If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
James chapter 1, verse 5; from the New Living Translation (NLT)
Currently, according to the Treasury Department, the debt of the United States government is over 36 trillion dollars. How is that possible? Well, the answer really is simple. The government has been spending more money than it takes in. It’s called deficit spending. If I were to deficit spend, my bank either charges me an exorbitantly high service charge or they bounce the check or decline the debit transaction. It would seem to me that our government should stop spending more than it takes in. But, then again, I’m not a politician, thank God!
36 trillion is a lot of dough–but there’s an even higher deficit going on right now. It’s called wisdom! I grew up in an era where people were encouraged and expected to develop wisdom, otherwise known as common sense. What I want to know is that if it’s common sense, why is it so uncommon these days, especially in the church? And this morning I know the answer. Would you like to know the answer? Well, I’m going to tell you whether you want to know the answer or not.
The lack of wisdom, or “common sense”, that has invaded this land more than COVID is rooted in where people are looking for and seeking after WISDOM! Wisdom always comes from outside ourselves. Unfortunately, people are looking in the wrong places. They look for it in pop psychology, social trends, egotistical social influencers, political ideologies, or blogs like Hacking Christianity. Yes, I intentionally chose Jeremy Smith because of his over-inflated ego. And his obvious lack of wisdom.
Information alone doesn’t enable us to successfully navigate life and avoid its pitfalls. Here is why: Information tells us things–but wisdom shows us how to use that information in the best possible ways. Wisdom takes information and applies it to real life as it happens. And the only source for Wisdom is the one James, the half-brother of Jesus, tells us about. Ask God! In fact, God loves it when we ask Him for wisdom! I love how The Message puts it: “If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it.”
Truth Time, people!!! We don’t know how to live life as God designed it without His Wisdom! We don’t know what we’re doing without His Wisdom! And here’s the thing no one like Jeremy wants to admit: God’s wisdom always runs counter-cultural to what the world says! So, are you confused? In a jam? At a dead-end? God knows what He is doing. So, why not ask Him? The results of asking and applying (since wisdom is lacking in so many lives I have to add applying) His wisdom will get us out of this hot-mess. And it will certainly restore our joy and hope in life. You can be wise if you seek God’s wisdom. Or you can just be dumb, if you so choose. And it is your choice.
Kingdom Pastor 