true wisdom

Sheer Silliness

Posted on by Betsy

Isn’t it amazing how many experts there are in the world today? Gosh, all you have to do is open TikTok, X, or Facebook and voila, there they are. Everyone now has a PHD in something, it seems. You can find all kinds of nutritional, medical, and health advice. Not to mention all the online science experts who pontificate their opinions on vaccines, weather, climate change, etc. Political, financial, and global experts abound and have lots of great information to share on these platforms.

I hope you are reading the sarcasm in my tone. Based on what I am seeing, this new faux brand of PHD must stand for Pretty Horrible Disinformation. A friend recently told me that the Canadian wildfires were deliberately set by an all-female firefighter crew. She knew that because she saw it on TikTok. According to the Pew Research Center, about 52% of adults who use TikTok get all of their news there. TikTok! Lord, have mercy.

Paul wrote about the sheer silliness of the (good) news to those who were rejecting it. Christ dying on the cross for the salvation of the world was unacceptable to the supposedly wise people. God used their preconceived ideas to turn their conventional wisdom upside down and the so-called experts in the Jewish and Greek communities were exposed as fake news readers.

1 Corinthians 1 (The Message)

18-21 The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness to those hellbent on destruction, but for those on the way of salvation it makes perfect sense. This is the way God works, and most powerfully as it turns out. It’s written,

I’ll turn conventional wisdom on its head,
I’ll expose so-called experts as shams.

So where can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn’t God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense? Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered stupid—preaching, of all things!—to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation.

Don’t look to the pulpit here for “preaching.” What Paul is saying is that we are all called to share the wisdom of God in our testimony. We are all responsible for sharing the truth of Christ-crucified with everyone we meet. You are the news anchor of the Good News and are meant to be broadcasting it every night. You, my friend, are the preacher, called to bring others into the only way of salvation: Jesus Christ.

22-25 While Jews clamor for miraculous demonstrations and Greeks go in for philosophical wisdom, we go right on proclaiming Christ, the Crucified. Jews treat this like an anti-miracle—and Greeks pass it off as absurd. But to us who are personally called by God himself—both Jews and Greeks—Christ is God’s ultimate miracle and wisdom all wrapped up in one. Human wisdom is so cheap, so impotent, next to the seeming absurdity of God. Human strength can’t begin to compete with God’s “weakness.”

So let us go right on proclaiming Christ, the Crucified to the world. People will accuse us of being absurd. But human wisdom is nothing compared to what we know to be true about the Resurrection. In God’s wisdom, we will find strength to combat the silliness of the world. Preach on, my friends!

Erin’s Might by Michelle Robertson

Sound Bites

Posted on by Betsy

 “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” This famous line by President John F. Kennedy is a memorable “bite” from a longer speech that has since been forgotten. Known since the mid-70s as “sound bites,” phrases like this have been used in media, politics, and marketing to get a central idea across in a brief snippet of recorded speech. Sound bites are short, catchy, and memorable, and speech writers and marketing executives strive hard nowadays to construct the perfect sound bite for their clients, knowing that it will be repeated over and over. If you remember a time when phrases like “Where’s the Beef?” and “Just Do It!” dominated the airwaves, you understand the power of the sound bite in marketing.

Sound bites have been around for centuries, when you think about it. What are the Proverbs if not catchy, brief, little snippets of information created to leave a memorable piece of practical wisdom with the reader? Proverbs is a collection of statements offered without much context for the purpose of instruction, understanding, and wisdom. These life lessons were designed to help people mature in their wisdom. Note that wisdom does not equal knowledge here; knowledge is the collection of facts, whereas wisdom is the correct use of what we have learned for daily living.

Proverbs 1:1-7 (Common English Bible)

The proverbs of Solomon, King David’s son, from Israel:
2 Their purpose is to teach wisdom and discipline,
    to help one understand wise sayings.
3 They provide insightful instruction,
    which is righteous, just, and full of integrity.
4 They make the naive mature,
    the young knowledgeable and discreet.

5 The wise hear them and grow in wisdom;
    those with understanding gain guidance.
6 They help one understand proverbs and difficult sayings,
    the words of the wise, and their puzzles.

7 Wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord,
    but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Having established what wisdom is, let us consider the origin of wisdom. The writer of this proverb clearly states that God is the beginning of all wisdom. Verse 7 reminds us that “wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Don’t stumble over the word “fear”. We understand this not to mean being terrified or afraid, but rather to be a response of proper, humble reverence that we owe God. Fearing the Lord keeps us in a position of worshipping and respectful awe, which is the best way to be when you are being taught or instructed about life lessons.

