Living in a Season of Wisdom
We are continuing in our series on discovering our destiny and our focus this month is on knowing what season we are in. The natural seasons are winter, spring, summer and autumn; there are also spiritual seasons in our lives.
Our focus today has been on Autumn and a calm and wise transition. Tonight I want us to think about what it means to be wise so that we can live in a season of wisdom.
Look at the words of Proverbs 3:13-18:
Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding. For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold. Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. She offers you long life in her right hand, and riches and honour in her left. She will guide you down delightful paths; all her ways are satisfying. Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly.
Wisdom sounds like a wonderful thing to have. Broadly speaking, there are two types of wisdom that we all experience in our daily lives, worldly wisdom and Godly wisdom.
Dictionary.com defines wisdom in this way:
- the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgement; the quality of being wise.
- the fact of being based on sensible or wise thinking.
- the body of knowledge and experience that develops within a specified society or period.
In the Biblical sense, wisdom is the “ability to judge correctly and to follow the best course of action, based on knowledge and understanding”.
There is wisdom in understanding the consequences of our actions and words before we act or speak.
Let me ask you a question: Are you living in a season of worldly wisdom or a season of Godly wisdom?
Worldly is following the popular opinion of the world. Godly is following the precepts and commands of God.
Are some of your choices, opinions, actions, based on what the world thinks is wise rather than on what God says is wise?
As disciples of Jesus we need to understand that we cannot be both worldly and godly; they do not mix. James 4:4 warns us, “Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.”
Ouch!
If we embrace the modern liberal thinking of the world, if we accept things that are against the will of God then we are turning our back on the truth of the wisdom of God.
1 John 2:15-17 also warns us Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.
So, are you living in a season of worldly wisdom or a season of Godly wisdom? Can you easily say which season you are in?
Godly wisdom is demonstrated in our lives when we, seek to follow God’s will and purpose for our life. When we live according to the commands and precepts of God. When we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us.
But, as we go through life, we discover that we are not always wise in the choices we make. Maybe we simply did what we thought was best, maybe we acted on impulse, or maybe we listened to ungodly advice from someone we knew. Humanly speaking there have probably been times in each of our lives when we have failed to fully follow the wisdom of God.
The Bible, The Word of God is the Holy Spirit inspired Wisdom of God. The best wisdom to help each of us in our daily lives is found in God’s Word. The Bible is our guide in every season of life.
There are times when through prayer God will reveal His purpose and plan to us. There are also times when it is right and appropriate for us to seek counsel or advice from other Christians.
Wherever the wisdom comes from, however much we trust the person who gives it, or how certain we are that it must be of God, if the wisdom is contradictory to the Bible then it is not from God. When we follow Godly wisdom, we are in harmony with God, we will live according to His will.
The Wisdom teachings of the Bible can be summarised into two main areas, reverence to God, and respect for other people.
There are many examples of the wisdom of God throughout the Old Testament. The words wisdom and wise, were words applied to men and women who represented a way of thinking and orderly conduct. People who were socially sensitive and morally upright. King Solomon’s God given wisdom gave him an insight into how to deal with the problems of life.
The wisdom recorded in the Old Testament provides God’s people with a code of moral conduct and instruction on personal behaviour. The books of Job, Ecclesiastes, and Proverbs are well known as being books of wisdom. A few psalms are also classified as wisdom psalms: 1, 37, 49, 73, 112, 127 and psalm 128.
The revealed wisdom of God still speaks to us today about the problems of life and the real meaning of life. There is also practical wisdom to help us in every season of life, integrity, purity and our relationship with others.
In the New Testament there are also many references to wisdom, especially the wisdom of Jesus.
In Old Testament times it is said King Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived. Yet even Solomon’s wisdom does not compare to the wisdom of Jesus. Jesus is God and there is no greater wisdom than that of God Himself.
Jesus when speaking to the crowds in Luke 11:31 said of himself, “Now someone greater than Solomon is here—but you refuse to listen.”
Even as a child Jesus in Mark 6:2 was said to be full of “wisdom and power” by those who heard Him.
Luke 2:40 tells Jesus was “filled with wisdom”.
