Where Are the Wise?

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths” (Prov. 3:5-6).

Reading this passage recently, I was struck by the second phrase—do not lean on your own understanding. That runs counter to everything our culture teaches us. Throughout our school years we are taught that we need to develop our understanding and to live up to our potential, which often gets tied to IQ. Education and common sense seem paramount. In evangelical circles, we lean on those with seminary degrees as those seemingly most qualified to lead. Spiritual gifts of wisdom, discernment, and knowledge are elevated, even if we don’t have proof that the individuals are actually being led by the Holy Spirit and not their own natural abilities.

Don’t get me wrong—I’m all in favor of education. College degrees do have value, at least to teach people how to really study and learn. I’m not sure high school does that very well. (I certainly didn’t learn to study until I took Organic Chemistry!) It is good to be able to figure things out and find solutions to problems. However, it becomes an issue when we aren’t seeking God’s wisdom and direction. Even in Christian pursuits, we may be misled if we focus on what is most logical. A few examples come to mind:

• “We’ve always done it that way” is a common influence in church leadership, but does it hinder us from joining God in doing a new thing (Isaiah 43:19)?
• Working from home is convenient and economical, but can be detrimental to community and cooperative work. Would God have us focus more on relationships and less on productivity (Gal. 5:13)?
• Social media and the internet provide vast amounts of information from around the world, but does that knowledge always help us to love others better (Eph. 4:32)?

The Apostle Paul wrote,

“Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? …But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong” (1 Cor. 1:20, 27).

God specializes in using what appears weak and foolish in order to showcase His own power and excellence. “No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the Lord” (Prov. 21:30). We are focused on our own stories, while He has an eternal plan for all creation. We have limited understanding, but God knows all the details that we don’t. We try to draw understanding from the bits and pieces we can see, and that often leads us astray.

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor?” (Rom. 11:33-34). May we be quick to seek His wisdom and not rely on our own.

“For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity… Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul” (Prov. 2:6-10).

***

This video clip from Anderson Cooper was mentioned in a sermon that I heard, which illustrates our limited perspective.

© 2022 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

What's Your Choice?

Last week’s “You’re Not Crazy” podcast reflected on Galatians 2:11-21, where the Apostle Paul says that he had to confront Peter for hypocritically drawing back from the Gentiles when Jews came to visit. The podcast leaders commented:

Ray Ortlund- “What if thousands of our churches across the country right now are nullifying the grace of God as Peter did without even realizing?”

Sam Allberry- “Let’s face it, he did it by who he ate with and who he didn’t eat with. Something as seemingly innocuous as that can actually contradict the gospel.”

That is convicting enough on its own. What daily choices are we making that nullify the gospel by implying that certain people are beyond the reach of God’s grace and that certain sins are unforgiveable? Who have we chosen not to associate with out of fear, prejudice, lack of love, or some other motivation? What misperceptions are we creating among those who are watching us?

Then if anyone needs more to think about, TGP posted this article, Should Christians Relocate to Conservative Areas? As Christians are vacating California and other blue states in droves, what does that do to the witness of the Church in those areas? As citizens of the heavenly Kingdom we are already exiles in a foreign land, so how appropriate is it for us to seek out like-minded people as our neighbors? What’s driving our choices?

A related choice is schooling. Even though I’m not a parent, I hear quite a few debates about Christians sending their kids to private school vs. public school vs. homeschooling. As a child, I wanted to go to a private school (mostly because of bullying) but was not allowed to. Looking back, I can see how I was challenged to live out my faith in public schools in ways that ultimately (though painfully) made me stronger and hopefully influenced other students as well. I don’t know what I would choose if I had kids, because the world is increasingly hostile to the public exercise of Christian beliefs.

We all have hard choices to make for ourselves, our families, and our churches. The question is, are we prayerfully weighing those decisions against Scripture? Are we choosing what’s easiest or what’s best? Are our choices based on worldly wisdom or God’s wisdom? Are we serving God’s Kingdom or our own agenda?