Those who seek and receive wisdom are in direct contrast to the fools who despise it. The choice is clear to all of us: will you be wise, or will you be foolish?

Growing in wisdom is a life goal for every follower. Learning never ends! When we study Scripture and allow its tenets to make us knowledgeable and discreet in our youth and mature in our naivety, we become people who can be useful in the building of the kingdom. Insightful instruction is righteous, just, and full of integrity (verse 3).

As we seek to grow closer in our relationship with God, may we choose wisdom over foolishness every day.

Growing in Wisdom by Kathy Schumacher

Good Sense

Posted on by Betsy

The church where I serve as a pastor has a tradition of having the youth group lead worship on a Sunday in May. It is my favorite service of the year. To see teenagers handle the responsibilities of prayers, sermon topics, testimonies, music solos, and the Children’s Sermon is a wonderful thing. They are enthusiastic, sincere, funny, and more engaged on this Sunday than any other. They also come through it with a deeper appreciation of the worship staff’s weekly efforts.

There is always a moment when their youthful wisdom catches me off guard. I love to watch the reaction of the congregation as the “aha” moment spreads through the worshippers. It is a reminder to all of us that the Holy Spirit moves through receptive believers regardless of age.     

Indeed, if you want to learn something new, listen to the little ones during the children’s time. One time I asked the kids what heaven is like and a very sincere three-year-old responded that heaven was a place where you don’t have to worry about going tee-tee in your pants. Preach it, son! Heaven absolutely is a place where you don’t have to worry about anything.

A young man named Elihu made the same argument to Job’s older yet ineffective friends. As they all sat around Job offering useless bits of commentary and advice, this young man respectfully bit his tongue and bided his time until he could no longer stand it and had to speak up. He rightfully said in verse 8 that it is “God’s Spirit in a person, the breath of the Almighty One, that makes wise human insight possible.” The Spirit of God is ageless and choses to speak when and through whom it chooses, and we are reminded not to judge or put boundaries around the wisdom that might come from an unexpected source. Being open and receptive to the Spirit’s leading is part of being a follower of Jesus.

Job 32:6-10 (The Message)

6-10 This is what Elihu, son of Barakel the Buzite, said:

“I’m a young man,
    and you are all old and experienced.
That’s why I kept quiet
    and held back from joining the discussion.
I kept thinking, ‘Experience will tell.
    The longer you live, the wiser you become.’
But I see I was wrong—it’s God’s Spirit in a person,
    the breath of the Almighty One, that makes wise human insight possible.
The experts have no corner on wisdom;
    getting old doesn’t guarantee good sense.
So I’ve decided to speak up. Listen well!
    I’m going to tell you exactly what I think.

This is a challenge to all of us to slow down and incline an ear toward the younger people around us. Children especially will speak the truth without filters and their raw insights can help us to see God’s presence in unusual places. As adults, we are often too busy and focused on our issues to appreciate what is going on in a child’s mind, and we may miss the beauty and young wisdom that God offers through their eyes.

Ponder this as you go about your day today. Is there a young person in your life who deserves more of your attention? Is the Almighty’s breath working in an unexpected way through someone or something?      Our ageless Holy Spirit seeks to connect with us in any way it chooses. We would do well to listen with openness and acceptance.

Train Them Up in the Way They Should Go by Michelle Robertson

Wisdom Seekers

Posted on by Betsy

If God appeared to you in a dream tonight and offered you ANYTHING you desired, what would you ask for? Would it be wealth? Status? Long life? Good health? The end of the pandemic? So many choices!

Solomon became king of Israel after the death of his father David, and this happened to him one night. Can you guess what he asked for?

1 Kings 3 (Common English Bible)

3 Now Solomon loved the Lord by walking in the laws of his father David, with the exception that he also sacrificed and burned incense at the shrines.

4 The king went to the great shrine at Gibeon in order to sacrifice there. He used to offer a thousand entirely burned offerings on that altar. 5 The Lord appeared to Solomon at Gibeon in a dream at night. God said, “Ask whatever you wish, and I’ll give it to you.”

6 Solomon responded, “You showed so much kindness to your servant my father David when he walked before you in truth, righteousness, and with a heart true to you. You’ve kept this great loyalty and kindness for him and have now given him a son to sit on his throne. 7 And now, Lord my God, you have made me, your servant, king in my father David’s place. But I’m young and inexperienced. I know next to nothing. 8 But I’m here, your servant, in the middle of the people you have chosen, a large population that can’t be numbered or counted due to its vast size. 9 Please give your servant a discerning mind in order to govern your people and to distinguish good from evil, because no one is able to govern this important people of yours without your help.”

