by David Scott Robertson
So you want to be a wise guy, huh? So do I. Who in their right mind doesn’t want to think clearly, speak well, and act with wisdom?
OK, then, how do we become wise? As I see it, there are at least seven basic and elementary facets of wisdom that we would do well to consider…
BUILDING BLOCK #1. FEAR GOD
(Prov 2:5 NIV) “then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.”
Got it! Fear God. Then what? Next, add to fearing God…
BUILDING BLOCK #2. OBEY GOD
Solomon, whom the Bible plainly identifies as the wisest natural born man who ever lived,
Summed up his life experiences by concluding:
(Eccl 12:13 NIV) “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”
OK, fear and obey God. What next? Thirdly, you’ll need to implement…
BUILDING BLOCK #3. GET INTO GOD’S WORD AND ALLOW GOD’S WORD TO GET INTO YOU
The great mentor and apostle Paul told his protégé Timothy:
(2 Tim 3:15 NIV) “and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”
Another important ingredient for you becoming a wise person is…
BUILDING BLOCK #4. LIVE BY RIGHT PRIORITIES
This is what I call “living life in the right order.” Jesus taught us…
(Mat 6:33 NIV) “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
To add to your wisdom, you must apply…
BUILDING BLOCK #5. DISCOVER HOW TO GIVE AND RECEIVE TRUE LOVE
(1 Cor 13:2 NIV) If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
(Luke 10:27 NIV) He [Jesus] answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind' ; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
The truth here is so plain it is startling! Without love, we are nothing and anything we accomplish apart from love is worthless. And unless we are loving God and loving one another, we are living foolish, misguided lives.
Another elementary but foundational building block in your wisdom is…
BUILDING BLOCK #6. SIMPLY ASK GOD FOR WISDOM
Our Holy Spirit Owner’s Manual, the Bible, plainly teaches…
(James 1:5 NIV) “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”
Well, aspiring wise man or wise woman, there you have it - the six building blocks of wisdom. A prescription for being biblically wise instead of worldly smart.
1. Fear God.
2. Obey His commandments.
3. Study His Word, the Bible.
4. Seek His face, first.
5. Love Him, love His people.
6. Ask for wisdom.
What a minute. The title of this thought is “The Seven Building Blocks of Wisdom.” I guess I need to include one more. Oh yeah, no foundation of wisdom would be complete without…
BUILDING BLOCK #7. LEARN TO TAKE A REBUKE WITHOUT GETTING OFFENDED
(Psa 141:5 NIV) “Let a righteous man strike me--it is a kindness; let him rebuke me--it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it….”
That’s right - take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’. Get corrected and not leave the church. Get chastised by a leader and not quit your ministry. Realize that wisdom won’t die with you. Understand that you don’t have a monopoly on doing things right. Considering that it is possible that your way might actually be the wrong way. Concentrate on remaining teachable, trainable, moldable, and shapeable.
To be a wise person, you must accept the fact that God can and will speak through apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, friends, neighbors, ushers, greeters, and (you can fill-in-the-blank) to teach, rebuke, correct, and train you in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). This last step is of major importance because so many fail to obtain godly wisdom by omitting this important component.
Some mistakenly think that by filling their minds with Bible facts and knowledge that this somehow qualifies them for biblical wisdom. Not necessarily. For as Paul told the church at Corinth:
“…We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.”
Remember the Bible text I submitted to you for this point?
(Psa 141:5 NIV) “Let a righteous man strike me--it is a kindness; let him rebuke me--it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it….”
It is very important that we learn to accept a rebuke with the greatest of ease; to gracefully allow correction to become our valued ally.
Did you know that all your opinions aren’t right? Were you aware that just because you think it is so doesn’t necessarily make it so?
Sometimes we really are on the wrong course and we need somebody to love us enough to confront us, and correct us and serve as a roadblock on our pathway to failure that they can see and we cannot – or will not.
