Tag Archives: Wisdom

The Key to Life-The 20th Day of Christmas

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On the 20th day of Christmas my true love gave to me, wisdom, the key to all life (Proverbs 8:35).

“Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not” (Proverbs 8:33). I think we have all violated that command. We hear someone telling us the right thing to do, but we have unwisely chosen to ignore the instruction and find ourselves with a big mess. Some of us try to clean up the mess with more foolish notions, causing us to get deeper in. Then others of us wise up quick, taking the initial instruction and seeking more wisdom so we won’t travel the old foolish road. I think many times when we make unwise decisions we forget that Wisdom Himself resides within us, waiting to guide all our choices.

Blessed [is] the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death (Proverbs 8:34-36).

This is wisdom personified and points us to the person of Jesus Christ. When Jesus came to earth, He “became for us wisdom from God” (1 Corinthians 1:30), and this Wisdom dictates that we choose Him so we have all we need to live this life according to God’s will (John 14:6; 2 Peter 1:3; Philippians 2:13). All “treasures of wisdom and knowledge” are hidden in Jesus (Colossians 2:3). If we want those riches we must first accept Him as Savior and Lord and then seek Him for the treasure He wants us to have to make wise decisions. As verse 34 states, seeking God is a daily process with the guarantee of finding Jesus—finding life—and obtaining God’s favor.

Make sure to read all of Proverbs 8 and meditate on the following scriptures to help you seek God daily for wisdom: Proverbs 3:13-18; 1 Corinthians 2:6-16; and James 3:13-18.

Copyright 2010 by Rhonda J. Smith

Wise Up-The 29th Day of Christmas

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On the 29th day of Christmas my true love gave to me wisdom to help me daily (1 Kings 3).

He was a king with great splendor and wise above all. This was King Solomon, known for his wisdom, a gift from God, foreshadowing Jesus, the King of Kings, who the Scriptures say “became for us wisdom from God” (1 Corinthians 1:30). That’s a lot to take in, but here’s what I want you to remember. Solomon was the wisest man to live the earth and he was rich and powerful and famous, but none of these came from his might but from the power of God after Solomon asked for “an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad” (1 Kings 3:9). Solomon impressed God because he only asked for an understanding heart, not giving a thought to his personal comfort or mortality. He wanted to be able to serve well in the position God placed him in and knew that having an understanding heart was his key.

We have all been placed in a position where we should seek to serve God well and having an understanding heart gives us the wisdom that we need to serve well; wisdom and understanding go hand in hand. “Wisdom [is] the principal thing; [therefore] get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7). I have had so many strong black women tell me that God gave them intellect so they count on it to make all their decisions. I think intellect can be a bonus, not a substitute, to having wisdom from God. Intellect apart from God’s wisdom is foolish; that’s what God says. If we submit our gifts and talents, including intellect, to God, He can show us how to use those to make wise decisions. But it first takes seeking Jesus who is wisdom from God and lives in our heart (Ephesians 3:16). The power of God resides in us to make wise decisions regarding our homes, jobs, children, marriages, friends, finances, and future. We can ask God for an understanding heart and He will give us wisdom and whatever else we need or He wants to give so that He, not we, gets the glory.

What have been some hard decisions you were able to make with wisdom from God? What were some bad decisions you made purely based on your intellect? I would love to hear your comments on the blog.

Copyright 2010 by Rhonda J. Smith

Click here to learn more about this blog series, The 39 Days of Christmas.

Maternal Vision

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Welcome my guest blogger, my pastor and friend Renee M. Carr, who will talk more about what it means to have maternal vision.

By Pastor Renee M. Carr

Too many women don’t recognize that they have the world in their womb, meaning the children they bear will impact the world, whether for good or for bad. As Christian women, we must recognize this reality and work to make sure that our children will make an impact on this world to the glory of Jesus Christ.

To help birth spiritually nurtured children who will affect change for God’s glory in the earth, mothers must have maternal vision. In Rhonda’s last post, she defined my notion of maternal vision as perceiving by any of your senses what must be done with your child; to have regard for and to cherish them; in essence, the ability to see what your child can become and, therefore, understand what needs to be done to help him or her to that point. Having maternal vision is the starting point for spiritual nourishment, but many women can’t begin because blind parenting is blocking their vision.

Blind parenting is interacting with your child but having no sense of who they will become (not seeing them) and, therefore, not knowing what to do to help them get there. It is the opposite of maternal vision. In order to not be a blind mother, you must work against the following:

1) Being a lazy mom, constantly delegating your maternal role to others. This could be an older child, grandparent or television. A good way to tell if you’re lazy is if you find yourself dropping off your child more than taking your child with you.

2) Lacking priority and education. You don’t prioritize the spiritual welfare of your children. You may give greater emphasis to non-spiritual activities, such as sports. And chances are you have never read a book on parenting or child development.

3) Being ill-focused or lacking balance of perspective. Focusing too much or too little attention on your child’s weaknesses or strengths or constantly prioritizing one child above the other are examples of being ill-focused or lacking balance of perspective.

4) Being spiritually, emotionally and mentally immature. When you have not developed in these three
areas, nine times out of 10 you will teach your children how to be spiritually, emotionally and mentally immature.

If at the heart of your character you are lazy, lack priority, education and balance of perspective, and are spiritually, emotionally and mentally immature, you are at risk for aborting your children whether physically or their purposed destiny. I know some of you reading this may have had a physical abortion. Please know that if you have repented, God has forgiven you. Receive His grace (1 John 1:9). If you haven’t repented, please know that God is there for you and wants to provide you with forgiveness. Please repent. And if you suspect that you have aborted your child’s purposed destiny, God wants you to repent, too. Now is the time to seek to have maternal vision so you don’t continue to alter any more of God’s plans for them.