When you think about it, it takes a smart guy to request to become a smart guy…kind of like the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz. His request was for a brain, yet all along the journey to Oz, he was the one who figured things out for the group. Perhaps his wisdom was evidenced by the fact that he knew his limitations and asked for help.

Merriam-Webster defines wisdom as “having the ability to discern inner qualities and relationships; having insight and good sense; and having good judgment.” These are not only important qualities for a king, but for us peasants, too.

10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had made this request. 11 God said to him, “Because you have asked for this instead of requesting long life, wealth, or victory over your enemies—asking for discernment so as to acquire good judgment— 12 I will now do just what you said. Look, I hereby give you a wise and understanding mind. There has been no one like you before now, nor will there be anyone like you afterward. 

This is a good reminder to us today that discernment and good judgment are precious to God. We are correct in asking for wisdom and doing the things necessary every day to obtain it. When we study, question, LISTEN, and open ourselves to the leading of the Holy Spirit, we are wisdom-seekers who will be rewarded with God’s instruction.

13 I now also give you what you didn’t ask for: wealth and fame. There won’t be a king like you as long as you live. 14 And if you walk in my ways and obey my laws and commands, just as your father David did, then I will give you a very long life.”

Solomon’s wisdom-seeking resulted in receiving much more than wisdom. When we seek to be wise, God will also reward us with the wealth of a deeper relationship with him. And look at you, reading daily devotionals! May God grant us his wisdom and discernment for our efforts. Good on us!

Walk in the Light of God’s Wisdom by Kathy Schumacher

Impoverished Confusion

Posted on by Betsy

What do you do when you feel very frustrated with the plethora of misinformation that has flooded our world? I have tried to turn a blind eye to the ridiculous, harmful, and devastating stream of lies, innuendo, and manipulation that is coming from institutions and media outlets that were designed to protect and serve the people. Truth is hard to find. “Both sides” are guilty of pushing agendas that serve only themselves. I don’t know about you, but I have had enough. Staying off social media and not turning on the news helps a little, but it is not enough.

Case in point: a friend who is a local school teacher recently attended a school board meeting that was called to decide about student mask-wearing in the public schools. The debate went back and forth quite loudly and in the end, it was decided that it would be the “parents’ choice.” On the way out, my friend, who chose to wear a mask to this meeting, was likened to being a Nazi by a parent…for exercising his personal right to chose…which is what the parents were demanding.

Where is the truth? Where is humility? Where is respect?

Where is wisdom?

Our lectionary this week addresses the subject of wisdom. As we pursue this topic, we are treated to a short passage from Proverbs on the subject. It is a somewhat fanciful account of “Lady Wisdom” inviting those who are struggling with “impoverished confusion” to come into her home for a special banquet meal:

Proverbs 9 (The Message)

1-6 Lady Wisdom has built and furnished her home;
    it’s supported by seven hewn timbers.
The banquet meal is ready to be served: lamb roasted,
    wine poured out, table set with silver and flowers.
Having dismissed her serving maids,
    Lady Wisdom goes to town, stands in a prominent place,
    and invites everyone within sound of her voice:
“Are you confused about life, don’t know what’s going on?
    Come with me, oh come, have dinner with me!
I’ve prepared a wonderful spread—fresh-baked bread,
    roast lamb, carefully selected wines.
Leave your impoverished confusion and live!
    Walk up the street to a life with meaning.”

I have to say that this brought me up short today. I want nothing to do with the “impoverished confused” at this point. But that is wrong, and not the way God calls us to deal with people. When people are impoverished, they need to be fed the Bread of Life. When people are confused, they need to be taught the Word. This is our job as followers of Jesus.

Scripture always points to the loving inclusion of the Kingdom of God. Lady Wisdom was wise enough to realize that the way to combat those who lack knowledge is to welcome them in, serve them the finest things, and invite them to walk out to a life with meaning….in other words, be patient. Be kind. Be less judgmental and more open to conversation.

This is a hard lesson today. May God grant us grace in our frustrations, wisdom in how to deal with things, and may he bring the Truth to bear down on all of us equally.

Help us, Lord.

Let Streams of Mercy Flow by Trish Lawlor

Turn, Turn, Turn

Posted on by Betsy

Sometimes I get a song stuck in my head and it lives there for days. Every time I read Ecclesiastes 3, I hear a folk rock song that was released in 1965 by a band called the Byrds. It was called Turn, Turn, Turn and I bet many people were surprised to learn that it comes directly from scripture.

To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose, under heaven.

Now you can have this song stuck in your head, too!

