Dear Friends,
During September and October, for our Scripture, we have been looking at the Gospels and also Wisdom. We have been interspersing the Proverbs with Gospel writings. In these Scriptures, we find the wisdom in how God saved us—Jesus Christ, and we discover how to live life effectively as we hear the words of King Solomon.
Download October’s Newsletter Here»
So what is wisdom? The secular dictionary defines wisdom as the quality of “having experience, knowledge, and good judgment”. In this definition, you must have experienced something, or know something, in order to have the ability to make wise decisions.
In the Biblical sense, wisdom begins with the sense of awe of the Lord. The Bible describes this as “fear of the Lord”. It is the sense that God is greater, and thus is able to give us advice that far supersedes our frail knowledge and experiences. Once we have established that God is our source of wisdom, then we are able and called to live differently.
For instance, if we have conflict with someone, the wisdom of the world may say that we are to show them who is boss, or confront them angrily, or that we are to establish that we are right and they are wrong. The Biblical response involves forgiveness and reconciliation. The Bible asks that we put aside our hurts and pains and seek to work things out.
The Biblical aspect of wisdom also involves us seeking out God when we are in a variety of situations. When we have conflict, we ask, “How would God want me to respond?” When we have pain, we seek the healing nature of God. When we are lost, we search out the one who can lead us and guide us.
Finally, please remember that when we live out our Biblical wisdom, we not only benefit ourselves, but we benefit others. As we seek out wisdom, we are a blessing to the world because Christ blesses us. Then we fulfill our task here at St. Andrew as we show that we are truly grounded in grace, that we live in love, and are growing for God.
In Christ’s Love,
Pastor Mark