In order to see who your children can become, do the following:

1) Cherish the basic and complex call to parenting (See Nurture Your Children).

2) Operate in faith. Just like Moses’ mom saw that he wasn’t an ordinary child, you too must see that your children are unique (Hebrews 11:23).

3) Pray. You need to constantly get wisdom from the Holy Spirit.

4) Spend quality time with your children. Know their likes and dislikes. Know who their friends are. Inquire about their academic development. Take them places they love and to new places to explore. Have bible study with them.

5) Obtain knowledge about child development. Study biblical material and apply them. Some good sources are “Growing Kids God’s Way” by Gary and Anne Marie Ezzo, “What the Bible Says About Child Training” by Richard Fugate and “The New Strong-Willed Child” by James Dobson.

6) Sacrifice and be positive about the sacrifice. People don’t need to hear you talk about being a martyr for your children. Realize that sacrifice is a part of motherhood and get to work.

By the grace of God, women, we can have maternal vision and set our children on a spiritually righteous course from our wombs to impact the entire world.

Copyright 2009 by Renee M. Carr

This was developed from the sermon series “The World in Your Womb” by Renee M. Carr, women’s pastor of Evangel Ministries, Detroit, MI. To get copies of the series, visit www.evangelministries.org or call 313-836-7732.

How to Use Time Wisely

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Thousands of books are sold annually to help people discover their purpose, which, in essence, tell them how they should be spending their time. As I wrote earlier this week, Christians should spend our time giving God glory, which means focusing our efforts to display that we belong to God and so that others will come to know Him. This is our purpose. But because each of us is unique, this purpose—how we spend our time—will look different from person to person. This time spent is based on our gifts and talents and God’s timing of when He wants us to use them for Him.

Even if you know that you were created to worship God, you may not know how you were created to do so or how to allocate your time to worship Him fully. So to help us ascertain how to spend our time wisely, I want you to always ask yourself three questions: “What are my gifts and talents?” “How do you, God, want me to use my gifts and talents?” And, “What difference will it make if I do this right now?”

What are my gifts and talents? A gift is something that God supernaturally gives to Christians to accomplish His work—which is making Him known, reflecting God in your life and sharing Him with others. While people use Holy Spirit-endowed gifts for their personal benefit, God didn’t give them for personal use. Whether you are on your job, walking down the street, in the mall or at the hair salon, your gifts should always reflect that you’re using them to glorify Jesus Christ. See 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12 and Ephesians 4:11-12. If looking at these scriptures doesn’t give you a clue about your gifts, there are a number of gifts tests you can take. Team Ministry has one that’s pretty basic at www.churchgrowth.org.

Talents are those activities that you come natural to you and you excel in. Singing, dancing, writing, carpentry, sports, or any other skill apart from those listed in the above scriptures fall in this category.

How do you, God, want me to use my gifts and talents? Just because you know your gifts and talents doesn’t mean you can use them for whatever comes your way. You must seek God to find out how He wants you to use your gifts and talents. I hear so many people say that they don’t hear from God or don’t know how to hear from God. Well, John 10:27 says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. . .” Jesus says because you are His you hear His voice. The assumption is that 1) you belong to God and 2) you do what’s necessary to hear His voice. You must seek to get close to Him so you can hear Him. You do this through studying His word and constantly communing with Him through prayer, not just a daily set aside time but talking to Him throughout the day.

What difference will it make if I do this right now? Sometimes we are clear about our gifts and talents and how God wants us to use them, but our timing is off. I know at times I don’t properly prioritize; I take care of something that God has told me to do, but it is not the most pressing issue. I have forced myself to ask, “What difference will it make if I do this right now?” If I find that I will only feel good about it being done or that it will set my schedule back then I shouldn’t be engaged in it right then. And, of course, the opposite is true: I do it right then if I know God will be pleased and I will be on target with my schedule.
Always seeking God with these questions ensures the right path for our lives and that we will be using our time wisely to accomplish God’s will.

Copyright 2009 by Rhonda J. Smith

Redeem Your Time

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“She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls” (Proverbs 31:15).

This scripture has always fascinated many Christian women because they were expected to wake up early on top of handling all the other responsibilities of a so-called Proverbs 31 woman. I have always been an early riser, so that part doesn’t fascinate me like the fact that she had servants, but I digress and will get back to that point in the next post, Lord willing. But even though I rise early and find it beneficial to my day, I think there is a larger principle at work in this scripture. The Proverbs 31 woman rose early so she could begin to handle her business and the business of her family before having to interact with her family. She used the time of day best for her to be singularly focused on family business and not on family members themselves.

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:15-17).

Ephesians tells us to use our time wisely, or as some translations say “redeem the time,” “because the days are evil.” This phrase suggests that there is so much turmoil in the world that it can be easy for the Christian to focus on their pain and suffering, whether that pain comes from attacks against Christianity, the work that goes into keeping a daily routine or physical ailments that we are all prone to. But our focusing on our pain should not be all-consuming because we miss the ability to make “the best use of the time.” Our time is supposed to be used to accomplish “the will of the Lord.”

“For everything comes from him; everything exists by his power and is intended for his glory. To him be glory evermore. Amen” (Romans 11:36 NLT).

Because we were created for God’s glory, we must spend our time giving him glory, which means focusing our efforts to display that we belong to God and so that others will come to know Him. Each of us is called to do this but in different ways, according to our gifts and talents. So if we are spending time to accomplish anything other than giving God glory, we are not being wise; we need to seek the Lord to understand not His will, because I’ve told you that, but how He wants us to accomplish His will. Knowing how to accomplish God’s will helps us to be that Proverbs 31 woman, and doing God’s will is the only way to use our time wisely.

Copyright 2009 by Rhonda J. Smith