Fellowship, Wisdom, and Power

Ephesians 1:15-23

Paul praised the church in Ephesus for their faith in Jesus, demonstrated by their love for all God’s people. The Book of Acts describes the early church as a close community: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved (Acts 2:42-47.)”

We need that level of “one another” commitment today!

Paul goes from praise to praying for wisdom, knowledge, and revelation (Eph 1:17-18.) Knowing God, allows us to stand up in this fallen world. A world that celebrates sin. A world that mocks God's Word.

But, it’s not enough just to know the facts about God. Wisdom is based on how we use facts. We must, therefore, continually seek out Godly wisdom.

To this end, Paul prays that God open the eyes of our hearts (Eph 1:18) so we can see ourselves in the light of our special relationship to Him. In doing so we will understand the “incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe Him (Eph 1:19-20.)”

This is no ordinary power. It is the same power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in heaven. It is so powerful that the grave cannot hold it. It is so powerful that death cannot end it. It is so powerful that time cannot diminish it.

We need to understand and tap into the power of God. His power is greater than our needs. His power is greater than our worries. His power is greater than our pain.

Planning wisely

God hates... a heart that devises wicked schemes... Proverbs 6:18

 

The human mind is capable of wonderful creations. We’ve explored both the ocean depths and outer space and are beginning to understand the building blocks of life. The advances in science over the last 150 years are staggering. Most have occurred in my lifetime. What will we see in the 20 years?

 

Sometimes, however, we use our minds for evil. Before the flood, God lamented that “the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5.)

 

Too often turn our imaginations to weapons of destruction. Chemists working with dyes discovered medical possibilities, but the cancer-fighting experiments were interrupted by WWI. Instead, the lab began to produce the chlorine and mustard gas.

 

Time and energy spent on weapons and warfare could help find cures for diseases, environmental degradation, and the devastation of poverty. When it is used for wicked imaginations, the mind, a bottomless well of ideas, turns deadly.

 

God wants us to stop planning pain! He hates a heart that devises wicked plans (Proverbs 6:18.) We can be very clever in planning to hurt someone who gets in the way. Whether it is for getting even or for advancing ourselves, God hates our scheming.

 

A mind surrendered to God refuses to delight in evil or scheme to hurt others. The Bible urges us, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will” (Romans 12:2.)

 

Deliberately set your mind on honorable things. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8.)

Wisdom in an Age of Terror

We are living in an age of terror. Our news reports are filled with violence: school shootings, road rage, mass murders at schools, parades, malls, churches… nowhere seems to be safe.

Proverb 6:17 tells us that “God hates hands that shed innocent blood.” Don’t we all? I know I do.

In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, I supported the voices that called for war. I signed up for the National Guard. We demanded justice for the nearly 3000 lives lost. Ironically, our desire for payback cost the lives of 2500 more Americans in Afghanistan as the longest war in US history dragged on. Twenty years later we would leave, and Afghanistan would quickly revert to Taliban control. Perhaps, war was not the answer.

Following the 9/11 attacks, the world was on our side. Even Yassar Arafat, leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), denounced the attacks. Democrats and Republicans gathered in front of the Capitol and sang “God Bless America.” That seems like such a long time ago. Partisan politics rules the day once more and we squandered our global good will. Perhaps, war was not the answer.

What if we had responded differently? What if we had not gone to war? Was there a better way? What does God do about hands that shed innocent blood?

Adam and Eve's son, Cain was the first to shed innocent blood. He killed his brother in a jealous rage. God reached out to Cain and offered Cain an opportunity to confess his guilt and show remorse and repent. When Cain rejected God’s grace and therefore received judgment, God still extended the mercy of protection on him.

In 2006 five girls were killed and six injured in a school shooting in an Amish community. The father of one of the girls urged against hatred. He said about the shooter, “He had a mother and a wife and a soul and now he's standing before a just God".

An Amish midwife who had helped birth several of the girls murdered by the shooter reported that they were planning to take food over to his family’s house. She said, "This is possible if you have Christ in your heart."

The victim’s families forgave the shooter and invited his wife to their funeral. Resist the thoughts of violence and terror! Let self-control and love for God and the sanctity of life rule in your hearts. Surrender to God and let His power deal with your pain, your bitterness, your thoughts of revenge, your hatred.

Submit yourselves, then, to God.
Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Come near to God
and He will come near to you.
James 4:7

Wisdom for your tongue

God hates lying: the bold-face lie, the little white lie, flattery, and slander. He hates gossip, excuses, propaganda, and spin. He hates exaggeration, half-truth, and hypocrisy. He hates falsehoods, shading the truth, misrepresentation, perjury, false advertising, and embellishment.

