The wisdom God wants us to have is not philosophical, but practical for living. The wisdom God calls for us to have, as Christians, is for knowing how to live to the glory of our Lord.

"Wisdom" defined in the Mirriam/Webster Dictionary is; "1: accumulated philosophic or scientific learning: KNOWLEDGE; also: INSIGHT 2: good sense: JUDGMENT 3: a wise attitude or course of action." Now, that is probably how the world views wisdom, but that is not godly wisdom. Wisdom from God should be understood as knowing how to use what knowledge we have attained. Knowledge is not given to us to keep to ourselves, but to share with others, if it is beneficial for others to know. Of course there is some "knowledge" that is not worth knowing, and that is where godly wisdom will aid us in making that determination.

The wisdom of God is clear, open, and covers up nothing. The wise of God will not try and cover up a sin or fault, but will expose it, and deal with it. The so called wisdom of the world denies that there is such a thing as sin, therefore covers up those things which will come back to catch them later. There is many a professing Christian who follows the "wisdom of the world" and not the godly "wisdom" we must seek from God.

There is much said of "Wisdom" in the Proverbs. Chapters 8 and 9 of Proverbs especially gives us much concerning wisdom, and Wisdom is seen as a person. Proverbs 1:20 begins the writers teaching on wisdom throughout the book of wisdom.

My, how we need wisdom in our day. There is so much immorality in our world; dishonesty, adultery, all forms of sexual immorality, corporate theft, and as Christians we cannot be part of any of these things. There are some things happening which require much wisdom to make a decision of whether to participate in some activities or not. My solution to that is; If you need to ask the question it is probably best not to participate.

The Word says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God…" Part of the wisdom God gives is in knowing we lack wisdom. Wisdom, ie., godly wisdom comes solely from God, and we must admit that we fall sadly short of that too many times. We rush into situations without thought, without prayer, and without seeking wisdom for the matter. When we do that we find ourselves in messes too big to get ourselves out of. We find ourselves out of the will and glory of God.

There is a good illustration of this in the seventh chapter of Joshua. One thing that is clear in this event in the history of Israel is that they had just experienced victory over Jericho by the hand of God. They rushed to the city of Ai without consulting God on the matter, and didn’t realize that there was sin in their midst. A man by the name of Achan had violated the commandment of the LORD, and taken what was supposed to be destroyed, and hid it in his tent. When the army attempted to take the city of Ai, and thirty six men of Israel were killed. There was no victory, even though this was a smalled city than Jericho. When they lost in their first attempt, Joshua then, sought the LORD in prayer, and at the end of the day the LORD answered Joshua and told him "Israel has sinned". When Joshua and the people had dealt with the sin problem then, they were victorious over Ai; because God gave them wisdom on how to accomplish it, and God gave them the victory.

In the event with Joshua, if he would have sought the LORD in prayer first, God would have revealed to him the sin in the camp, and it could have been dealt with. It was a lack of wisdom which brought Joshua and Israel to their knees, and on their faces they find God’s will and direction. We can see by this that God can give us wisdom through our errors. It is wisdom that learns from our mistakes, and keeps us from repeating them. It is godly wisdom that aids us in doing those things that are godly, right, and just, and good.

If you lack wisdom ask God to give it to you. He gives it liberally to all who will ask and He will give it without rebuke, or making you feel shame in asking. Wisdom that is from God is "…pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy, and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy" (James 3:17), and that cannot be said of worldly devilish wisdom. The wisdom of God points you in the way of God, and godly living.

Walk With God Today.

-by Tim A. Blankenship

Patience is a virtue. It is in fact something that comes with time, and trials. It seems that just as soon as I reach a place where I think I am a patient man, that God will send something into my life which shows me I have a long way to go.

Patience is something you probably do not want to pray for. If you really want it, and God hears your prayer your life will be filled with trials or tests. The apostle Paul tells us that "tribulation worketh patience", and the word patience even means perseverance.

This perseverance is the patience which trust God through all the trials of life. It is a terrible tragedy when families suffer due to fire, storms, robberies, home invasions by reprobate men, and when their lives are afflicted by sickness, disease, and the loss of loved ones. These trials come on all people Christian and non-christian alike. Perseverance is what keeps the Christian going in faith. It is the faith that grows in the midst of these trials of life. It is the faith that is perfected through this life. These trials are times of preparation for our place with Jesus in eternity.

The word "Perfect" has nothing to do with sinless perfection. Someone has said, "Those who claim to be perfect are annoying to those of us who are." That is supposed to be just a humorous way of addressing the subject of sinless perfection. No one can reach the level of sinless perfection. Anyone who claims this for themselves is a liar, and the truth is not in him/her. Read 1 John 1:9-10. The truth is the closer we get to the Lord in our walk with Him, the more we realize how sinful we are, and how perfect He is. The closer one gets to the Light there is clearer revelation of our need for Him.