“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying His voice and holding fast to Him, for He is your life and length of days, that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them” (Deut. 30:19-20).

Faithful Christians may come to different conclusions on a variety of life choices, because there are different people and circumstances to consider. But whatever we choose, we need to be sure we’ve sought God’s perspective and not just that of our friends and family. God is the only one who knows every detail of our lives perfectly.

“Choose this day whom you will serve” (Josh. 24:15b).

© 2021 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

Watch Out!

I can’t help but write what’s on my mind, and at the moment that the problem of anger. A few miles away a teen shot and killed another teen at school last week. I recently thought I might have to break up a fight between two women in the Walmart checkout line. I’ve gotten to where I hate to drive, because either I’m angering other drivers or they are angering me. Anger is not just a problem in the world but in the church too. People say or do things that cause conflict, perhaps intentionally, but often unintentionally—failing to talk to someone, assuming too much, pushing a person out of a job, etc. The color of the carpet, the music, and budget allocations have been known to cause church splits. James wrote,

“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” (James 4:1-3 ESV).

I had always read James 4:2-3 as instruction on prayer, but nowhere does James say that. Rather, might he be saying that if you would talk to the other person you would find no reason to covet and quarrel? So many conflicts could be avoided simply by communicating better. Most of us probably don’t murder or fight, but we’re experts at snide remarks and angry thoughts. Jesus said that “everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the fire of hell” (Matthew 5:22). I doubt that anyone is innocent under those criteria.

The Apostle Paul wrote,

“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these... Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another” (Galatians 5:19-21a, 26).

I find it interesting that his list can almost be divided into two categories: lust and anger. I suspect that most pastors would also identify those as the two biggest areas of sin in their churches. The Apostle John summarized it this way, “For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from that Father but is from the world” (1 John 2:16).

Anger doesn’t occur in a vacuum. There is always some underlying cause, and often there are related emotional triggers—pride or shame, fear, jealousy, desire, prejudice, or some combination of those. David Powlison said “sinful anger is an expression of your playing God according to James 4:12. Who are you if you judge your brother? Who are you if you speak evil of him? Well, you are God. You are acting as though you are lawgiver and judge.” We believe we are god of something, so we balk at being dethroned.

Thinking of a recent situation that angered me, I realize it was a result of 1) lack of clear communication of purpose and expectations, and 2) jealousy over losing control of something that I once believed to be my domain (along with some other tangential issues). Some explanation helped, but more necessary is an ongoing surrender of my rights to rule or to judge others who do things differently. I know the world would be better if everyone would just do things my way! God must say the same thing every day about the choices that we make and the ways we try to take over His throne. One day the King will come and remind us all Who is really in charge.

“Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom... But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (James 3:13, 17-18).

© 2018 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

Mercy, Fools, and Losers

This Sunday in Sunday school we were discussing 1 Timothy 1:12-17. Verse 13b in the ESV says, “I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief.” Other translations say “I obtained mercy,” which seems to me to be a poor translation. Mercy is not something you can obtain like a 4.0 GPA or a rental car. Mercy is by definition something that is unearned. You can’t buy it, work for it, or even repay it. All you can do is ask for and accept it when it comes. Mercy is God’s gift to give as He pleases.

Verse 16 takes it a step further, “But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost [sinner], Jesus Christ might display His perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in Him for eternal life.” God doesn’t grant mercy and save people because we are so deserving, or because He feels sorry for us, or because He’s lonely and wants companionship. He saves us because it glorifies Him. It magnifies His love and dominion. Everything He does is for His glory alone.

Amazingly, God doesn’t stop at granting us mercy and forgiveness. He goes on to give us “all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). Other verses give even broader descriptions:

• “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).
• “He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things” (Romans 8:32).
• “For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s” (1 Corinthians 3:21-23).

God is the Creator and Owner of all things, and in Christ we have access to all that is His. But again, there is nothing we can do to earn it, pay for it, or lay claim to it except through the blood of Jesus Christ. As we were reminded in the sermon from 1 Corinthians 3:18-23, God has redeemed us and restored us to our proper Owner. This world doesn’t own us, and God doesn’t exist to serve our purposes. God owns us, our lives, and our church, and the world exists to glorify Him. Everything of value is ours in Christ, but we are recipients, not achievers.