Luke 2:52 tells us Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favour with God and all the people.
In Luke 21:15, Jesus told the disciples that when persecution begins to grow I will give you the right words and such wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to reply or refute you!
In Matthew 13:54, when Jesus returned to Nazareth, his hometown. When he taught there in the synagogue, everyone was amazed and asked, “Where does he get this wisdom and the power to do miracles?”
Revelation 5:12 says of Jesus, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain — to receive power and riches
and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and blessing.”
Think for a moment about the wisdom Jesus shared when He addressed the crowds during the Sermon on the Mount. God is the true source of all wisdom for all seasons of our lives.
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The Apostle Paul also spoke about wisdom, he compared the wisdom of men with the wisdom of God in 1 Corinthians 2:6-7 he wrote, When I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten.
No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—His plan that was previously hidden, even though He made it for our ultimate glory before the world began.
In 1 Corinthians 1:24, Paul wrote, But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. And again in 1 Corinthians 1:30, God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made Him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; He made us pure and holy, and He freed us from sin.
In the New Testament the Epistle of James incorporates wisdom in its practical advice for Christian living. James speaks about applying spiritual truth in our daily lives and he also contrasts the foolish wisdom of the world with Godly wisdom from above.
Let’s consider the words of James 3:13-18,
13 If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honourable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying.
The word wise in the Greek is “sophos”; it refers to the ability to skilfully apply knowledge. The truth is a person can have vast amounts of knowledge and yet still lack wisdom. Here in verse 13 James is telling us that wisdom is something that is shown by how we live not by how we speak. Godly wisdom is demonstrated in a life surrendered to God. To be a Christian is more than saying we are a Christian, we must Prove it by the life we live. As disciples of Jesus whatever season of life we are in we are to be controlled not contentious in how we live.
15 For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. 16 For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.
Our motive for wisdom is spiritual not selfish ambition or pride. We are to focus on the eternal not the temporal.
Our focus is to be on Godly Wisdom not worldly wisdom. Why? Verse 17 tells us
17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favouritism and is always sincere.
Here James explains to us what Godly wisdom really is, what it looks like, what our lives should contain if we are living in a season of wisdom. Pure, peaceful, gentle, willing to yield, merciful, fruitful for our Lord, consistent and genuine.
Are those traits evident in your life, in my life?
Pure, the root meaning of the word is clean or innocent. Pure wisdom accomplishes good works with no false motives involved. Our lives should be a testimony of pure character and honesty before God.
Being peaceful doesn’t mean a push-over. Being peaceful is a demonstrated willingness to strive to be at peace. It is remaining calm under pressure, it is remaining calm under stress and letting go of anxiety.
Gentle at all times, literally self-controlled and patient.
Willing to Yield, that means a willingness to listen to all sides and a willingness to do what is right, it is having a teachable spirit.
Merciful and fruitful a life that is a life of compassion and honesty. Known by a forgiving spirit and impeccable character.
Consistent and genuine. The phrase “what you see is what you get” springs to mind. Not pretending to be something we are not, not telling one person one thing and another something else.
In every season of life these are the traits that should be evident in our lives. This is how our conduct as disciples of Jesus is meant to be. For us to truly live in a season of Godly wisdom, we must demonstrate these traits in our daily lives, in our conversation and our conduct.
Friends, those who are truly wise are empowered with Godly wisdom.
When we live in a season of wisdom there is a wonderful result, verse 18, And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.
We could spend hours unpacking this verse, but simply put, the wisdom of a Godly life is shown in peace. The fruit or evidence of Godly wisdom is righteousness in our daily lives.
This evening, God’s Word is calling us to examine our thinking regarding the things in our lives, our ideas, our plans.
Are we seeking to live in a season of wisdom?
Are we seeking to live by Godly or worldly wisdom?
Are we seeking to live by God’s Word, God’s precepts, God’s commands?
Are you seeking to discover the destiny God in His wisdom has for you?
I will close with some wisdom from Psalm 1:1-3, Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on His law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither – whatever they do prospers.
My encouragement to each of us this evening is live in a season of Godly wisdom.
May God help us to have Godly wisdom in every season of life.
