Wisdom Needed

 

Since realizing I’ve a touch of both ADHD and autism, I can see more clearly how these affect life. For one thing, people with autism tend to not read other people very well, so some of them will over-analyze in the attempt to understand. I do that, yet for a long time thought that meant I was understanding others. But much research and making a long list of possibilities is not the same as getting it right. 

This also explains the difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowing a lot of facts is not the same as knowing what to do with that information. Wisdom goes farther and becomes action. 

Proverbs states this difference many times and the NT gives this example:

Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. (1 Corinthians 8:1–3)

Being filled with information about any topic could make me an expert in that topic, yet “expert” is sometimes humorously defined as ex means a “has-been” and “pert” means “a drip under pressure.” The above verse says why this is likely — knowledge can puff me up. 

Puff is from a Greek word that means to inflate, be proud, arrogant, haughty. Not at all like Jesus, even though He knows all things. In other words, if I make ‘gathering information’ my goal in life, I will mess with God’s goal of transforming me into the image of His Son. However, because of what Jesus has done, wisdom is available to me. All I have to do is ask God for it:

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. (James 1:5)

This morning I read a prayer that could sound like autism, but certainly sounds like humility. The author tells of matters that confuse him then asks God to show him the difference between a healthy costly investment in people’s lives versus an unhealthy entanglement and becoming enmeshed. He knows he should love as Jesus loves, but sometimes does not know what that looks like. I can relate to this request. He asks for wisdom to discern the difference between rightly validating the emotions of others and trying to “fix” them rather than love them. I relate to this also.

He also asks for wisdom about his own emotions. His list is not the same as mine, yet I also wonder why some things frustrate me one day and not the next, or not today but will tomorrow. He asks for help to listen to others and understand, rather than rushing to judgment or rush out of their story too fast.

PRAY: Dear Lord, just knowing You will give wisdom to those who ask is such a comfort. However, too often my pride gets in the way and I fumble with making a search for more knowledge only to wind up with a to-do list of choices rather than Your wise choice. I am so thankful for this reminder that You grant wisdom freely and generously. I do long for the time when terror is terrified and there will be no more tears, or brokenness or barrenness, or  heartaches or even heartburn, and no more human trafficking or even human tooth decay, no more war or even aggravation, no more evil or even envy, no more poverty or even pouting, and no more “not yet,” “not enough,” or “not now.” Those things I know and understand to be my hope. Grant me the wisdom to live in what are now the perplexities and negatives of this current life along with my current tests and trials. May You grant me the knowledge I need and the wisdom to know what to do with it, but most of all the grace to obey whatever You say to me. Amen.

Don’t put anyone on a pedestal

When a teenager, I idolized a few singers, including Elvis Presley. After becoming a Christian, that tendency to put stars on a pedestal was soon shaken. God showed me that no matter how popular or ‘great’ a person might be, as a friend used to say, they put their pants on one leg at a time just like everyone else.

I’ve been put on a pedestal by a few well-meaning people; and hated it. One extreme was having my mistakes overlooked or excused making transparency and confessing sin awkward to say the least. Not only that, if I did make even a small error, some would treat me as if I’d ruined the world. Pride likes a pedestal, but only to a point!

None of the above is biblical. God does not play favorites and tells His people not to do it either. Each member of His family has struggles, ups and downs, human needs, skills and weaknesses. Paul, an easy person to put on a pedestal, reveals reasons why this is not to be done. He was human like the rest of us and every time I read this section, I identify with him and feel empathy. That can’t happen if I put him up there somewhere rather than alongside me. Paul writes to Timothy:

Do your best to come to me soon. For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (2 Timothy 4:9–18)

I feel his loneliness in this passage. He was needy. He forgot his cloak, books and Scripture in Troas. He had been opposed by someone, perhaps a person he’d trusted. He also had been deserted and attacked while alone by that roaring lion — Satan. He knew the pressures of suffering without anyone to help him, yet the Lord was with him. These are the words of a ‘spiritual giant’ yet they sound like the words of every Christian. Each of us struggles with the same things.

A couple weeks ago in a small group discussion about seniors, I mentioned what I thought most seniors struggled with — feeling abandoned and useless. Two were over ninety, another a bit younger and they nodded vigorously. They had not expressed this as a problem but seemed totally relieved that it came out in the open. They are people who appear spiritual mature to everyone else, yet in their hearts have struggles with basic issues — just as everyone else.

God’s thought for me today is that we are all in this battle of life together. I’ve met famous preachers — they lose their car keys and forget their wives’ birthdays just like many ordinary people. I’ve met famous authors and they goof up too, burn the toast and worse, just like I do. Don’t put anyone on a pedestal.

The preachers I learn the most from are transparent and willing to share their quirks and foibles. One of our pastors recently shared getting a speeding ticket and how he felt when he saw the flashing lights, while waiting for the officer to come to his vehicle, during the conversation and after receiving the piece of paper. He was up on a platform in the church building but refused to be put on a pedestal. Some listeners expressed discomfort, yet all of us felt closer to this man and more aware of the love of Jesus that he preached about that day.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Lord Jesus, it is easy to talk about accomplishments and not as easy to share my mistakes, needs, or negative emotions or events, but Paul did. And he invites his readers to follow his example. We humans are in this together; we all struggle with various things and should never make anyone feel they are so ‘special’ that they cannot be honest about their lives. Pedestals make them feel uncomfortable because standing there forces them to be unreal, even dishonest. Guard my heart that I don’t do this to anyone or let anyone do it to me.

Today’s thankful list . . .

Finally ready for a demo I’m doing tomorrow at a craft show.

A great checkup at the pacemaker clinic.

