"Wisdom Excels Folly" - To

 "And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done." (Ecclesiastes 2:12 KJV)

  "For we don't live for ourselves or die for ourselves. If we live, it's to honor the Lord. And if we die, it's to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. Christ died and rose again for this very purpose - to be Lord both of the living and of the dead. So why do you condemn another believer? Who do you look down on another believe? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God." (Romans 14:7-10 NLT) 

 How does God make us to understand the madness? If I had to try to understand it on my own, I would have given up following the Lord a long time ago! To put this into the proper perspective, we must come to the understanding that we cannot control the sickness of our hearts. When a believer becomes overcome with something that they cannot control, there is really nothing they can do on their own to stop the slide away from wisdom; wisdom being defined as good sense and judgment. 

 We are sinners that have been saved by grace! As long as we are living within these bodies of flesh, we will sin, in one way or another; it's just the life we must battle and try to overcome here on the earth. That said, we have been given grace to be an overcomer! Yes, we must strive to be like Jesus, holy and pure, but in reality, we fail to be as Holy and Pure as Him; but therein is the kicker: His grace is sufficient to make us holy and pure! 

 I will never forget a Men's Fellowship meeting we had, oh, maybe 26 years ago. We were meeting at a barrowed church out in Palo Cedro, and Pastor Bill was sharing on the fact that we were all parts of the Body of Christ; each having their own use and purpose. One the of men, a father to one of the youth-group, stood up, saying, 'Well, if I am a part of the body of Christ, I must be a hemorrhoid!' 

 Everyone had a quick laugh, and Pastor Bill took the matter to a whole different level, sharing about how the church is comprised of all sorts of believers; some more important than others, some less noticeable some others, and some that make everyone else aware that they are there. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, having each and every one of us our own set of differences, likes, and passions. 

 None of us are perfect; but we will be made perfect in the end! Wisdom means that you are given the understanding to know your place in this world! If you don't understand your place, you are wherever God has you! You are useful wherever you are, with whatever you have, right now! 

 As I was sharing on yesterday; Jesus had the assistance of people or things wherever He went and with whatever He did; even those that He healed, they were His assistant in the miracle that was performed. The very first miracle Jesus did, turning water to wine, the servants filled the water basins with water, to the very brim. Thinking hard, the fig tree and the resurrection are the only two things which came to mind; one was the display of death to something that had no fruit, and the other was the display of New Life; however, He still used the tree, and He needed to tomb! 

 The whole point of the topic was given in a message from Pastor Mike, as he described Jesus using the cup of the woman at the well to initiate the miracle that would happen. Just a simple little cup, and the whole conversation turned into a revival! We don't need to wait for anything to change in us, or some kind of possession to make ministry happen! We just need God to work in us and through us, He will provide everything we need, including a heart that knows wisdom...

"If it seems we are crazy it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. Either way, Christ's love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. So we stop evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him." (2 Corinthians 5:13-18 NLT)