Spiritual Mathematics
Today we learned that the thesis of the letter to the Hebrews is “Don’t give up!”
I’ve heard that the thing Jesus said in the Gospels more than any other idea was, “Fear not!” (10x’s) or “Be not afraid!” (9x’s)
Paul said we wrestle “against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, and against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12)
We’re at war. It’s all around us.
Sometimes it’s obvious: East vs. West, Liberal vs. Conservative, Muslin vs. Jew, Muslim vs. Christian, Tyranny vs. Freedom, Doctor vs. Disease, Nation vs. Nation, Neighbor vs. Neighbor, Person vs. Person…
Sometimes it is not obvious at all: Me vs. Myself, Flesh vs. Spirit, Life vs. Death, Legalism vs. Licentiousness, God vs. satan…
Sometimes, we spend so much time rambling through life that we fail to recognize the battle raging around us. At other times it’s all we can see. In the same way, sometimes I feel compelled to write, but I don’t know what to say. At other times I have a message to share and no audience or means to share it. There is a battle going on inside me. It’s “in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones.” (Jeremiah 20:9) There’s a thought on the edge of my perceptions, teasing me with its brilliance; refusing to be born.
Right now, I am in the midst of this battle. There are so many thoughts going on inside of me: finding Elora, loving Olivia, going for a walk later with Gracey, learning to be a pastor, yearning to be a preacher, working for each cent we need, wanting to read, wondering about whether God’s promise is 2 quivers or 3, waiting for Jesus, looking for signs and praying for wonders.
How can I help the world become a better place? Do I even have a right to ask the question? Yes, in Christ I do. And not only the right, but also the responsibility. It is my duty as a Christ-follower to leave a mark that looks like Jesus. Thus, leaving it a better place in as much as I am able to do so. So, if I look like Jesus, I’m making the world a better place.
Aha! There it is, the elusive thought that’s been haunting my periphery. Olivia and I have been reading the Bible together most nights. I can’t tell you how much I like doing this. I miss it when we cannot, or must cut it short, even if it’s for a great reason.
So, we’ve been reading God’s word and praying for wisdom. We want wisdom to love each other well. We want wisdom to parent Elora well when we find her. We want wisdom to know how to serve the Lord in our lives and in our life together. We want wisdom to discern between open doors and possible opportunities. We want wisdom to be more like Jesus and leave the world a better place, hopefully in a lot of ways along the narrow road.
The Bible says something about wisdom. The math here (so to speak) is relatively simple and amazing and has been pressing itself on my heart so constantly that I’m amazed it took me almost a whole page to focus in on it. (Thank you, Jesus! As my bride is fond of saying, “satan sucks!” Thanks for helping me push back his distractions.)
So, here it is…
Proverb 9:10a “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…”
Therefore, if I want wisdom I must fear the Lord. But, what is the Fear of the Lord? We’d seen the answer on the previous page:
Proverb 8:13a “To fear the Lord is to hate evil…”
So, if wisdom is gained by fearing the Lord and the fear of the Lord is to hate evil, then if I can train myself to hate evil, then God will reward me with wisdom!
The Beginning of Wisdom = The Fear of the Lord = Hating Evil
Suddenly, this connection between righteousness and wisdom was also in other places in the book of Proverbs. Yet, I saw something else as well, and I was glad to see it. I don’t just want to begin to gain wisdom. I want to mature in my understanding of the things of God. I began by finishing the verses I’d started with and then looked for more.
Proverb 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
Proverb 8:13, 17, 20-21 “To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I (Wisdom) hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech…I love those who love me and those who seek me find me…I walk in the way of righteousness, along paths of justice, bestowing wealth on those who love me and making their treasuries full.”
Proverb 15:33 “The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor.”
Proverb 19:20 “Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.”
Proverb 23:12 “Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.”
So, if I want to move beyond the beginning of wisdom into real understanding I’ve got to know God. I’ve got to learn Him inside and out as much as I can. I’ve got to delight in Him and desire to be like Him. I’m talking about making God your hero, following Him wherever He goes, wanting to be near Him every day, reading and rereading what He’s given us in the Bible, praying for His Holy Spirit to empower our lives, and living as if Jesus were living our life in our place (Galatians 2:20)
It makes sense, I guess, that abstaining from evil is only half of the battle. We’ve also got to pursue good, which we cannot do unless we know God well enough to understand what he considers “good” as well as what he defines as “evil”. Legalism won’t get us there. We’ve got to humble ourselves and let God change us at our core from self-focused to God-focused.
Understanding = Humility before God so we might know Him
Truly knowing God is a big thing to admit we need help with and it takes a great deal of courage to admit that we need God so desperately. It isn’t enough to sit in my room refraining from evil and humming “Ohmmm” to myself. I’ve got to humble myself and get on my face before God praying for the courage to do the right thing when the moments of choice come into my life because I want to know Him deeply. As my understanding of God grows, so will my behavior reflect the good that God wants to do through me.
So, while I’ve only begun this journey, this is what I have so far…
Gaining Wisdom = Hating Evil + Humility before God so I might know Him
It sounds pretty good to me, and I’m excited to see what He’ll teach me next. God is amazing and His understanding is without end. His righteousness is without limitations and I’m so excited that he wants me to become more like Him!
As I was writing this blog another thought occurred to me.
Proverb 19:8 says, “He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; he who cherishes understanding prospers.”
