I should have photo-shopped a sportcoat and a mullet.
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If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. --James 1:5-8
Wisdom - a God-given and God-centered discernment regarding the practical issues in life.
I'm in a place right now where I am intently seeking God's wisdom. I should be doing that all the time but in these times of confusion and direction-seeking, the pursuit of that wisdom reaches another level.
The wisdom will come, as according to the Scripture above. I have no doubt of that. But I think that God delays sometimes because I'm not willing to accept and use that wisdom. He's not wasteful. He's not going to carpet-bomb me with wisdom through a take-it-or-leave-it attitude. No. He'll give it, generously, when He knows I'm ready to receive it.
I stole the definition above from a commentary. The part that made me shudder tonight was the "God-centered" part. Too often I look at wisdom from a God-given, what-Chuck-wants perspective. "Lord, give me the wisdom to know what to do because I want ______ ."
But His wisdom, as with all His blessings, is for His purposes. It's given so that we will make the decision that best fulfills His plans. And that will ultimately be for our best, even if we can't see it.
Benji preached about the rich, young ruler. The man who walked away sad and disappointed because he couldn't give up the things necessary to follow God. He wanted to hang on to what he thought was best. The story ends this way:
And He said to them, "Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life." --Luke 18:29,30
The rich, young ruler couldn't see that what he would gain through surrender and loss would far outweigh anything he had earned or possessed.
Sometimes, I can't see it either.
Jesus promises to bless us now and forever. That pretty much trumps the things I desire. So I pray for wisdom, and the heart to hear it and use it for the reason it is given.
I don't know if this means anything to any of you. I guess it's my "dear diary" moment of the day.
