Tag: christianity

Where Do We Find Wisdom?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn PracticalLeave a comment

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Man is always searching. Searching for happiness, understanding, knowledge, wisdom. Sadly, for most, their search will never end. That’s because they are looking in the wrong place – the world. You see, the things of this world can’t provide us with ultimate satisfaction, understanding, knowledge, or wisdom.

Job Speaks Up

Thankfully, someone who understands that speaks up and tells us that this world can’t provide what we seek.

““Man puts his hand to the flinty rock and overturns mountains by the roots. He cuts out channels in the rocks, and his eye sees every precious thing. He dams up the streams so that they do not trickle, and the thing that is hidden he brings out to light.” (Job 28:9-11)

Where Do We Find Wisdom?

“But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man does not know its worth, and it is not found in the land of the living. The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’ and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’ It cannot be bought for gold, and silver cannot be weighed as its price. It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire. Gold and glass cannot equal it, nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold. No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal; the price of wisdom is above pearls. The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, nor can it be valued in pure gold.

“From where, then, does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding? It is hidden from the eyes of all living and concealed from the birds of the air. Abaddon and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’

“God understands the way to it, and he knows its place. For he looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. When he gave to the wind its weight and apportioned the waters by measure, when he made a decree for the rain and a way for the lightning of the thunder, then he saw it and declared it; he established it, and searched it out. And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’ ”” (Job 28:12–28)

According to Job, we can’t find wisdom in this world. Wisdom is only found in the Lord. It’s only for those who fear Him and turn from evil.

Question for Reflection

  1. Do you agree with Job that Wisdom is found in the Lord?

Resource

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On God’s Grace

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals, QuotesLeave a comment

Isaac Watts wrote a hymn in which he takes up our Lord’s image of salvation being like a great banquet. Picture yourself coming into a grand banqueting hall where a marvelous feast is spread out for you.

While all our hearts and all our songs
Join to admire the feast
Each of us cry, with thankful hearts, 
“Lord, why was I a guest?”

Does this not amaze you? Lord, why me? Why am I in Christ? Why did you bring me in? Why has your grace laid hold of me?

Why was I made to hear thy voice
And enter while there’s room
When Thousands make a wretched choice
And rather starve than come?

‘Twas the same love that spread the feast
That sweetly drew us in;
Else we had still refused to taste
And perished in our sin

Apart from God’s grace, you would never have come to Christ, and neither would I. Our sinful hearts would have taken us away. We would be outside, like thousands of others, still refusing to come.

So let God’s grace lead you to worship. Once you taste God’s grace, you will spend the rest of your life coming back to this question: ‘Why me?’ The staggering answer is that He loved you simply because He loved you.

Question for Reflection

  1. Does your unworthiness of God’s grace drive you to worship Him?

Resources

Colin Smith, Jonah: Navigating a God-centered Life, 99.

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On Being Apart of God’s Grand Drama

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals, QuotesLeave a comment

The Word of God invites us into the unfolding cosmic drama of which we have always played a part, even without being aware of it.

Our childhood experiences, triumphs, and tragedies are all part of God’s shaping of our lives, which are, more importantly, about the shaping of His story.

When we understand that our lives are not a random collection of experiences but rather a part of God’s grand drama we discover that we are gifted by God, blessed with talents and treasures, not for our own ends, but as resources to contribute to His plan to redeem the world by His Word.

Leaders then begin to recognize the design and purpose inherent in their lives.

Question for Reflection

  1. How have your life experiences shaped the way the Lord uses you today?

Resources

Quoted from Mark Sayers, Facing Leviathan, 70

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The Gospel and the Christian Life – Part 6

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Practical, The Gospel and the Christian Life1 Comment

The Gospel and the Christian Life

Over the next several weeks we are going to follow the story line of Scripture from Creation to Jesus’ return in an effort to deepen our understanding of the Gospel and how Christians are to live after they have professed Christ as Lord and Savior. (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5)

What do those who profess Jesus as their Savior believe?

