Imagine you are on a beach and find a lamp. You rub the lamp and a genie comes out. He tells you that he can grant you one wish. What do you wish for? You see, going to God for something that He has already said He will grant is like knowing that your wish will be fulfilled.
Let's see: What would Solomon have asked for?
So, what is it that I am so in need of? What is it that I have asked for in the past and received every time? What is it that God has already said I will receive if I will merely ask?
It is wisdom. It is something God has already said He would give without reproach. It is something I need in so many areas.
I need wisdom in dealing with my children, my church, my sermons and even my blogs. I need wisdom in those things which trouble me and those things which are no trouble at all. I need wisdom in deciding on expenditures and investments. I need wisdom in reading the scripture and discerning God's will. Wisdom is needed in every area of my life.
Yet, for some reason, I keep forgetting to ask for it. I tell God I don't know what to do but fail to admit that I need His wisdom to make a decision. I start each day as if I am a completely self-contained unit which needs no infusion of divine wisdom.
It bothers me that I can't seem to learn this lesson.
I suppose i will need wisdom to do that, too.
James 1:5 (ESV)
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
2 comments:
Genie, I will wish for 2 more wishes. And with 2 more wishes, for the 1st, I can wish for anything I fancy, and then for the 2nd, I will wish for another 2 more wishes. In that way, I will have never-ending wishes to make!.......just joking.
Actually, I think I am also guilty of the same, forgetting to ask for wisdom, more than anything else. Funny, I can recall, so very regularly praying for godly wisdom be given to people who sought prayers from me. What is it saying? That I think people are lacking wisdom, and I lack NOT? Better self-examine. Maybe, NOT exactly like that; a person has a problem, and coming to me for prayer, and perhaps, hoping to hear some advice (or maybe, more of words from God!), and I have none to give (NOT all the time, I do have something to say, at times); and so, the best thing is to petition for God's wisdom be given to the person in his situation.
A prophet (He called himself a prophet, and he prophesizes), a few years ago, prophesized that God would grant me wisdom for my ministering to others. And so, I do believe some good advice can come forth, when I am ministering. But that is wisdom for ministry, and like any other ministry gifts, it is meant to benefit others. And so, I cannot take it for granted that, for my own issues of life, I necessarily have the wisdom, although I believe God's infusing of His anointing and our exercise of His anointing do impact us positively; in other words, I can be healed and by healthy from the healing ministry anointing, and perhaps, a little wiser, from His flow of wisdom in and through me. Still, this is secondary, and we must primarily, be asking for direct wisdom for our affairs of life. Solomon is a case, on this point.
Indeed, Solomon asked for wisdom. And God gave that (and more). The wisdom that God granted Solomon was the kind I elaborated above, wisdom for ministry. King Solomon's ministry was to govern the great people of God; Solomon said to God that he felt he was inadequate to do that, and he asked God for wisdom for that - to lead the people of God. And indeed Solomon was of great wisdom, and as result of his ministry, which is to lead the nation, Israel became a great nation, highly regarded by other nations of the world.
Yet, on a personal level, over time, through lack of seeking God's wisdom for his personal life, and so, he failed to guard his heart and mind, Solomon fell, through the influence of his concubines. It ended up he practised and promoted detestable practices and worship of other gods. Through Solomon, the nation of Israel became hugely great (once), and through the same, the nation was split up. It is NOT wrong to say the break-up of the United Monarchy of Israel was due to Solomon, the wisest man, having offended God, although the split, as decided by God, was to take place after Solomon's reign, during the reign of his son, Rehoboam.
Indeed, we all need to ask God for wisdom for our affairs of life, to guard our heart and minds. Before I go further, it is best I confess to the Lord, "I must admit I have taken it for granted, Lord. Pride has reared its ugly head so very subtly, and I am guilty. Forgive me, Lord."
Cont...
Cont. from above
One way to define holiness is goodness absolute. God is good absolute, and so, God is holy. What is pride? What does pride say? Yes, better; like I am better! That is what pride epitomizes. And so, pride and God cannot go together, for there is none better, or anything better than what God can come up with. In fact, Scripture is clear that God is opposed to pride. Since God is opposed to pride, no wisdom of God could have been had for one who is proud. God cannot be, for the proud, and so, any wisdom purportedly possessed and exercised of, by the proud one, cannot be of God, for the situation. It is my conviction that wisdom of God comes easily for one who embraces God’s holiness, but NOT so, for one who is proud or embraced NOT, His holiness. The James 1:5 verse must be viewed with proviso, and the proviso is that we must be without reproach. If you are proud, you are with reproach, and if you are NOT embracing His holiness, but are, say, wicked or unrighteous or of wrong or impure motive (James 4:3), you can be with reproach, and you may NOT receive.
It is no doubt that we have to be diligent and be exercising our faculty of reasoning, yet, it is our posture that God and only God knows what is best for any scenario, that pleases God. I failed because I do NOT self-test; I do NOT ask, “Is this what God would have wanted?”, or weigh if my decision will pass that test. This touches on the practicing of the presence of God. Do you and I practice the presence of God, throughout our day?
Anthony Chia, high.expressions
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