One of the greatest blessings you and I possess as followers of Jesus, is His wisdom and His mind. Through Jesus we have a new perspective, new eyes, and a new outlook. There are things we are being divinely equipped to understand that the unbelieving world cannot comprehend.
I have come to believe that one of the greatest tools we as believers need to be utilizing during this era of history is the "mind of Christ." There are all kinds of ideas, philosophies, and perspectives bombarding us daily. And sadly, even some believers can at times begin to embrace worldly ideas as true if they aren't careful. But Christ enables us to see things more clearly when we walk with Him, listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, and embrace the counsel of his word.
In 1 Corinthians 2:6, we are told, "Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away." So what does it look like for us to utilize the wisdom of Christ that transcends the mixed up perspectives of this era in history? I think there are several key things we're shown in Scripture that can help us navigate this confusing time in our lives quite well.
I. The wisdom from above outshines the wisdom of this world (James 3:17)
““But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.””
Godly wisdom outshines worldly wisdom. James stressed that in his brief letter, and that's something we benefit from understanding as well. There are many ways the wisdom from above can be described including being "peaceable" and "open to reason," but that's not always a perspective you see embraced by this world.
I experienced a glaring example of this recently when my family was driving home from our vacation. We stopped at a gas station, and while I pumped the gas, everyone else walked into the store. I finished pumping the gas moments before they walked out, and as they were walking back to the van, a driver behind me started to get agitated. He beeped at me to move, then got out of his truck and started yelling at me while my kids were getting back into our van. He couldn't be reasoned with, called me some unkind names, insulted the entire state of Pennsylvania, and chose not to wait two more seconds for the pump to be free before leaving the gas station in a huff. It was a weird experience, but also a good example of what pours out of your life when your heart is governed by a selfish and worldly perspective.
The wisdom God supplies to those who trust in Jesus Christ operates differently. It outshines the easily irritated perspectives that dominate the hearts of those whose eyes are not open to the truth. The wisdom of God works hand in hand with the fruit of the Holy Spirit's presence in our lives. James tells us that God's wisdom is peaceable, gentle, open to reason, merciful, full of good fruits, impartial and sincere.
From what I read in Scripture, and what I've seen through daily experience, I truly prefer the effect of godly wisdom in my life to the alternative. The wisdom of this world leads to frustration and exasperation because it's filled with "me first" motives. But the wisdom from above reflects the sacrificial heart of Christ and isn't dominated by self-seeking arrogance.
II. God's wisdom is granted to those who revere Him (Proverbs 1:7)
““The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” ”
There are several proverbs that tend to fit in the category of "best known", and I believe Proverbs 1:7 is one of them. In that proverb, we're told that fools despise wisdom and instruction. They don't want to hear it and they frequently fight against it. But those who fear the Lord, are blessed in a unique way. They're blessed with deeper knowledge than what can be naturally obtained. This was made clear to me when I was young.
I was fifteen-years-old when I finally became serious about my faith in Christ. I had been a professing Christian for five years at that point, but I don't believe I was living with a healthy fear of the Lord during that season. As a result, ignorance and immaturity continued to persist in my life.
Then the Lord helped me to see what it meant to fear Him like this Scripture describes. It means to revere and respect Him. It means to live with a deep awareness and appreciation of His power. It involves admitting to yourself that there is a day when you will give a full account of your life to Him. When my heart latched onto that truth, I started to take my faith in Christ much more seriously. It stopped being an addendum to my life and became the very thing that defined my life.
In that season when I submitted my heart over to Him, He showed me new things. He granted me wisdom that I didn't previously have. I stopped fighting Him, started respecting Him, and great benefit came to my life as a result.
In some respects, I see this as a universal pattern of life. You are more likely to be assisted by those you honor and respect, and more likely to be chastised or not invested in by those you disrespect and fight against.
Many of you know that I dabble into certain entrepreneurial ventures. When people ask me about my hobbies, I often mention some of the online work I do in my free time. I podcast, write, speak, blog, and do a few other things as well. To my amazement, some of those hobbies have turned into sources of household income and I enjoy trying to make them grow.
There are several successful entrepreneurs in that space that I truly admire and try to learn from. I have no hesitancy expressing my admiration for them either, and just this week, I was blessed to have three of them reach out to me and freely offer me the kind of counsel they would normally charge thousands of dollars for. Because I showed them respect, they blessed me with the gift of their knowledge.
Admittedly, it's easy to value something in this world that improves our income, but how deeply do we value the wisdom and knowledge of God? Well, there's a simple way we can test if we value it. Do we fight Him or do we fear Him? Do we resist Him or do we revere Him?
III. Those who walk with Christ will understand the will of Christ (Ephesians 5:15-17)
““Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.””
One of the most common questions we as believers wrestle with is, "What is God's will for my life?" We want to know His plan. We want to know what the best decisions to make happen to be.
When Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians, he gave them careful counsel that helped them understand the will of God. He told them that as followers of Christ, they were to look carefully at how they chose to "walk" or live their lives in this world. He warned them that they live in an evil era, so the best use of their time was to walk with Jesus instead of running away from Him. That was good counsel for them, and it's good counsel for us as well.
It also gets to the heart of why some Christians really struggle to understand God's will for their life. Because they aren't walking with Christ daily, they're beginning to embrace foolishness and treating it like it's wisdom. Then when it produces negative effects in their lives, they're confused as if they are getting something they didn't deserve. But here's the thing, we reap what we sow. The seeds that you're planting in your life and your mind will eventually bear the fruit of wisdom or folly.
A little over a week ago, I took a long walk while listening to an audio book that was narrated by the author. By the time the walk was finished, I felt like I knew him personally. Our walk with Christ is very similar. The longer we walk with Him, and the more we grow accustomed to listening to His voice, the better we come to know Him. Those who walk with Christ, will understand the will and the mind of Christ better than those who run from Him.
IV. Jesus will speak His undefeatable wisdom through you (Luke 21:15)
““for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.””
When Jesus was preparing His disciples for what life in this world was going to look like for them, He didn't hold back. He revealed to them that they were going to be questioned by authorities and adversaries. He made it clear that they were going to have to appear before those who governed from a worldly perspective. But He also made it clear that they didn't need to fear when those moments came.
Because they had the mind of Christ, He would also speak His undefeatable wisdom through them. Their adversaries might ignore them or silence them, but they wouldn't be able to successfully contradict them. Right now I'm praying for church leaders who are preparing to get a real taste of what these early disciples experienced as we have now moved into an era where there are legal consequences for preaching the gospel to believers who have assembled for worship. The day will come when many of us will have to testify before authorities, and I'm praying that we will speak with the undefeatable wisdom of Jesus when that day comes.
The wisdom of the world is paper thin. It changes all the time, and while it proposes to be wise, it's usually foolishness dressed up in a new outfit. Jesus will help you see through it, and as He clarifies His truth to your heart, He will enable you to be the mouth He speaks it through.
We have the mind of Christ. His wisdom transcends this moment in time, and He's inviting us to begin using it.
© John Stange, 2020
