A wise owl once told me...

Paul says that there are two different kinds of wisdom. One is of earthly men and one of God. We are told to pursue the latter. In 1 Corinthians, it says, “19 for it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” 20 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? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.”

I think that the last two verses need to be broken down into more bite-size pieces. God has made foolish the wisdom of the world: basically flipping what the world views as wise and unwise completely upside-down. . For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom: The world, your unsaved family, some of my friends from home, and even the strangers we meet who do not have Jesus, do not know, and were not called yet by God through the Holy Spirit to enter the sweet spot of receiving his wisdom. Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, was given wisdom after he was chosen by God. He asked for it from the Lord, and the Lord gave him wisdom and understanding: gifts more precious than gold and jewels.

So where can we find the right wisdom? Look in Scripture (literally). Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:14-17, “14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” It is right in His word for us to find. How would I define wisdom? Wisdom is when the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts and guides our minds to reflect Him. 1 Corinthians 2 shares a bit of how our wisdom is to derive from the Holy Spirit. Today I pray that you will continue to seek what is wise, and may we have the mind of Christ.

Much love,
V

Lessons from Geese?

There are plenty of lessons to be learned from geese. They fly in large flocks and honk to encourage each other during flight. They all take their strength and build energy off of the goose in the front, and when that goose gets tired then it rotates to the back where a new goose takes the frontline. They also never leave one another behind. If a goose gets injured, it will fly out of the pack…but not alone. Two other geese accompany it, and continue to stay with it until it dies or recovers enough to return to a passing flock.

Geese know plenty about unity; it is the key to their survival. The amazing thing is that they do things out of instinct—God-given instinct. It is a valuable thing to see how the Lord made the geese this way so that they were not all trying to fly south on their own. If this were the case, there would be individual geese all over the place. Many too tired to carry on in their flights and not able to make it as far south as needed for winter. Many would die just on the journey, or get lost or confused of how to get where they’re going. The divisiveness would be fatal.

Maybe as the church, we need to get to know better what unity looks like. We work to conform ourselves by the Spirit of God more to the image of Christ every day as we get to glory, but we're still people, and unity does not come as naturally to us. In 1 Corinthians 1: 10-17, Paul says, “10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

We've got to ask: with these divisions and differentiations of doctrine and practice among those who follow Christ in the church, has our purpose of sharing Christ been confused and frustrated? Others need to see the unity we can have in Him. We need to visibly align in our formation so that outsiders can see our purpose and direction in Jesus Christ.

Much love,
V

The Perfume of Friendship

It takes a long time to grow an old friend.

Yes?

Okay, this blog will be exhaustingly full of cheesy quotes, take heed.

Proverbs 27:9, "The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense." 

Mmmm, perfume and incense. Time spent in the candle section at Bath & Body Works ;)... or the perfume isle at a department store could last forever.  But Proverbs says that a friend can be more enriching. A friend should build you up in the Word, and be there to provide you with encouragement, accountability, laughs, and honesty.  Friends can make or break you.  This is why I want you to engage in establishing Godly friendships.  Scripture clearly shows that your company will reflect you and your behavior.  Studies have proved the irrefutable parallels between the characteristics of your friends with the characteristics you develop. As the old saying goes: "you are what you eat," there is a similar phrase that goes, "show me your friends, I'll show you your future." Do you believe this?  If it's true, then maybe it is wise to ask are you holding up your end of the bargain?

Do you show kindness, patience, humor, and grace in your friendships?

I want to be the type of friend who uplifts. I hope that I am a good influence. I want to be a prayer partner; someone who will encourage another consistently with their walk with God. I want to always seek the Lord for the words I say and the things I do. I do not want to talk behind my friend's backs. I want to constantly encourage and forgive. I know it is so precious to be in the Word, and to be saturated in Scripture for the sake of my friends. A threefold cord is not easily broken. With the Spirit taking the third strand in a close friendship; there are long-lasting implications.

"When you forget the song in your heart,
a friend is someone who sings it back to you."

I pray that as you read this, you can think of that someone.

Much love,

V