Wisdom difference

One of America's most celebrated writers is William Faulkner. In his novels, he used multiple lenses of understanding, or points of view of different characters, in not necessarily chronological order, to weave together a unique and meaningful story. Movies such as Crash, and Amores Perros pursue a similar framework...multiple points of view and understandings interweave and connect to showcase a unique story.

I was thinking about how this is similar to the wisdom of the world vs. the wisdom of God.

The wisdom of God is unique and often antagonizes, or opposes the way the world might do something. Things thought in the heart of God are considered foolish or silly when those same things are considered through the world's wisdom glasses.

As a believer of Jesus who is God's only Son, and with a desire and attempting to follow Christ, I think it's important for believers to distinguish clearly these differences and pursue, in our lives, the wisdom of Heaven.

This is going to be hard and invite all sorts of doubt and ridicule. But remember, that's coming from a wisdom of the world perspective.

So which one do I bow down to and confess my allegiance to...here are some lines, just like Faulkner's novels or those movies, that weave through Scripture at different points at time, but still uniformly point to the wisdom of God being greater and higher:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.
(Proverbs 3:5-8 NIV)

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
"Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?"
"Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay him?"
For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.
(Romans 11: 33-36)

Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.
(1 Corinthians 1:18-25)

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.
(2 Corinthians 10:3)

In this battle between the wisdom of God and the way of the world, let us wage war with the weapons of God's wisdom, the Spirit of Truth...His wisdom is far superior and far greater!

a life verse?

I've never really been one for "life verses" or a "verse of the week." I'm not sure why. Maybe because I've thought that the ONE verse for the week or the life is too limiting. God's genius and wisdom is found in much more than just one verse...

but if I had a life verse, or perhaps, a life outlook, I think it might could be Proverbs 30:7-9:

"Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die:

Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.

Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, 'Who is the LORD ?'
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God."

I only ask that I would know only Christ and His truth as my truth, and that Christ would sustain me sufficiently as each day comes. My daily bread in relationships...trials, discipline, finances, opportunities to glorify Him, chances to serve for His name...Christ and Christ alone.

the power of 2

As Christ followers, one of the joys of that relationship is getting to share the gospel with others. Here at home, in other countries, next door...the "where" would be agreed upon by many that to the ends of the earth is as far as we should go.

But "how" exactly takes numerous diversions and there are many opinions out there on "how" best to go out and share the gospel. I don't claim to have the right answer, but I wanted to offer an observation that I think holds Truth.

Wise King Solomon thought: "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up." (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NIV)

Is it coincidence that Jesus sent His disciples out 2x2 and we see other instances of Jesus' followers accomplishing things in twos?

Mark records "Calling the Twelve to Him, He sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits." (Mark 6:7)

Luke picks up on the same detail with the 72 that get sent out after the twelve: "After this, the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of Him to every town and place where He was about to go." (Luke 10:1)

This two by two principle continued with Jesus' followers after His death.

Matthew writes "After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to look at the tomb." (Matthew 28:1) Two Marys.

Luke records "Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seventy miles from Jerusalem..." (Luke 24:13)

Sure, safety might have been an issue during their day, but I think it is no accident that this detail of two by two occurs quite frequently and is recorded by at least three gospel writers. Both men and women went out two by two. So what is this getting at?

I think this is a detail that Jesus wants us to recognize for ministry. Sure, going out to serve Him as an individual is good, but even better is going out with a partner in ministry. There are many more advantages to going out together and having a brother or sister to "tag-team" in gospel sharing.

As Proverbs 27:17 offers: "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."