, Word of God, which the church is to illustrate. We must be diligent in our own enquires after truth, buying the truth at any cost and selling it not for any other gain (Pro 23:23). 

Our behavior is a direct reflection of whether we’re a pillar or a pile (one stands strong upholding truth for others to see, the other is swept aside). One’s beliefs alone don’t make them a better person, but one’s behavior that supports their beliefs. This isn’t about behavior modification, but about transformation of truth in one’s life that reflects the love of Jesus Christ. That’s what makes a pillar and upholds the truth of of God's Word. 

Christian character is shown through the behavior of the believer, not where they sit on Sunday… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

‘Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck.’ 1 Tim 1:19

Paul warns Timothy to hold to a good conscience, one that isn’t influenced by others around him. We’re not to be distracted from the good (right) fight, being the gospel. Ministry, even our own, is a continual warfare that requires our attention on the gospel, not gauging other’s.

When those around us make ‘shipwreck’ decisions in their faith walk, don’t let it distract you from your walk and the gospel. Paul simply turned his two disciples (vs 20) over to their own actions. It’s not spiritually healthy to allow our conscience to be distract by another’s actions. Truthfully, when we allow our conscience and thoughts to become judgmental, we’ve no longer kept a good conscience ourselves, thus begun to ‘shipwreck’ our own faith walk in the gospel.

When another’s life has become shipwrecked, finding themselves in a lifeboat, let’s be sure to pray for them lest we become shipwrecked ourselves… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

‘Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.’ – Pro 16:18

The greatest threat to ourselves and thus the church is not the persecution from the world or the attacks of satan, but from the carnality of our flesh and our compromise of the truth from within our own heart. 

The danger of pride and haughtiness is the subtle deception that occurs before they become recognizable and ugly. They’re seldom realized as the problem, causing us to be naive in our thinking that we’re above such frailties common to man. One, it causes our flesh to be carnal and self-absorbed in our interest and expectations rather than serving the interest of others in Christlikeness. Two, we can be prone to compromise the truth of God’s Word to the degree of accomplishing our own wishes instead of the Father’s will. 

Pride is a sin that takes you farther than you want to go and keeps you there longer than you want to stay… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

"But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear." - 1 Pt 3:14-15

Ever considered if you "suffer well"? Important to consider. One reason the Lord allows us to suffer is that, unlike anything else, suffering well proves the faith, power and beauty of our hope. Who might find hope in Jesus by watching you suffer well!

The most powerful testimony and witness for Jesus is not a new theological position, but simply living faithfully in His promises despite your current circumstances.

Suffering is nothing by itself, but when endured and shared with the passion of Christ, it shapes the soul in Christ-likeness... HSAY

Daily Wisdom

‘But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold of eternal life…’ 1 Tim 6:11-12

Paul uses active and forceful verbs to describe the Christian life: FLEE, FOLLOW, FIGHT. Some think Christianity is a passive religion that advocates waiting for God to act. On the contrary, we must have an active faith, training, working hard, sacrificing, and doing what we know is right.

We must actively flee that which is spiritually dangerous towards our faith, that causes, or would cause us to stumble in our race. Follow in the steps and personage of Jesus and His likeness, that embodies a true faith for others to see. And fight for the only issue worth fighting about, the gospel. That which we avoid, pursue, and stand for will greatly determine what we achieve and where we end up. Know the battle plan the Lord puts before you, or you may end up fighting battles you were not intended to fight against enemies you were not to engage.

Some believers walk around with chalk on their toes from standing too close to lines they should flee… HSAY