Dear Fellow
Children of God,
Let me speak the straight truth. God has wisdom for living. The Lord gives wisdom in His guidance, or His
law. But, He also gives wisdom in his
love and forgiveness, specifically in the person of Jesus. For those who seek and follow our Lord and
His wisdom, there are blessings for this life, and eternally. But, for those who foolishly reject the
wisdom of God, life difficulties and challenges increase, brought on by sinful
and rebellious behavior. What saddens me
is that, more and more, I see people turning from the wisdom of God. That’s the bottom line, so if you desire you may
stop reading here. But, if you want the rest of the story, please read below.
Last week I was traveling with a
group of people when one man in our group made a statement about the value of work
for life. But, after he had spoken, the same
man then quickly corrected himself, “I should not have said that. Some would be offended.” Another man spoke up quickly in response,
however. “But, what you said is the truth, and sometimes the truth hurts.” The truth is that our Lord gives wisdom for
living, wisdom which blesses life in this world and the next.
In my daily devotions, my Old
Testament readings currently come from the book of Proverbs. Please consider just a few of the words of
wisdom which our Lord inspired King Solomon to write. In Proverbs 8 Solomon taught, “1 Does not wisdom call, does not understanding raise her
voice? . . . ‘34 Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my
doors, waiting at my doorway. 35 For whoever finds me finds life and receives
favor from the LORD. 36 But whoever fails to find me harms himself; all who
hate me love death.’" (Proverbs 8:1, 34-36) Wise
living brings God’s favor and blessings to our lives in this world. Additionally,
wisdom brings us life, and not just life in this world.
Among the ways
of wisdom taught by God in the book of Proverbs is instruction in such areas of
life as when to speak and when to be silent. In this book God encourages His children
to work diligently, and He warns against sexual promiscuity. Proverbs teaches wisdom for leadership,
wisdom concerning finances, and wisdom for relationships. Perhaps you have looked for guidance for your
life in one of these areas. God provides
the guidance we crave in His Word.
However, the second man in my group
was correct. Some people do not like the
truth. Some do not like the wisdom of God. Listen to the warning of Proverbs 9: 8 “Do not rebuke a mocker or he
will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you.” Some people simply refuse to hear the truth
of God, and can even respond in anger or violence. Nevertheless, that refusal to hear our Lord’s
word does not change the fact that God’s truth is wisdom.
Proverbs 9 teaches even more deeply. "10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. 11 For through me your days
will be many, and years will be added to your life. 12 If you are wise, your
wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer." (Proverbs 9:10-12) (See also Proverbs 10:27, 14:27, 15:23) The best translation
I can give for the phrase, “the fear of the Lord,” is “faith.” Some get caught up in the word “fear.” But, faith not only trusts God’s saving love,
it also know the Lord as the all-powerful Creator and Judge. The Creator of all knows the best way to
live. The fact that God is Creator and
the Judge to whom we must answer means that He deserves our fear, our awe and our
respect. The fact that God is Creator
and the Judge to whom we must answer, then makes His love and forgiveness
amazingly good news of grace. Unfortunately, when people miss the wisdom of
God’s guidance for life, if we miss
that guidance, we have strayed from the ways of wisdom, then we often also miss
the good news of God’s forgiveness.
In response to
these teachings of the Old Testament, the New Testament teaches that Jesus is
God’s ultimate wisdom. Paul writes, “23. . . we preach Christ crucified: . . .
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:23-24) Amazingly, the cross of
Jesus and His crucifixion is wisdom from God.
That is because our foolishness leaves us helpless in the consequences
of our sin. But Jesus’ sacrifice brings
life. Actually, Jesus teaches the truth
about wisdom and faith most simply, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through me.” (John 14:6) In other words, Jesus is the wisdom and the truth of God for our lives. And
remember, if you desire God’s blessings in your life, God’s wisdom, found in
Jesus, brings such grace.
The bottom
line is this. God’s ways of guidance and
grace, His law and His forgiveness, are THE way of wisdom for life in this
world. Following the wisdom of God’s law
protects us and brings blessings and life.
Ignoring God’s wise guidance brings trouble and calamity. Yet, God knows the foolishness of our hearts.
Our Lord knows we stray from the wisdom of His ways. So He not only gives
guidance, He also provides forgiveness through the wisdom of faith in Jesus. Therefore,
"The fear of the LORD is the
beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
A Child of God, Thankful for the
Wisdom of God in a World of Foolishness,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. Some of you know that Kathy and Mary and I
are traveling in the British Isles on a cruise.
Both Kathy and I have ancestors from Ireland. Also, we are celebrating Kathy’s recent last
day of work at MSRMC after 45 years of nursing, and 31 at MSRMC. And, Kathy and
I are celebrating our 45th wedding anniversary coming up this
August. Here are some pictures.
· From our travel to
London and Southampton, UK, via Frankfurt. https://photos.app.goo.gl/zysJUbeDah8TZhym9
· From our travel in
Portland and a trip to Corfe Castle: https://photos.app.goo.gl/redtToSWhbi8Tm4SA
· Here are Pictures
from Guernsey. https://photos.app.goo.gl/JHppMd2GCwymW1Fq6
· Here are some
pictures from Cobh and Cork, Ireland. https://photos.app.goo.gl/Dq429fhdvDye9xeV6
· Here are pictures
from Dublin, Ireland. https://photos.app.goo.gl/eZBPWqaZen7LPpsb8
· Here are pictures
from Belfast, Northern Ireland. https://photos.app.goo.gl/Q5CDRCaH53GpissJ8
· Here are pictures
from Greenock / Glasgow, Scotland. https://photos.app.goo.gl/NU9mwLuDprwdwcaJ7
· Here are pictures
from Invergordon, Battle of Collodun, Loch Ness, Scotland, and Urquhart Castle.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/1dfctARpuZyk9BUf8
More pictures to come next
week. J
*****
ABOUT THIS DEVOTION - I retired at
the end of August 2019 from serving as senior pastor of St. John Lutheran
Church in Palmer, AK. I was writing a
weekly devotion previously entitled, "Thoughts from the Pastor." When I retired many asked me to continue
writing these devotions. So I have
continued writing. However, with life's
changes I now call this weekly devotion "Journeys Through Life as a Child
of God." Since I am no longer
senior pastor at St. John, I felt it right to only send this message to those
who asked to receive it. (Though I am
now serving again part-time at St. John as assistant to the pastor.)
So, if you stopped receiving these
devotions and wondered why, now you understand.
And, if you are now receiving these devotions and do not wish to receive
them, please let me know, and I’ll gladly remove your name from my distribution
list. My e-mail address is
jonrock53@mtaonline.net.
My prayer is that these devotions help
each of you in your daily walk with our Lord, Jesus.
*******
Jonathan Rockey
Child of God
Husband, Father, Son, Grandfather
Emeritus, St. John Lutheran
Church
E-Mail: jonrock53@mtaonline.net
“1 John 3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we
should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1a)
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