Wiser Words

Posted on October 17, 2019 by Shirlee Abbott

“Keep praying, but be thankful that
God’s answers are wiser than your prayers.”
William Culbertson (1905-1971)

Worldly wisdom worms its way into my prayers, but God’s wisdom is always at work. Thanks be to God!

 

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Tracking Wisdom’s Way

Posted on October 17, 2019 by Shirlee Abbott

 

James 3:17 (NIV)
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

Picture a train: the engine is pure, uncontaminated, holy. The caboose is sincere, with no hidden agenda or unpleasant surprises. In between are the boxcars of peace, gentleness, obedience, and mercy–every inch filled with goodness, leaving no room for sin or evil. 

It’s wisdom’s train of thought. All aboard!

 

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When It’s Simply Not Wisdom

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Shirlee Abbott

 

James 3:17 (AMP)
But the wisdom from above is . . . without [self-righteous] hypocrisy [and self-serving guile].

 

Short and simple–if it’s selfish and self-serving, it isn’t wisdom.

 

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What’s Up with Wisdom?

Posted on October 15, 2019 by Shirlee Abbott

 

We pray for wisdom, hoping God will drop it straight down from heaven–from His hand into our heads. But we already hold it in our hands, in the words of Scripture:

 

James 3:17 (ESV)
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable.

James’ words take us back to Jesus’ words:

Matthew 5:8-9
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

What passes for wisdom down here is often short on purity and peace. Keep looking up!

 

 

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Wise Whys

Posted on October 13, 2019 by Shirlee Abbott

Following the news is like being on a see-saw. One side of a story rises to the top, then the other side. It’s hard to sort out the opinions, even harder to sift out the truth.

We ask,

 

  • Why this?
  • Why now?

Why this person? Why this place? Why this problem?
Why now? Why not last month or last year? Why not next week?
Why is this big news at this moment?
Why?

James 1:5 (ERV)
Do any of you need wisdom? Ask God for it.

We need God’s wisdom to work out the whys of our world.

 

 

 

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Safe Shelter for Hong Kong

Posted on October 12, 2019 by Shirlee Abbott

As the world watches, protestors take to the streets in Hong Kong. Over recent months, hundreds of thousands have demonstrated resistance to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance; there is concern it would put the people of Hong Kong under Chinese jurisdiction and undermine civil liberties.

How should we pray? This snippet from Jerry Newcombe provides a hint:

“A widow from our church and her late husband have known a Christian leader from Hong Kong for decades. She told me that over the weekend she had sent him a text, saying that she was praying for him and for Hong Kong.

“He wrote her back, ‘Thank you. We are in deep water. Deep pain, but hopeful.'”

Lord God Almighty, You are the Rock in the flood, the Shelter in the storm, the Hope of the oppressed. You are present in the Hong Kong demonstrations, and You are present in the prisons in China. Your kingdom come, Your will be done . . . in Hong Kong and in China, in Jesus’ name.

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Perp-Walk False Precepts

Posted on October 11, 2019 by Shirlee Abbott

 

2 Corinthians 10:5 (ESV)
We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.

Imagine taking your own ungodly thoughts, along with those of our culture, and perp-walking them straight into the light of God’s glorious truth.

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Weapons at Work

Posted on October 9, 2019 by Shirlee Abbott

 

“Anticipate your battles;
fight them on your knees
before temptation comes,
and you will always have victory.”
R. A. Torrey (1856-1928)

Cut the enemy off . . . at your knees.

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Weaponizing Words

Posted on October 9, 2019 by Shirlee Abbott

2 Corinthians 10:4 (NLT)
We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.

My best weapons? Prayer and the Bible.

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword.

Almighty God, work Your words into my prayers. Let me fight every false argument with Your truth, all human reasoning with Your wisdom. For my sake, for the sake of those I know and love, and for the sake of those I’ve yet to meet, bring on Your weapons of truth.

 

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Simply Divine

Posted on October 8, 2019 by Shirlee Abbott

2 Corinthians 10:4 (NIV)
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world . . . they have divine power.

Divine power–God’s weapons win the battle.

If we fight simply in our own strength, we fall short. 

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