We have no reason for pride or judgmentalism. Secular learning and achievements have no lasting value and can’t even be compared to the depths of wisdom that come from the Holy Spirit. Our life in Christ and the things that we value because of Him won’t make sense to the rest of the world, but that shouldn’t bother us. We may be seen as fools, but we know the truth because we know the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

As Daniel Hochhalter wrote in Losers Like Us: Redefining Discipleship After Epic Failure:

“Where we see a lack of experience and polish, God sees leadership potential. Similarly, human credentials were notably lacking in the twelve losers on whom Jesus built his church. What made them world-changers was not their credentials, but simply their willingness to follow him… So why has Jesus always, then and now, chosen losers to lead the kingdom? I think there are four main reasons, all closely related: teachableness, lack of ego, brokenness, and empathy. These are the areas in which losers truly excel.”

Because of these truths we should be grateful for God’s saving grace, humble recipients of His mercy, and willing witnesses to His glory.

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine… Because you are precious in My eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life… Everyone who is called by My name, whom I created for My glory, whom I formed and made… You are My witnesses” (Isaiah 43:1, 4, 7, 10).

© 2016 Dawn Rutan. 

Hot Pursuit

As I’ve been reading through Proverbs lately, I’ve noticed how frequently the author advises to “pursue wisdom.” That is not an insignificant command. There seems to be an unwritten assumption in the church that people who have been Christians for a long time are automatically wise. Surely those who have been to seminary or in ministry for years are wise, aren’t they? I don’t think those are valid assumptions. Wisdom doesn’t necessarily come with education or tenure. Someone can be a Christian for a lifetime and still make foolish decisions or speak as a fool. Even Solomon made foolish decisions after being commended for seeking God’s wisdom. (At least I assume having hundreds of wives and concubines and following their gods is pretty foolish!) The Pharisees were highly educated, but they missed the Messiah.

Wisdom is something that needs to be pursued, but it is given by God, not by professors and books. James says “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5 ESV). Paul said, “My speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God… And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual” (1 Corinthians 2:4-5, 13).

It is tempting to rely on human sources of knowledge rather than pursuing divine wisdom. Bookstores and websites are full of resources to learn anything you want to learn. Christian conferences promote the latest and greatest teachers. But apart from God’s direction it is meaningless. The pursuit of wisdom should also be ongoing. A person doesn’t get one infusion of wisdom and then never have to seek it again. It’s not like winning the lottery and then never working again. It is to be a daily and diligent pursuit. We can’t be like the ant for one year (or even once a week) and then be sluggards the rest of the time (Proverbs 6:6).

This is kind of a convicting realization for me, because I love to read, learn, and research topics related to church management and leadership, and I try to find ways to implement the best policies and practices that I uncover. And although that is a good thing, it has to be accompanied by seeking God’s wisdom in these matters. It is fairly easy to determine what is right from a legal standpoint, but not so easy to know what is best. For the Christian, that should come from God first and foremost.

I can think of many examples of times that people have great resources right in front of them and may even have policy manuals that tell them how to handle situations, and yet they misspeak or they take actions that are contrary to God’s Word and wisdom. Some choose to follow the wisdom of the world in ways that cause dissension in the Body of Christ and hinder God’s ministry through His Church.

We need God’s wisdom more than we often realize. Let’s get accustomed to seeking Him frequently and earnestly.

“For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity” (Proverbs 2:6-7).

© 2016 Dawn Rutan. 

New and Improved

In some recent reading I encountered the idea of “sins of identity,” where we justify or even celebrate sin by saying “That’s just the way I am.” In our scientific-oriented society, we tend to point to biological factors to explain and excuse the way we think, feel, and behave. But a genetic proclivity towards alcoholism (for example) does not mean drunkenness is okay. Genes are only part of the story.