(Prov 27:6 NIV) “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.”
True friends will tell you the truth, friend. And never forget that “…there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Prov 18:24 NIV). And our friendly Savior chastises and disciplines those He loves (Proverbs 3:12).
(Prov 4:7 KJV) “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” But please understand this…
(Psa 84:11 KJV) “For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.”
And sometimes the “good thing,” the best thing, is to be struck, disciplined, or punished by a righteous man.
I’ll quote it one more time for emphasis:
(Psa 141:5 NIV) “Let a righteous man strike me--it is a kindness; let him rebuke me--it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it…”
DSR
2/10/03
Monday, February 10, 2003
Saturday, February 8, 2003
I Admire My Wife
by David Scott Robertson
In my lifetime I have met and appreciated many influential women in my world.
My mother, my grandmother, Sunday school teachers, and other sisters and female friends in the Lord have all made an indelible mark on my life.
But none have influenced me more than one special woman.
I met Monica at church sixteen years ago.
As our Christian friendship took an unexpected romantic turn,
I suddenly discovered that I could live without this woman, but I didn’t want to.
So I asked the Lord if I could have her as my wife.
Both He and she said “yes.”
Now I’m learning what it means to be a husband who loves his wife as Christ loves the church and gave Himself for her.
I’m beginning to understand why the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 11:7 that “…the woman is the glory of man.”
You see, I have come to a place in my marriage where I admire my wife.
She gave birth to our beautiful daughter, Abigail Grace.
She taught my child to read.
She prays over our family as a watchman on the wall.
She is a woman of integrity whose word is her bond.
She fears the Lord and obeys His commands and does those things that are pleasing in His sight.
She has a sense of humor – (after all she married me).
She loves God far more than me – and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Her world revolves around her faith in Jesus and the Bible is her favorite book.
She has a gift of wisdom and many come to her for counsel – including myself.
For these and a thousand other reasons, I have come to a place in my marriage where I admire my wife.
I purpose in my heart to tell her more often those words every woman loves to hear from her husband: “Honey, I was wrong and you were right.”
Depending upon how she’s treating me at the time, I joke with her about being a “Proverbs 31 wife.” If she’s yelled at me for leaving my clothes on the floor, “I tell her today she’s a Proverbs 18 wife” or if she nags a little too much I quip that today she’s acting like a “Proverbs 27 wife.”
But the truth of the matter is, to me, my imperfect wife who is perfect for me, captures the essence of the ideal wife described in Proverbs 31 when God’s Word says:
"Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised” (Proverbs 31:29-30 NIV).
DSR
2/8/03
In my lifetime I have met and appreciated many influential women in my world.
My mother, my grandmother, Sunday school teachers, and other sisters and female friends in the Lord have all made an indelible mark on my life.
But none have influenced me more than one special woman.
I met Monica at church sixteen years ago.
As our Christian friendship took an unexpected romantic turn,
I suddenly discovered that I could live without this woman, but I didn’t want to.
So I asked the Lord if I could have her as my wife.
Both He and she said “yes.”
Now I’m learning what it means to be a husband who loves his wife as Christ loves the church and gave Himself for her.
I’m beginning to understand why the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 11:7 that “…the woman is the glory of man.”
You see, I have come to a place in my marriage where I admire my wife.
She gave birth to our beautiful daughter, Abigail Grace.
She taught my child to read.
She prays over our family as a watchman on the wall.
She is a woman of integrity whose word is her bond.
She fears the Lord and obeys His commands and does those things that are pleasing in His sight.
She has a sense of humor – (after all she married me).
She loves God far more than me – and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Her world revolves around her faith in Jesus and the Bible is her favorite book.
She has a gift of wisdom and many come to her for counsel – including myself.
For these and a thousand other reasons, I have come to a place in my marriage where I admire my wife.
I purpose in my heart to tell her more often those words every woman loves to hear from her husband: “Honey, I was wrong and you were right.”
