The Importance of Wisdom

In life, we're faced with a lot of difficult, stressful, and challenging times... Times where we feel like we don't know the answers to certain questions or don't know how to act or what to do... In these times of stress and confusion, we should be praying to God to help us obtain wisdom.

Prov. 4:7 tells us, "Wisdom is the principal thing, therefore, get wisdom. And with all thy getting, get understanding." This scripture first gives us a reminder of the importance of wisdom. It's the "principal" thing. It's vital to our existence. The writer here then tells us that we need to get it. And how do we get wisdom? What can we do? James tells us in James 1:5 "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask it of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to Him." If wisdom is something that we want to have (which it should be), we should be making sure that we're asking God for it. We also gain wisdom and understanding by studying God's word daily - and this is something we all should be doing.

When we consider the affects that our actions and decisions can have on our lives we must practice wise choices. Don't' be neglectful to search the scriptures, communicate with other knowledgeable people and to pray to God for direction that is needed to handle your life situations and circumstances.

Don't Give Up

Today we live in a period of time where it's very easy to give up. People give up on school. People give up on their jobs if they're too difficult or stressful. People give up on their marriages if things aren't going exactly the way they want them to go. And unfortunately, when times get hard, people give up on their faith in God.

People give up their faith because;

1) They forget how important our goal is - to save ourselves from spending eternity in Hell. When we lose sight on how wonderful Heaven is going to be, it's easy to just want to give up. But we have to remember that Heaven is better than anything we could ever imagine - with no pain and no sadness. Paul tells us in Philippians 3 to "Forget the things that are behind and press on to the things that lie ahead."

2) People want to give up because they don't receive enough encouragement from others. As Christians, we need to make sure that we're uplifting our fellow brethren. Hebrews 10 tells us to exhort and encourage one another and Hebrews 3 tells us that we need to do this daily. It's important for us to do this for one another.

3) People want to give up because they forget the teaching of God's word. But we should remind ourselves of scriptures like Phil. 4:13 " I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me..." and 1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxiety upon Him because He cares for you."

On our race to the finish line, it's important for us to NEVER give up.

Our Shepherd

The Lord is our Shepherd and what does the Shepherd do for us?

- God is a Shepherd that gives us comfort. "He makes me to lie down in green pastures." A picture of comfort is painted in this passage. The Shepherd will comfort us in times of trouble and worry.

- God is the Shepherd that calms our soul. "He leads me beside still waters" - This is where we see a sense of calmness in a time of chaos. Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 5:7 to "cast all our care upon Him, because he cares for you."

- God is the Shepherd who restores our soul and our spirit. The world has a way of bringing us down to the ground. - Our Lord will pick us up and restore our spirit in those times.

But why does our God offer us calm and still waters and why does He restore our soul? - Because He wants us to live with Him forever. Because He's a true Shepherd who doesn't want to see any of His sheep go astray.

Let God be your Shepherd.