The timeless wisdom of this passage is meaningful in every circumstance of life. Births, deaths, graduations, weddings, wars, and occasional pandemics are all seasons we can experience in a lifetime. The writer reminds us that with every season, God has a purpose:

Ecclesiastes 3 (Common English Bible)

There’s a season for everything
    and a time for every matter under the heavens:
2     a time for giving birth and a time for dying,
    a time for planting and a time for uprooting what was planted,
3     a time for killing and a time for healing,
    a time for tearing down and a time for building up,
4     a time for crying and a time for laughing,
    a time for mourning and a time for dancing,

This is incredibly helpful to remember when you are in a season of sorrow. A friend who recently lost her mother describes it as “sorrow sitting with joy.” If you have experienced the death of a loved one, you know the terrible disorientation that falls over you. When my mother-in-law died, I remember thinking that it was just stupid that she was not in the world with us anymore. It made no sense. It was a big mistake and we just needed it to be fixed. But in time, mourning faded as dancing with happy memories took over. Eventually our season of crying turned into a season of joy when we welcomed her first great-grandchild into our family. A daughter became a mother, a mother became a Nana, a sister became an aunt, and suddenly God restored balance.

5     a time for throwing stones and a time for gathering stones,
    a time for embracing and a time for avoiding embraces,
6     a time for searching and a time for losing,
    a time for keeping and a time for throwing away,
7     a time for tearing and a time for repairing,
    a time for keeping silent and a time for speaking,
8     a time for loving and a time for hating,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

We get out of balance when we forget that everything has a purpose under the heavens. Your life was designed for something meaningful and long-lasting. What will your legacy be? Do you live according to God’s purpose? Or have you lost your way and somehow wandered into a meandering, pointlessness existence?

When I have gone through seasons of wandering, I have found it helpful to immerse myself in daily scripture reading and prayer until I found my way home. The Psalms are especially helpful for wilderness walking and if you read one a day, you’ll have 150 chances to discover yourself again.

Whatever season you are in right now, turn, turn, turn back to your purpose. No season lasts forever, but God has a call on your life in every season. Turn around and listen, and God will remind you.

A Time for Laughing by Bonnie Bennett

True Wisdom

Posted on by Betsy

What is true wisdom? How is it defined? Is wisdom a matter of Mensa memberships, IQ scores, and success that is determined by wealth, achievement, and status? Or is wisdom something else…perhaps a combination of natural intelligence, the ability to learn, and the capacity to show compassion to others?

In other words, who is wiser…Elon Musk, the creator of Tesla and SpaceX, Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, or Mother Teresa, who spent her life in poverty ministering to the sick and poor of Calcutta?

Merriam-Webster defines wisdom as “having the ability to discern inner qualities and relationships; having insight and good sense; and having good judgment.” Notice that this definition has nothing to do with IQ scores, economic achievement, or innovation.

The book of James is a fascinating exploration of the subject of wisdom. It becomes clear that God defines wisdom much differently than the world defines it.

James 3:13-18 (Common English Bible)

13 Are any of you wise and understanding? Show that your actions are good with a humble lifestyle that comes from wisdom. 

Immediately we see that worldly wisdom falls short of this standard. James made a deliberate connection between being wise and having a humble lifestyle.

14 However, if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, then stop bragging and living in ways that deny the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above. Instead, it is from the earth, natural and demonic.

That last sentence surely catches our attention. James delineated the difference between wisdom from above and wisdom of the earth, which he called demonic. That’s bold! Perhaps this is a straightforward matter of “considering the source.” Those who live, work, and strive for wealth in a state of separation from God cannot hope to achieve the peaceful, gentle, and genuine wisdom that comes from heaven:

16 Wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and everything that is evil. 17 What of the wisdom from above? First, it is pure, and then peaceful, gentle, obedient, filled with mercy and good actions, fair, and genuine. 

When we seek wisdom from above, it leads us to places of justice and peace. Those who have employed their intelligence for sheer profit and gain will often sell their soul, or at least their product, to the highest bidder. When wealth is the goal of wisdom, people on the lower economic spectrum are left behind. The poor will never enjoy a Tesla or a ride in space. Those who toil their lives away working for Amazon are underpaid and desperately overworked. But the people who received the wise counsel and ministrations of Mother Teresa, though they were the poorest of the poor, became the richest in the world because she gave them God. Mother Teresa sowed seeds of justice in an unfair world with her acts of humility and goodness. That is true wisdom.

18 Those who make peace sow the seeds of justice by their peaceful acts.

Are you an example of wisdom that comes from above? How will you pass it along to others? True wisdom, according to James, is revealed in acts of mercy, justice, peace, and fairness. Go and share the wisdom of Mother Teresa with someone today.

Sow Seeds of Peace by Kathy Schumacher