I think sometimes the difficulty comes in discerning what things are truly sin and what are just normal variances in personality types and interests. To take this a step further, what elements of personality and socialization are part of the flesh and therefore eliminated in the new creation, and what ones are not? I don’t think heaven will come with a complete personality overhaul. However, if anything is related to fear/anxiety or pride/shame, obviously that will have to be removed. The question is, what should that look like now as we are being conformed to the image of Christ and transformed by the renewing of the mind?

I started researching Scriptures that speak to the difference between the old man and the new creation. Probably Galatians 5:19-23 is the clearest list of what needs to go and what needs to grow:

“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (ESV, see also Colossians 3).

I’m sure we can all find some things in those verses that we need to work on. My prayer at this point is that God would give me specific direction and reproof where needed, and would remove any false guilt the enemy seeks to lay on me. I don’t want to become overly introspective, but nor do I want to become calloused to God’s work in my life. Finding that balance is not easy. It is clear that we all have blind spots, and the things I see in myself may not be my biggest problems. It would be easy to tune out what others may have to say.

As I was thinking about the contrast between old and new, I coincidentally read a couple different chapters and took note of these verses:

“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ...” (Philippians 3:8).

“I fear that when I come again my God may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those who sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality that they have practiced” (2 Corinthians 12:21). “Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.” (Philippians 3:19).

What stood out to me was that in Christ even the good seems bad, but in the flesh even the bad seems good. For those who know the surpassing worth of Christ, even the best achievements and successes of life pale in comparison. But for those who do not value Christ, all the evils of this world start to look desirable and laudable. I think of some who claim to be Christian but have embraced a sinful identity, and I wonder if they will be among those who hear “Depart from Me, I never knew you” (Matthew 7:23). I pray that those I love will not fall into that trap of self-deception.

My hope is that I would never desire anything above the “surpassing worth of knowing Christ” and I would “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). And as we heard in last Sunday’s sermon on Wisdom & Discipline, we who are in the Body of Christ have an obligation to remind and correct one another in love. May we never shirk that duty out of fear or ignorance.

“The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise. Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence. The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor” (Proverbs 15:31-33).

© 2016 Dawn Rutan.

Once and Again

Last night I got to thinking about Joshua 24:15 (ESV), “Choose this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” We tend to fall into the trap of thinking that following God is a one-time decision rather than a daily choice. I’m not referring to the debate about whether a person can lose their salvation, but about the way we choose to live our lives day by day.

We can get sidetracked when we think of the spiritual disciplines as a one-time choice. We can choose whether to spend time in the Word and prayer, and we can choose our level of involvement with a local church. How many people think that reading the Bible occasionally or hearing a sermon once a week is all that’s really needed? I would question whether those people are actually following Christ if they only make that choice one day out of seven. Even if they do receive eternal salvation, they are missing out on the blessings of pursuing God every day.

Obedience is also a choice. Some days it is an hourly choice or even moment by moment. When temptation comes, we can choose to believe that God will provide endurance and escape one minute at a time (1 Corinthians 10:13). In a way, it is a relief to stop thinking “I have to endure for the rest of my life,” and to start thinking “I just have to make it through this minute… now this minute… now this one.”

As we’ve been learning about spiritual wisdom in recent sermons from 1 Corinthians 2, it is both convicting and enlightening to realize that seeking wisdom needs to be a constant choice as well. The news is full of celebrity pastors who neglected to choose wisely in one area or another, or they are relying on human wisdom more than God’s wisdom. Though they may not be caught in outright sin, they may be dogmatically clinging to a particular interpretation of Scripture that is not necessarily proven to be true. Every church and denomination feels at some level that they are right and others are wrong, but some are more proudly dogmatic than they should be.

Paul wrote, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). MacLaren’s Exposition of this verse says:

“That transformation is no sudden thing, though the revolution which underlies it may be instantaneous. The working out of the new motives, the working in of the new power, is no mere work of a moment. It is a lifelong task till the lump be leavened.”

