Covenant Church is studying the topic “God’s Wisdom” this summer. Mostly based on Proverbs, but directing us to other scripture as well, we are thinking together about the contrast between God’s way of life and what the culture is saying, among other applications. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 we read: “16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Surely, as Christians, this is our goal in seeing God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
Obviously, it is an uphill battle. If we try to fulfil all the law and the prophets, as the Jews tried to do before the incarnation of Jesus, they (and we) fail. It is impossible to live a perfect life. If we even attempt to suggest we do, we are filled with self-satisfaction and pride, which indeed is also sinful. So, what is our recourse?
Well, Scripture teaches that only through the payment for our sins by the grace of Jesus’ sacrifice can we atone for our shortcomings in body, mind, and spirit. Then, after His ascension, Jesus gifted us with the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us. Last Sunday was Pentecost, when we as followers of Jesus learned that through the Spirit, we can better know the will of God and have the strength and wisdom to fulfil the promises made through Jesus.
Okay, that’s a lot of theology for this morning, but here’s a verse from Psalm 119, long before Jesus lived among us on earth. It is a promise, now fulfilled. “Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to Your Word.” Ah, here’s the eternal hope and desire of our hearts: that we can ignore the lesser things of this world and concentrate our world view to that of God’s ordaining purposes, and prioritize accordingly. We can, indeed, make this a better world, His kingdom on earth, by channeling our abilities, our finances, our time, our attention on things which encourage, built up, improve, and bless the lives of those around us in the name of Jesus. We can let the TV news and commentary that tries to tell us through innuendo, stretched truth, and outright devious means to tear others down, and instead infuse our minds with scripture. We can turn off the movies and films which defy God’s laws regarding Godly marriage. We can blot out language which takes the Lord’s name in vain. We can change the channel when leaders defy God’s law by proposing those usurping power for their selfish and misguided direction. We can go further by refusing to be silent when wrongs pretend to be righteous.
We can, and should be teaching the next vulnerable generation the truths we were taught that were more attuned to the Biblical message. We are one generation removed from those truths we were taught becoming irrelevant because we did not tell our children that God is sovereign, that Jesus taught us the attributes of God and the principles of Godly living, and that we can depend on the Holy Spirit’s guidance until the end of time as we know it. Our children need to understand secular humanism, socialism, communism, and that God rules the climate, the affairs of mankind, and the ultimate destination of society which ignore His laws. That, indeed, is God’s wisdom.
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