SEEK WISDOM

James 1:5-6 (CEB)* “But anyone who needs wisdom should ask God, whose very nature is to give to everyone without a second thought, without keeping score. Wisdom will certainly be given to those who ask. Whoever asks shouldn’t hesitate. They should ask in faith, without doubting. Whoever doubts is like the surf of the sea, tossed and turned by the wind.

Understanding that we have no clue how to live our lives to the fullest without hurting others in the process, we must ask God for help. He is standing at the ready with all that we need to survive in this chaotic world. It stands to reason that when wisdom and discernment is needed, all we need to do is ask. God gives to all His children liberally, without hesitation.

James 4:3 (CEB)* “You ask and don’t have because you ask with evil intentions, to waste it on your own cravings.”

There are times when we ask for things that are not essential to our well being. God is not a genie in a bottle. We are not to ask for every whim and fancy that we wish to have. It is the necessities and not the Xbox or the iPhone that we need to be asking God for. While there is nothing inherently evil in those things, they are not essential to our survival. Things like wisdom, patience, guidance, healing, and tolerance … things that are designed to assist us in making right choices in life. These are the important things we must seek from God; to help us withstand temptation or make a critical decision. It is those Godly attributes which we are called to acquire and that we are to seek, even ask for.

God gives us all we need to succeed in this life for Him. If we truly seek to serve Him and be like Christ, then we need to read His word to find out all that is required of us. The Bible tells us to “count the cost” (Luke 14:27-30) of following Christ. Much may be required of you, but you will in turn experience some of the most wonderful blessings you could ever imagine. Sometimes they are not easily seen with the naked eye, but rather with the eye of the spirit. We must train ourselves by quieting ourselves; being still before the Lord. It can be a mighty challenge for us with the cacophony of noise that is around us nearly all the time. Practice blocking it out. I have always had trouble silently waiting for anything, let alone God to speak to my heart. He handles each of us differently. Each of us has a different story to tell of how God ministers to us. With me, I get ministered to quite a bit through the spoken word, whether it is a sermon, a song or a verse of scripture. I get distracted reading for long periods of time, yet can concentrate long enough to write for quite some time.

Everyone learns differently. I happen to learn best by visual means. I get more out of watching a cinematic version of a story, then reading it. I retain more and remember pictures in my mind better than when I imagine it. Others learn better through the written word and are quite voracious readers because of it. When I read scripture, I tend to read brief portions and then write down what I think it means and then what it means to me. I retain it better that way. How do you learn things? Try using that technique to learn about God through His word. The Bible is, in a way, life’s road map and owner’s manual all in one. You really cannot live a successful life in God’s eyes without following its’ directives. Why go it alone? Seek the One Who desires to make your trip through life a little easier.

WALK WITH THE KING TODAY AND BE A BLESSING!
*CEB – Common English Bible translation