Depending upon how she’s treating me at the time, I joke with her about being a “Proverbs 31 wife.” If she’s yelled at me for leaving my clothes on the floor, “I tell her today she’s a Proverbs 18 wife” or if she nags a little too much I quip that today she’s acting like a “Proverbs 27 wife.”
But the truth of the matter is, to me, my imperfect wife who is perfect for me, captures the essence of the ideal wife described in Proverbs 31 when God’s Word says:
"Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised” (Proverbs 31:29-30 NIV).
DSR
2/8/03
Monday, February 3, 2003
A Nation Mourns
by David Scott Robertson
February 1, 2003.
Like all Americans, I awoke to a national tragedy.
I watched CNN in horror, sadness, and pain as the space shuttle Columbia plummeted through earth’s atmosphere at about 12,500 miles per hour.
Like many of you, I was stunned.
Flashbacks of the space shuttle Challenger tragedy 17 years prior began to resurface.
Right away, I began praying for family members of the crew who had just unwillingly entered a passageway through grief.
I remember watching the coverage with my wife for a few hours, then feeling the need to take an emotional break we went to Wal-Mart to do our grocery shopping.
I numbly walked through the store and I distinctly remember thinking to myself – how can over a thousand people be here right now shopping?
How come my car started when I turned on the ignition?
How come the water still came out of the faucet in the restroom?
How is it that the birds were singing outside?
How come kids were playing at the public park when we drove by?
Why were the restaurants full?
How come life seemed to go on as if nothing happened?
After all, seven human beings had just died this morning, how come everything around me in effect was business as usual?
As I grappled with these thoughts, I realized that more than seven precious individuals died on February 1, 2003. I don’t exactly know what the death rate is the world but the fact of the matter is that hundreds of thousands of people died on Saturday along with our national heroes. We don’t know their names but certainly their loved ones do.
I wonder if they struggled with the fact that time seemed to march on even though their world seemed to stand still?
Later, I listened to President Bush compassionately address the nation about our loss and at that moment I was very proud to be an American.
I am thankful to the NASA family and the men and women astronauts who face the challenges, dangers, and risks of space exploration to advance important causes of humankind.
I appreciate other professionals who risk life and limb on a daily basis to keep our economy grinding forward.
I appreciate the armed forces of the United States of America who place themselves in harm’s way to protect the American people and allies throughout the globe.
I am thankful for so many millions of people who make up our society that dream their dreams and pay their taxes and buy their goods and provide their services and live their lives to the best of their ability.
Each one will be sorely missed as they pass away.
My take on death is to live life well and biblically.
That way, your survivors will not only receive comfort in knowing that your life was not lived in vain having meaning and great significance but they will also have peace in knowing your eternal destination is with God. For Christians, death is by no means final.
Our Heavenly Father has scheduled a wonderful reunion of departed loved ones one glorious day.
In the meantime, here are some ways to make your life count for God:
1. KNOW YOUR PURPOSE IN LIFE
We must strive to know the purpose for which God created us.
Ask yourself: What is the contribution that we can make to humanity that God has uniquely qualified and equipped us to make?
2. FULFILL YOUR POTENTIAL
We must strive to realize our potential and finish the work God has called us to do.
Ask yourself: What steps do I need to take to pursue my life development process to become all that God intends me to become?
3. SOW SEEDS IN THE LIVES OF OTHERS
We must strive to impart godly values in our children, friends, and families that will outlive us.
Ask yourself: Am I spending adequate time influencing those most important to me to help prepare them for success in life?
Let me say it again for emphasis: For those who are Christians, death is by no means the end. For the believer in Jesus Christ, death is not a passageway through grief, but an on ramp from the side street of life to the superhighway of greater life.
It is this hope in afterlife and eternal life that has brought me great comfort and peace in times of intense loss and tragedy.