Similarly in Philippians 2:12-13: “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” The choice to turn to Christ for salvation may be a one-time event, but working it out in daily life is one choice after another.

God keeps on saying to us, “Choose this day whom you will serve, and this hour, and this moment, and this second. Keep choosing as often as it takes. Choose Me; choose life; choose health; choose obedience; choose holiness; choose wisdom.”

Testing Wisdom

I’ve been thinking about Sunday’s sermon from 1 Corinthians 2 on the wisdom that comes from God, and at the same time the first chapter of James has been on my mind as I’ve been reading Warren Wiersbe’s study of James in Be Mature. The first few verses of James contain the reminder to find joy in trials because “the testing of your faith produces steadfastness,” and when steadfastness is accomplished “you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (ESV). The first thing I would note is that testing does not necessarily lead to perseverance or maturity of faith. Wiersbe comments, “If we try to go through trials without surrendered wills, we will end up more like immature children than mature adults” (p. 36). Fighting against trials or questioning God’s goodness in trials will keep us from benefitting from them.

James goes on in verses 5-8 to talk about wisdom: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God…”  I’ve heard sermons and read books that focus on these verses, but I’ve never heard anyone tie them back to verses 2-4. James just got through saying that the testing of faith when completed makes you “lacking in nothing,” and now he’s talking about lacking wisdom. So those who are lacking wisdom have not completed the process of enduring trials of faith. The flip side of that coin seems to be that asking for wisdom is tantamount to asking for the testing of faith. James says that wisdom comes to those who ask in faith and faith is matured by testing. Be careful what you ask for!

That’s not to say that God never gives wisdom without trials. King Solomon asked for and received wisdom (1 Kings 3), but he didn’t always do what he knew to be right (1 Kings 11). In general though, wisdom is obtained through experience, and I think most would agree that we learn more through difficulties than through ease and comfort. There is a reason that we associate wisdom with old age, because those who have lived many years have experienced a wide variety of challenges and have learned from them. Some of the wise men in the Bible include Daniel and Joseph, and they certainly encountered great difficulties in their lives. We don’t really need wisdom if everything in life is going smoothly.

Wiersbe makes a good point:

“Why do we need wisdom when we are going through trials? Why not ask for strength, or grace, or even deliverance? For this reason: We need wisdom so we will not waste the opportunities God is giving us to mature. Wisdom helps us understand how to use these circumstances for our good and God’s glory” (p. 38).

Justin Nash also commented on this in our office chapel service this week— James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights,” and God’s gifts include any trials He allows us to encounter in order to mature our faith. If God makes all things work together for good (Romans 8:28), then trials are a good gift. Wiersbe puts it this way:

“God gives only good gifts. Everything good in this world comes from God. If it did not come from God, it is not good. If it comes from God, it must be good, even if we do not see the goodness in it immediately” (p. 50).

In some ways it is discouraging to realize that wisdom comes with testing. I think we’d all like to have the right answer for every question without any effort. But that is not how God usually works. He loves us too much to let us remain immature in our faith, which should be an encouragement to us.

When we do encounter trials and need wisdom to get through them, we shouldn’t expect to have the whole map laid out before us. That would negate the need for maturing faith, which is the purpose of the trials to begin with. I know how frustrating it is when God lets the trials continue without explanation or deliverance, and it seems like wisdom ought to reveal why that’s in God’s plan. He has yet to reveal specific details like that to me, but He is showing me the bigger picture of how He works in His people.

As was said Sunday, the first step of wisdom is knowing that it’s about God. He’s not necessarily interested in giving us the perfect words to speak in a particular situation, but He does want us to know who He is and how He works. He wants us to know His character, and He is at work conforming us to the image of Christ so we will better reflect His character. That means we need to learn about forgiving others, having compassion, being gracious and merciful, etc. Those characteristics come through the wisdom developed by experiencing difficult situations, because none of us are born knowing how to love others perfectly.

This all seems to be part of a larger, ongoing lesson of God’s plan for each of His children, so this blog may be continued at some point.

“He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will board all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).