New technology – my heart can be examined using my smart phone.

Safety driving in Friday’s nutty traffic.

Mexican food and cinnamon buns.

Naps.

Today, God says . . .

For those who follow this blog along with the readings of Oswald Chambers, I apologize. I jumped a day yesterday, and now am back with his devotional for yesterday. My excuse? I’m on holidays and have no calendar on the wall in front of me? Or my hand shook and I hit the wrong link? Or I’m thinking ahead to the plans for tomorrow? Whatever the reasons, God still speaks so that I might live each day under the guidance and grace of His Word.

For today, Chambers writes that the great danger in being called by God to go into a sin-filled world with the gospel is the enormity of human need. He says our sympathy for them can overwhelm the reason and purpose for which we are sent. “The needs are so enormous, the conditions so perplexing, that every power of mind falters and fails. We forget that the one great reason underneath all missionary enterprise is not first the elevation of the people, nor the education of the people, nor their needs; but first and foremost the command of Jesus Christ—‘Go ye therefore, and teach all nations.’”

In reversing these two days of devotional readings, I’m actually hearing the Word of the Lord with greater impact that I would have otherwise. We are in a large city. Going from my personal space where I spend most of my days to a metropolis filled with needs, plus listening to the news with even greater intensity, has me feeling that overwhelming sense of where does a person even start?

There is so much need, so many people, that I can barely pray for it all, never mind do anything. It is to this sense of urgent unrest that the Lord speaks to me this morning . . .

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. (John 20:21–22)

Jesus was sent by God. As the Father sent Him, He sends His disciples. I’m not to go anywhere or do anything motivated by what I see around me, but motivated only by the commands of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is my ‘inspiration’ rather than the needs or even any cries for help that I might hear.

Chambers says that most people operate under the leading of inspiration. That is, they see something that needs to be done, have ideas about how to do it, then move forward with hopes of accomplishing their task. This sounds good, but as this author says, the ideal is being true to Jesus, carrying out His enterprises. I’m to do the will of God His way, not in whatever way seems good to me.

This shows up in how I evaluate the lives of godly men and women. Do I praise their wisdom and understanding? Or do I recognize that they were led by the mind and leading of God, not human wisdom at all? Do I give credit to the people instead of attributing their success to God and how He is able to supernaturally equip His people to do His will in His way?

If God so leads, any of His children can become world-changers. He knows how to make it happen. Who He uses is up to Him. In the meantime, I am to be at peace, listening, and (in the power of the Holy Spirit) obeying whatever small role He desires from me.

Jesus is no imaginary Friend

Some children invent imaginary friends to play with and help them with comfort in stress, companionship when lonely, someone to boss when feeling powerless or to blame for the missing cookies from the cookie jar. Psychologists say this is one way a child tries to make sense of their world. A quick search told me that this can carry into adulthood, but is not a sign of mental illness. In fact, those who use their imagination in this way are often more intelligent and emotionally stable than those who do not.

This made me wonder how the Apostle Paul coped while he was in prison in Rome for several years. What does a person do all day with few people to talk to and little or no interaction with friends?

Apparently, Paul shared the Gospel with the prison guards. He also wrote letters, two to Timothy, the young pastor he had mentored. The last few lines of his second letter tell of his aloneness and his needs.

Do your best to come to me soon. For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (2 Timothy 4:9–18)

I read this and felt both sad and happy, first for myself for I have known the pain of being deserted, but also for the grace of God who stood by Paul as his friend and comforter. This God is my God too, but He is no imaginary friend (as skeptics might suggest). He promised that He would be with us always. We know His presence with us, different from the presence of anything imagined. As Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me…” (John 10:27).

Jesus makes Himself real to those who believe in Him. In fact, this is the reason for salvation. God created people for intimacy with Himself. Because of sin, we lost that, so He sent Jesus to die for sin. Because of Jesus, that deep intimacy with God can be restored. This relationship is closer than any friendship, real or imaginary because God reserves that closest place in our hearts for Himself. Besides, He will never leave us or forsake us.

Intimacy with God does not exclude people. For Paul, nearly everyone had left, but Luke stayed. Timothy also was available and planning to be there. Paul could ask this coworker to help him, bring his cloak, his books and most of all, the scriptures. Yet there were days when all were gone. Paul was physically alone, and perhaps feeling emotionally abandoned, which is a greater loneliness.

Jesus experienced both. His disciples fled when He was arrested. They often did not understand Him or were busy arguing about who would be the greatest in the kingdom, completely missing the point of why they were following Him in the first place. He also cried out at the very end that His Father had abandoned Him. We cannot imagine His great grief.

Today’s devotional reading reminds me of these who suffered desertion. David was betrayed by Ahithophel and driven into the wilderness by Saul. Christ was betrayed by Judas and abandoned by the other disciples. Demas and others deserted Paul, perhaps because He was in prison and they thought he was no longer useful to them or to God?

At times, every Christian feels useless in the kingdom. Right now, I’m involved in study (to finish a degree) and cannot participate in many ordinary affairs of life, sometimes even forgetting other people. I should not be surprised if others forget about me amid my books. Besides, if Jesus and the great saints of God were left alone, should I expect never to experience the same thing?

Yet I am never alone. Jesus is here. He is real, not an imaginary friend that I control, or who has no power or words unless I put them in His mouth. He is a living Savior who stands by me and strengthens me, giving me all that I need to do all that He wants me to do. I recognize His voice (He sometimes says things I don’t want to hear.) He rescues me from evil. He will bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom. However, after greeting Him there, I’m planning to look around for David and Paul to give them a hug and tell them how much their sufferings encouraged me to a deeper intimacy with God!