When you profess Him as Savior, you are saying you believe several things:

  • You believe if it weren’t for Jesus and His death on the cross, you would receive punishment for your sins — When Jesus dies on the cross, He is punished in your place.
  • You believe you can’t save yourself — There is nothing you can do. No amount of good works (service, helping others, living right) will ever be able to pay for your sins.
  • You believe you are not good enough to have a relationship with God — You are a sinner whose sin hinders your relationship with God. We can only have a relationship with God through our belief in Jesus.
  • You believe you are a sinner who must turn from (repent) of your sin — Christians don’t continue to live a life of sin. Instead they turn from their sin and try to live like Jesus.
  • You believe nothing else is needed for salvation but belief in Jesus as your Lord and Savior — All that is required of you to be saved is to believe Jesus is your Lord and Savior. There is nothing else we must do in order to be saved.
  • You believe your salvation is a gift — You did nothing to earn your salvation. God gave you the faith to believe in Jesus as your Savior, which means your salvation was a gift from God.

Reflect

  1. Do we need to do anything more than believe Jesus is our Lord and Savior to be saved?
  2. What would happen to us if we did not believe Jesus was our Savior?
  3. Do you believe Christians should live differently after they have professed Jesus as their Savior?
  4. Do you believe salvation can be earned?

Resources

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Some posts’ structure influenced by Big Truths for Young Hearts by Bruce Ware

On the Power of God

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals, QuotesLeave a comment

3  If one wished to contend with him (God),
one could not answer him once in a thousand times.
4  He is wise in heart and mighty in strength
—who has hardened himself against him, and succeeded?—
5  he who removes mountains, and they know it not,
when he overturns them in his anger,
6  who shakes the earth out of its place,
and its pillars tremble;
7  who commands the sun, and it does not rise;
who seals up the stars;
8  who alone stretched out the heavens
and trampled the waves of the sea;
9  who made the Bear and Orion,
the Pleiades and the chambers of the south;
10  who does great things beyond searching out,
and marvelous things beyond number.
11  Behold, he passes by me, and I see him not;
he moves on, but I do not perceive him.
12  Behold, he snatches away; who can turn him back?
Who will say to him, ‘What are you doing?’

Question for Reflection

  1. Have you tried contending with God? If so, what did you discover?

Resources

Job 9:3-12

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On Prayer: The Chief Exercise of Faith

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals, Quotes5 Comments

Over the years I’ve found much of what I’ve read about prayer to be unhelpful. Here’s why: Prayer is usually considered under the heading of ‘spiritual disciplines’ which makes it the spiritual equivalent of running on a treadmill or flossing your teeth, neither of which are attractive to me. Viewing prayer purely as a discipline drags the whole business back into the world of law, and law can never impart life.

I awakened to this when I discovered a description of prayer that warmed my heart with a fresh desire to pray. Calvin describes prayer as

“the chief exercise of faith by which we daily receive God’s benefits.”

Then he offers this compelling picture:

“We dig up by prayer the treasures that were pointed out by the Lord’s gospel, and which our faith has gazed upon.”

Imagine walking over a field where vast treasure lies buried. To make these riches your own, you need two things: a map and a spade. Scripture is your map, and prayer is your spade.

I find this picture helpful because it delivers prayers from the austere world of law and discipline and brings it into the realm of the gospel and promise, where it belongs. Prayer is more than a duty to be fulfilled; it is a gift to be enjoyed. There is a world of difference between ‘having your quiet time’ as a spiritual discipline and drawing near to God to possess what He promises to you in Christ.

Since prayer is “the chief exercise of faith by which we daily receive God’s benefits,” it follows that the primary gifts you will receive go far beyond ‘answers’ to items or needs on your prayer list. Prayer is the means by which you lay hold of all that God has promised in your own life and in the lives of others for whom you pray.

Question for Reflection

  1. What do you think about prayer?

Resources

Colin Smith, Jonah: Navigating a God-centered Life, 62-63.

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