This perfection is one of perseverance, and that is given to us by our God and Savior, as we endure the trials of this life. It has to do with having a complete faith, and that faith is not truly completed until we stand with Jesus face to face. It is the faith that perseveres to the end that saves, and all who are truly saved will persevere to the end. True faith grows in trials, and never fades away. Blessed be the name of Jesus.

Walk With God Today.

-by Tim A. Blankenship

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience." James 1:2-3 (NKJV).

Remember this letter of James is addressed to Jewish Christian brethren. The early church was made up of Jewish believers, followers of Jesus Christ. Due to persecution following the death of Stephen or the bitter ruling rod of Herod, they had dispersed to other areas of the known world.

All the people whom James writes, he assumes to be Christian. Why were these Christians leaving Jerusalem? It was of God for them to do so. This was of God because He wanted the gospel message of Jesus Christ to go throughout all the world. In this manner it began. That is probably one of the things for which James wrote, "Count it all joy…", because the will of God was being done, and more people would be coming to faith in Jesus Christ.

It is hard for Christians who have lived in a free country, having never experienced persecution, except maybe an unkind word, a slap, or a derogatory comment, or there may even be a few cases of false accusations brought against you, but we should expect those things. We should not think it strange when we suffer these things. We get so comfortable at times that we forget about living for God, His Son and His Word. We get into a selfish mode, and start thinking we are the only one’s who have it bad. May God forgive us.

"Count it all joy when you fall into various trials…". I cannot think of anyone who enjoys taking tests. The kind we took in school to test our knowledge, and what we have learned through the course of the week, month, quarter or year. One thing we Christians need to know is that they never end. There are tests throughout life. Someone has said, "The faith that can’t be tested; can’t be trusted". That is so true. If your faith cannot stand in the midst of trials, it will not get you through to the glory of Jesus Christ, therefore is no faith at all.

The faith that can be tested stands on the promises of God, even when it seems that God is nowhere nearby. The faith that can be tested continues to trust the Lord, even when the bills come due and there is no money to pay them; when the health fails, and there seems to be no hope; when the family forsakes you; when the spouse leaves you for a younger woman or man; when the job fades out, and is no more; when the house catches fire and burns to the ground; when the tornado comes through and destroys everything you own. The faith of God and His Son Jesus Christ will stand anykind of tests this world, the devil, and people, and those even God allows us to go through; that is thrown at us.

Patience is the product of a tried and tested faith which has endured to the end. We have heard of people who have prayed for patience something like this, "O God, give me patience and give it to me NOW". Faith that endures develops patience for "Waiting" on the Lord. That means trusting Him to carry us through to the very end.

Do you remember reading of Jesus on the sea of Galilee with the disciples, a storm came up, Jesus was asleep in the boat, and the storm didn’t bother Him, but the disciples were afraid they might die? Do you know why Jesus could sleep? He knew the Father had a special thing for Him to do in His life, and that the Father would get them across safely, in order for that thing to be carried out. If we are sure of our destination, then, we too can have peace, and count it all joy when we fall into various trials. Knowing that our Father in heaven has a plan for our life, we can rejoice in every trial.

James, the writer of this God breathed letter, is like Jude a half brother of the Lord Jesus. His father is Joseph, and his mother is Mary. Jesus’s mother is Mary, but His Father is Almighty God. The brothers could have played on being a brother to the Lord, but neither one chose to do so. Instead they saw themselves as a "bondservant". They chose to be His servants, rather than be known as His brothers.

The humility of James is brought to our attention from the start. We must learn from these men. We know by what we are taught by the apostle Paul that we are "joint heirs with Christ", yet we cannot act and behave as though we are on equal par with our Lord and Savior. James didn’t, nor should we.

James was a key leader of the Jerusalem church. He is even called one of the "Pillars" of the church (Galations 2:9). He only sees himself as a servant of Christ.

This letter is written to Jewish Christians. They have been dispersed throughout the land. They have been scattered due to persecution, beginning probably with the stoning of Stephen, and the harsh rule of Herod. The "twelve tribes" does refer to the tribes of Israel, and the Northern and Southern kingdoms are no longer separate, but have been brought together in the New Testament, and even previous to the New Testament; such as in books of Ezra, and Nehemiah.

James writes as a Jew to the Jews, but these words are for the Christian of our day (2008). Let us never back away from these words, the teaching of James, and of our Lord and Savior. Let us put on the cloak of humility such as James and his brother Jude, and let us sit at the feet of our Lord Jesus, and learn from Him. He is Lord.

Walk With God Today.

-by Tim A. Blankenship