wise rewards

 

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

For by me your days will be multiplied,

and years will be added to your life.

Proverbs 9:10-11

Wisdom will only be found with those who respect, worship, and obey the Lord. That is where all wisdom begins. It is found in relationship with God. As a Christian, I know this beginning of wisdom through Jesus Christ, "in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" Colossians 2:3.

The promise of wisdom for the one who fears God is stated emphatically: "days will be multiplied" and "years will be added to your life." The general hope of God's wisdom is a full and long life. And I love that promise. Wisdom has huge rewards. It is what everybody is looking for and it comes by fearing God.

I don't regret my commitment to follow Christ. I don't regret digging into scripture nearly every day since I was about 16 years old. It has benefited my soul, kept me safe, delivered me from foolishness, kept much sin from decaying my heart and destroying my days, and truly blessed my life in ways that will last forever. Wisdom has led me to confess much sin before it completely dominated me and to chase after righteousness like a runner nearing the finish line. God's rich truth has brought joy and life to me through His wisdom! And it is all just the beginning of what will be mine in Christ for all eternity.

The scarcity of humility

 

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

James 4:10

Humility is a Christian virtue not much emphasized these days. There are way too many books written on success through getting what I want from God. And there are so few scriptural calls to humility. The apostle James thus should stop us in our fast tracks toward self-driven works efforts at personal kingdom building with his simple statement: God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6).

Ralph Waldo Emerson said it very memorably: "There is no limit to what can be accomplished if it doesn't matter who gets the credit." And he was just in one sense agreeing with God Who wants to pour out His enabling grace on humble people who don't need personal or financial incentive to get things done well for His glory.

O Lord Jesus,

I will work towards one hope: that I may stand before You even as the vast pile of wood, hay, and stubble that was my work in the ministry burns away, and my only hope is that where I humbly served You there might remain a few small precious stones shining bright in those ashes so that You would say to me with a warming and consoling smile, "well done, good... faithful... and humble servant."

Amen

Growing and going

 

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

John 15:16

Jesus told His disciples that they were chosen to go into the world with the gospel. This is sort of John's version of the Great Commission right smack dab in the middle of a passage on growing in Christ. The disciples were branches on the vine, expected to bear fruit, and were appointed by their Master to go into the world to do so.

I find it interesting then that in a sense, mission is built into the call of discipleship to grow in a maturing relationship with Jesus. It is the culmination of obeying His commands, loving one another, and remaining in Christ's love. We have to go forward with the gospel to our neighbors and the nations. We aren't growing if we aren't going!

Once is enough.

 

For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

Hebrews 10:14

In the death and resurrection of Christ, God has secured for me all I need for eternal salvation. Up until then a steady stream of sacrifices had been offered on the altar. The blood of bulls and sheep ran red in a constant stream testifying to the need for a Savior. But at the cross, Jesus gave His perfect life. That single offering secured for all time salvation for all who believe.

I am comforted and strengthened by the way this text describes what Jesus did, once for all, for me. He perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. The past, my present, my future are all secured in Jesus' offering of Himself. Amazing!

The grammar of this sentence of scripture is significant and glorious. Jesus has perfected (past tense) for all time (taking care of all the future) those who are being sanctified (present moment). I was saved in that sacrifice. I am being made holy now. I am seen as perfect through Christ's blood forever. And this will last for all time. Amen, and thanks be to God!

mediator of a new covenant

 

Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

Hebrews 9:15

Jesus began a new covenant between God and humanity, one that does so much more than temporarily atone for sin through obedience and animal sacrifice. His new covenant secures an eternal home for those who believe and are His. His new covenant redeems us from sin because it was secured by His own blood.

The text proclaims Jesus as the mediator of this new covenant. He is the "go-between". And on the cross, the God-man gave His life so that humanity could find peace with God, deliverance from His wrath on sin, forgiveness, and eternal life. The blood of Jesus' own life sacrifice secured all this for His people eternally.

Jesus did this knowingly and willingly. He knew the sinner I am. He knew my transgressions of God's perfect law because He died for every one of them. And He secured for me what no priest or temple ritual ever could: full redemption from sin's penalty of death, pardon for my sin before the Father, and everlasting life!

warnings and promises

 

For the simple are killed by their turning away,

and the complacency of fools destroys them;

but whoever listens to me will dwell secure

and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.

Proverbs 1:32-33

It is not a good thing to disregard the wisdom of the Lord. Whether a person willfully turns away from it, or just has a casual "meh" response to God's truth, the result is the same: death and destruction. The Book of Proverbs opens with this ominous warning in order to convince us to pay attention to the wisdom God gives.

I have read through Proverbs at least once per year from the time I was sixteen. And the wisdom found here is personally profound. What I have learned from it has spared me sorrow and pain. And what I have refused to take seriously or have neglected to trust has cost me dearly. The warning of Proverbs 1:32 as well as the promise of Proverbs 1:33 have both been real for me.

O Lord,

Your wisdom has sustained and protected me. Thank You for the truth of Your Word. Yet I have not always trusted Your wisdom. And in my complacency, my foolishness has hurt both You and me. May Your wisdom call me to repent and obey today!

Amen

exclusive Savior

 

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

John 14:6

I don't think Jesus could have been any clearer with His exclusive claim than in these two sentences. Jesus is the only path to peace with God the Father. He is the only way of salvation. There is no other means to eternal salvation and relationship with the Father. Only Jesus can forgive sin and redeem sinners.

Jesus is the only source of Truth about the Father. We can only know God through His Son. He is the means of knowing AND what we must know about God. He is truth.

Jesus is the only source of life from the Father. Only in my Savior can I find eternal life and a full life worth living in this world. In Jesus I live. When He redeems sinners, He brings dead souls to life.

And just to be absolutely clear, Jesus states emphatically that only He can bring us to the Father. No person finds God or eternal life outside of Jesus. He is the world's exclusive Savior.