God wants me to grow in wisdom because He loves me. But, He also wants me to know that doing so is an appropriate way for me to love myself. I love God for loving me in this way. He didn’t just die for me (which is far more than I deserved); He also has life for me! So, perhaps my next equation will look something like this:
Loving Bryan = Growing in Wisdom + Loving God
I’ve heard that the thing Jesus said in the Gospels more than any other idea was, “Fear not!” (10x’s) or “Be not afraid!” (9x’s)
Paul said we wrestle “against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, and against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12)
We’re at war. It’s all around us.
Sometimes it’s obvious: East vs. West, Liberal vs. Conservative, Muslin vs. Jew, Muslim vs. Christian, Tyranny vs. Freedom, Doctor vs. Disease, Nation vs. Nation, Neighbor vs. Neighbor, Person vs. Person…
Sometimes it is not obvious at all: Me vs. Myself, Flesh vs. Spirit, Life vs. Death, Legalism vs. Licentiousness, God vs. satan…
Sometimes, we spend so much time rambling through life that we fail to recognize the battle raging around us. At other times it’s all we can see. In the same way, sometimes I feel compelled to write, but I don’t know what to say. At other times I have a message to share and no audience or means to share it. There is a battle going on inside me. It’s “in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones.” (Jeremiah 20:9) There’s a thought on the edge of my perceptions, teasing me with its brilliance; refusing to be born.
Right now, I am in the midst of this battle. There are so many thoughts going on inside of me: finding Elora, loving Olivia, going for a walk later with Gracey, learning to be a pastor, yearning to be a preacher, working for each cent we need, wanting to read, wondering about whether God’s promise is 2 quivers or 3, waiting for Jesus, looking for signs and praying for wonders.
How can I help the world become a better place? Do I even have a right to ask the question? Yes, in Christ I do. And not only the right, but also the responsibility. It is my duty as a Christ-follower to leave a mark that looks like Jesus. Thus, leaving it a better place in as much as I am able to do so. So, if I look like Jesus, I’m making the world a better place.
Aha! There it is, the elusive thought that’s been haunting my periphery. Olivia and I have been reading the Bible together most nights. I can’t tell you how much I like doing this. I miss it when we cannot, or must cut it short, even if it’s for a great reason.
So, we’ve been reading God’s word and praying for wisdom. We want wisdom to love each other well. We want wisdom to parent Elora well when we find her. We want wisdom to know how to serve the Lord in our lives and in our life together. We want wisdom to discern between open doors and possible opportunities. We want wisdom to be more like Jesus and leave the world a better place, hopefully in a lot of ways along the narrow road.
The Bible says something about wisdom. The math here (so to speak) is relatively simple and amazing and has been pressing itself on my heart so constantly that I’m amazed it took me almost a whole page to focus in on it. (Thank you, Jesus! As my bride is fond of saying, “satan sucks!” Thanks for helping me push back his distractions.)
So, here it is…
Proverb 9:10a “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…”
Therefore, if I want wisdom I must fear the Lord. But, what is the Fear of the Lord? We’d seen the answer on the previous page:
Proverb 8:13a “To fear the Lord is to hate evil…”
So, if wisdom is gained by fearing the Lord and the fear of the Lord is to hate evil, then if I can train myself to hate evil, then God will reward me with wisdom!
The Beginning of Wisdom = The Fear of the Lord = Hating Evil
Suddenly, this connection between righteousness and wisdom was also in other places in the book of Proverbs. Yet, I saw something else as well, and I was glad to see it. I don’t just want to begin to gain wisdom. I want to mature in my understanding of the things of God. I began by finishing the verses I’d started with and then looked for more.
Proverb 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
Proverb 8:13, 17, 20-21 “To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I (Wisdom) hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech…I love those who love me and those who seek me find me…I walk in the way of righteousness, along paths of justice, bestowing wealth on those who love me and making their treasuries full.”
Proverb 15:33 “The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor.”
Proverb 19:20 “Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.”
Proverb 23:12 “Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.”
So, if I want to move beyond the beginning of wisdom into real understanding I’ve got to know God. I’ve got to learn Him inside and out as much as I can. I’ve got to delight in Him and desire to be like Him. I’m talking about making God your hero, following Him wherever He goes, wanting to be near Him every day, reading and rereading what He’s given us in the Bible, praying for His Holy Spirit to empower our lives, and living as if Jesus were living our life in our place (Galatians 2:20)
It makes sense, I guess, that abstaining from evil is only half of the battle. We’ve also got to pursue good, which we cannot do unless we know God well enough to understand what he considers “good” as well as what he defines as “evil”. Legalism won’t get us there. We’ve got to humble ourselves and let God change us at our core from self-focused to God-focused.
Understanding = Humility before God so we might know Him
Truly knowing God is a big thing to admit we need help with and it takes a great deal of courage to admit that we need God so desperately. It isn’t enough to sit in my room refraining from evil and humming “Ohmmm” to myself. I’ve got to humble myself and get on my face before God praying for the courage to do the right thing when the moments of choice come into my life because I want to know Him deeply. As my understanding of God grows, so will my behavior reflect the good that God wants to do through me.
So, while I’ve only begun this journey, this is what I have so far…
Gaining Wisdom = Hating Evil + Humility before God so I might know Him
It sounds pretty good to me, and I’m excited to see what He’ll teach me next. God is amazing and His understanding is without end. His righteousness is without limitations and I’m so excited that he wants me to become more like Him!
As I was writing this blog another thought occurred to me.
Proverb 19:8 says, “He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; he who cherishes understanding prospers.”
God wants me to grow in wisdom because He loves me. But, He also wants me to know that doing so is an appropriate way for me to love myself. I love God for loving me in this way. He didn’t just die for me (which is far more than I deserved); He also has life for me! So, perhaps my next equation will look something like this:
Loving Bryan = Growing in Wisdom + Loving God
Comments