We ask for wisdom

"But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf on the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord..." 
-James 1:5-7, New American Standard Bible

When I first think of wisdom, I usually think of being practical. When I worked in downtown Louisville, I had a couple of pairs of work heels that I loved to wear. After a couple of trips, I realized how much these business shoes were not built for the rain or for running.  I was grateful when some co-workers said they had spare shoes for walking along the streets.  What's the wisdom that James wrote about, though?

Wisdom from God is full of goodness and truth.  James advised readers to ask God for wisdom, and to ask for it full of faith instead of doubt.  As we ask for wisdom from God and trust He has the best answer, He is faithful to lead us as we put Him first in our lives.  James described God's wisdom as he wrote, "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy" (James 3:17).

Lord, thank You for Your goodness and wisdom. Please let our source of wisdom come from You and help us show others more of who You are. Amen.

The study above is based off of the verses mentioned for study in the workbook HeartCall: Women Sharing God's Heart (Jaye Martin, 1999).

Illustration "Dr. Who" above by Steve Mack from spotillustration.com

More about wisdom: 1 Kings 3:9-28, Ephesians 4:14-16, Craig Blomberg's commentary at zondervan.typepad.com/koinonia/.

a golden sense

"The music is all around us. All we have to do is listen." –"August's Rhapsody," August Rush (Motion Picture Soundtrack)
This past Monday, as I left class on a mission to find water, a classmate stopped me to ask a personal question. The genuine sincerity of her response as I answered struck me. When we left our conversation, I felt that I could trust her.

How could I trust so quickly? I think it is because of the way she listened.

From the Bible's stories, we know that our God listens. In Luke 2:46-47, Mary and Joseph search for 12-year-old Jesus after a Passover feast in Jerusalem:

"After three days, they found Him in the temple complex sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all those who heard Him were astounded at His understanding and His answers."

My roommate helped me find the Greek word for "astonish." It is pronounced existemi, and it means "to amaze... to astound out of one's senses."

In Luke's story, we see Jesus sitting with these men who taught the Scriptures, and they are amazed by this young boy's wisdom and understanding. John Maxwell explains in The Maxwell Leadership Bible, "He [Jesus] knew that to connect with people's hearts, He had to use His ears."

By listening to others, we can speak volumes about Christ's love. When the Holy Spirit shows us opportunities to use our gift of hearing, I pray that we show Christ's astonishing wisdom and love for others.

Do you have a story about the power of listening?

(Picure from marinebio.org)