(2 Cor 1:3 NIV) “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
(2 Cor 1:4 NIV) who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
(2 Cor 1:5 NIV) For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.”
IN LOVING MEMORY OF…
Shuttle commander Rick Husband, pilot William McCool, mission specialists Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, David Brown, Michael Anderson, Laurel Clark, and Kalpana Chawla.
DSR
2/3/03
February 1, 2003.
Like all Americans, I awoke to a national tragedy.
I watched CNN in horror, sadness, and pain as the space shuttle Columbia plummeted through earth’s atmosphere at about 12,500 miles per hour.
Like many of you, I was stunned.
Flashbacks of the space shuttle Challenger tragedy 17 years prior began to resurface.
Right away, I began praying for family members of the crew who had just unwillingly entered a passageway through grief.
I remember watching the coverage with my wife for a few hours, then feeling the need to take an emotional break we went to Wal-Mart to do our grocery shopping.
I numbly walked through the store and I distinctly remember thinking to myself – how can over a thousand people be here right now shopping?
How come my car started when I turned on the ignition?
How come the water still came out of the faucet in the restroom?
How is it that the birds were singing outside?
How come kids were playing at the public park when we drove by?
Why were the restaurants full?
How come life seemed to go on as if nothing happened?
After all, seven human beings had just died this morning, how come everything around me in effect was business as usual?
As I grappled with these thoughts, I realized that more than seven precious individuals died on February 1, 2003. I don’t exactly know what the death rate is the world but the fact of the matter is that hundreds of thousands of people died on Saturday along with our national heroes. We don’t know their names but certainly their loved ones do.
I wonder if they struggled with the fact that time seemed to march on even though their world seemed to stand still?
Later, I listened to President Bush compassionately address the nation about our loss and at that moment I was very proud to be an American.
I am thankful to the NASA family and the men and women astronauts who face the challenges, dangers, and risks of space exploration to advance important causes of humankind.
I appreciate other professionals who risk life and limb on a daily basis to keep our economy grinding forward.
I appreciate the armed forces of the United States of America who place themselves in harm’s way to protect the American people and allies throughout the globe.
I am thankful for so many millions of people who make up our society that dream their dreams and pay their taxes and buy their goods and provide their services and live their lives to the best of their ability.
Each one will be sorely missed as they pass away.
My take on death is to live life well and biblically.
That way, your survivors will not only receive comfort in knowing that your life was not lived in vain having meaning and great significance but they will also have peace in knowing your eternal destination is with God. For Christians, death is by no means final.
Our Heavenly Father has scheduled a wonderful reunion of departed loved ones one glorious day.
In the meantime, here are some ways to make your life count for God:
1. KNOW YOUR PURPOSE IN LIFE
We must strive to know the purpose for which God created us.
Ask yourself: What is the contribution that we can make to humanity that God has uniquely qualified and equipped us to make?
2. FULFILL YOUR POTENTIAL
We must strive to realize our potential and finish the work God has called us to do.
Ask yourself: What steps do I need to take to pursue my life development process to become all that God intends me to become?
3. SOW SEEDS IN THE LIVES OF OTHERS
We must strive to impart godly values in our children, friends, and families that will outlive us.
Ask yourself: Am I spending adequate time influencing those most important to me to help prepare them for success in life?
Let me say it again for emphasis: For those who are Christians, death is by no means the end. For the believer in Jesus Christ, death is not a passageway through grief, but an on ramp from the side street of life to the superhighway of greater life.
It is this hope in afterlife and eternal life that has brought me great comfort and peace in times of intense loss and tragedy.
(2 Cor 1:3 NIV) “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
(2 Cor 1:4 NIV) who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
(2 Cor 1:5 NIV) For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.”
IN LOVING MEMORY OF…
Shuttle commander Rick Husband, pilot William McCool, mission specialists Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, David Brown, Michael Anderson, Laurel Clark, and Kalpana Chawla.
DSR
2/3/03
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