All The Wisdom

Matthew 7:24 -  Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.

An addendum to yesterday's blog! I had forgotten about the Oswald Chambers devotion for the day (May 23) and another message I received by David Wilkerson…both connected…naturally. Everything should be and really is connected to the Word of God, if we know Jesus as our Savior!

Oswald Chambers scripture for that day: ... do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on —Matthew 6:25.

This is all part of trusting in the Lord for all things. His Word is power, comfort, strength, wisdom, knowledge and so much more. When we worry about our lives and all our needs it places undue strain on us. 

Tuesday morning we were reminded by a woman giving a testimony that fear is a sin. I've known this and am forever being reminded of it and yesterday morning it was that one thing out of many that she said that hit me right between the eyes. My thoughts were: Jesus as Savior, as perfect love, casts out all fear. Worry, anxiety and anything like that is a type of fear…and also a sin.

So what happens when we are faced with troubles of the world? Doesn't anxiety just sort of happen? That's why it's so important to have the Word of God at our fingertips and in our hearts, that we know we are not without help. That's why it needs to be spoken and impressed upon in our hearts…so anxiety is cast away.

But what kind of help can that be to us? The help may not come in the way we expect it. It may be just the peace that passes all understanding in a difficult situation. Don't forget that God's ways are not our ways, nor His thoughts like our thoughts. He knows best what our needs are. And I'm pretty sure (!) He thinks the first need we need to need is that relationship, that intimate knowledge of Jesus as our Lord and Savior; to have that new life in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Our God will provide when we need it most… and just what we need. We don't always need what we think we need. Physically we might need to take steps ourselves to make positive changes in the way we are treating our bodies (but the Lord will help us). Financially sometimes we have to make a concerted effort to cut back the spending. Then there are also times when God just miraculously provides…because He knows what we need and exactly when…even when it comes to our spiritual condition and health.

Fear of death can be replaced with comfort and peace knowing that spiritually, if we have the Lord Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are saved. We need not fear the torment of an eternal life separated from God. So death should not be a fearful thing, if we know Jesus. If there's fear, we don't know Who it is waiting on the other side of our earthly life.

Fear, worry and anxiety, according to Chambers, is unbelief…and that, too, is a sin. We are told to let all these things go. Give it over to Jesus. Whenever we put other things first, there is confusion, Chambers states. Confusion causes the anxiety. Put Jesus first, put His Word in our hearts, know His Word and anxiety dissipates.

Know what the scriptures say. Take them to heart. Meditate on them. Not like yoga where you're supposed to empty your mind to get rid of the garbage and noise that enters minds  and destroys serenity and peace. (Meditate is to reflect on, think on...how can you do that by emptying your mind?) We are to fill our minds with the things of God, the things that are good and true and just...things that bring comfort and peace. And He will bring them! Then speak them forth. Manifest them in your life. 

And then also after writing the blog I came across this in my email from David Wilkerson. The message was called Building on the Rock. If we are not loving on Jesus, serving Him, obeying Him, meditating on His words, we are building our lives on sinking sand. That doesn't sound to hopeful and definitely would cause fear. He is to be our Rock, our strength. It is imperative that we spend time in the Word and in His presence to maintain that peace in life, that security, that strength for anything that arises.

See, it still is all about Jesus. I really don't know how many different ways there are to explain that everything is all about Jesus. He is our Word come to life. He is our truth. He is our shelter from storms. He is our strength, wisdom, peace, provision. 

Colossians 2:2-3 - that [your] hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

The Cares of this World

Psalm 8:3-4 - When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?

I love sitting outside early in the morning meditating on the goodness of God and the beautiful things I see in our yard. He has blessed all of us with the nature He has created.
We cannot comprehend the depth of His wisdom, His ability to create, nourish, grow and sustain. He even knows when it is time to end a cycle of life. The seasons come and go. Praise God.

It's easy to let the cares of this world diminish in my heart and mind when I focus so closely to those things around me. These things of nature draw me closer to God. His character and beauty displayed so all the world can see. What more could we desire to have around us?

As I sat outside this morning thanking God for what we have and knowing He loves to bless us all, a moment of unrest entered in. Thoughts quickly zipped through my mind that could have caused anxiousness about how the freedoms we have might be stripped away. How would that affect us? What might we lose? What might we have to give up? How will we survive? What about healthcare?

Then I was immediately reminded what God has told us; We are of more value than the little sparrows (Matthew 10:31). He knows what our needs are before we even think of them. Matthew 16 goes into detail about this. That's the real answer...the needs. We can have all the things we think we have to have to survive, but do we realize what we need more than want? Do we realize Who we need over want? If the Lord is our first thought in the morning, if He is who we trust in and believe in, if He is what we need first, He will provide.

I never want to get to a place where I am content with the finest of things. I enjoy nice things, but certainly am not one who needs to have them. My happiness is not wrapped up in those things. I always want to remember leaner days in my life and also how I got along well without. I want to know that I could survive fine with less and trust God more.

I'm thankful for this day and what it brings. I'm thankful for God's blessings. I am also aware that the Lord gives and He takes away. I pray for strength in case that day comes.
I suppose that sounds like a gloomy thought but I assure you it is not. God as my Center, my Source, is all I need.

The Psalms were written by King David and are full of praise of the goodness of God, His faithfulness. He blesses those who watch for Him, who love Him and trust when we cannot imagine what lies ahead. I bet I could list one from every Psalm. Despite difficult times as long as David praised God he was in His safety.

The LORD will hear when I call to Him. I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. Let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; let them ever shout for joy...let those also who love Your name be joyful in You. For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield. You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.  (Psalms 4:3b, 4:8, 5:11-12, 3:3, 2:12b)

If all His creation means so much to Him (...He saw that it was good) and He was able to speak it into existence (And God said...) and we were added to this so He could enjoy our company why would He not take care of those who call Him their Source and Center? What have we to fear?

The other day Oswald Chambers talked about putting God first, trusting in Him. I'd forgotten I'd read that. This morning he wrote about what haunts us. He said, "So we are to live and move and have our being in God, to look at everything in relation to God, [like seeing through His eyes??] because the abiding consciousness of God pushes itself to the front all the time. If we are haunted by God, nothing else can get in, no cares, no tribulation, no anxieties. We see now why our Lord so emphasized the sin of worry. How can we dare be so utterly unbelieving when God is round about us? To be haunted by God is to have an effective barricade against all the onslaughts of the enemy."

I'm so glad I had this blog written before reading this. It just confirmed my thoughts and ponderings. I am at peace in my spirit. This is so why we need to have this relationship with an Almighty God that I keep bringing up. We absolutely cannot rely on man.

Matthew 6:33 - But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.