Proverbs 6:16-19 tells us, “These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.”

And yet, many people believe that lying is OK in some situations.

Lying is the devil's language. We affiliate ourselves with him when we lie. Jesus says, “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”  John 8:44

Lying can be cruel. The worst kind of lie is a deliberate attempt to hurt someone. It can destroy reputations and ruin lives. Potipher’s wife lied, and Joseph was sent to prison for years.

Some will lie to escape consequences (The dog ate my homework.) The motivation for this kind of lying is fear. Abraham lied about Sarah, saying she was his sister and not his wife, so he would not be killed to make her available for marriage.

Others will lie to impress. They puff up resumes or exaggerate accomplishments. Ananias and Sapphira suffered fatal consequences for trying to impress their church with inflated generosity.

Manipulation is another reason for lying. Jacob lied to his blind father so he could steal his brother’s blessing and inheritance.

Jesus said that “the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Luke 6:45.) If lying comes easy for you, you need a heart cleanse. “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10-19

Afterwards, we can follow this teaching, “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices” Colossians 3:9-10

Wisdom for your ego

Pride is a principal evil in human nature. It led Eve and Adam to sin in the Garden of Eden. It leads us to sin today. Haughty eyes (a proud look) is first on the list of things God hates (Proverbs 6:19-19.)

We have all seen the “proud look.” The popular athlete looking down at the kid in the band; the rich looking down on the poor; the attractive looking down on the plain. The pride of the heart is evident in the eyes. The prideful look is a look of contempt.

Pride reveals itself in other ways, too. In such actions as rudeness, disrespect, and impatience. The prideful care more about what others think than about being a better person and become defensive when their self-image is challenged. They fail to see their own faults, looking, instead, at others’ faults so they can feel better about themselves. Jesus asked, “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3)

The prideful tend to look after their own needs at the expense of the weak, unattractive, or just plain in the way. The Bible teaches, “Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.” (Philippians 2:4)

Pride separates us from God's power who resists the proud and gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5.) Humility is the cure for pride. “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.” (James 4:10)

Jesus set the example. “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:6-8)

Wisdom for your wallet

The financially wise avoid debt. Proverbs warns, “The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower is the lender’s slave” (22:7).

 

Or, as the Seven Dwarfs might sing, “I owe, I owe it'd off to work I go…”

 

The Bible doesn’t teach that all debt is wrong, but debt is a trap. Sometimes debt is unavoidable in an emergency, or you might secure a loan to make your life a little easier, but it is best to avoid borrowing unless absolutely necessary. Especially for something that will go down in value, like a new car. Rent-to-own plans are not a good idea, either, and payday loans can tangle you up in a deepening spiral of liability.

 

The first five verses of Proverbs 6 advise against co-signing a loan for a friend. It is dangerous for both financial and relationship reasons. You oblige yourself to pay a loan for a person that the bank does not trust.

 

If you find yourself in debt, get out of fast. “Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.” (Proverbs 6:5)

 

First, don’t borrow any more money. Don’t take out a debt consolidation loan. There will be fees, more interest and you’ll end up owing more money. Instead make the minimum payments on all your obligations and make extra payments on the smallest debt. When that one is paid off, work on the next smallest and so on. In this way, you are reversing the debt spiral in which you found yourself.

 

Commit any unexpected cash to reducing the debt and try to make some extra money. You can have a yard sale and get rid of your clutter or get a part time job. Even at minimum wage, a part time job will make enough to make a significant dent in your debt.

 

Keep going after you’ve paid off the credit cards and the car loans. Start saving to build up an emergency fund. Keep going. Start saving for your next car. If you can make a car payment, you can set that much aside. Make interest instead of paying it.

 

Be like the ant. “…it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.” (Proverbs 6:8)

Wisdom for your heart

Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.

Keep your mouth free of perversity;
keep corrupt talk far from your lips.

Let your eyes look straight ahead;

fix your gaze directly before you.

Give careful thought to the paths for your feet
and be steadfast in all your ways.

Proverbs 4:23-26

 

The Bible tells us, “Above everything else guard your heart.”

 

This admonition goes beyond a heart-healthy diet. Our heart requires spiritual care. We must guard our hearts because Jesus said, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. (Matthew 15:19)”

 

We must avoid the sinful contaminants that wear our heart down. Proverbs 6:24 warns, “Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.”

 

Jesus said, “The mouth speaks what the heart is full of. (Matthew 12:34)”

 

Check your heart health by listening to what comes out of your mouth. “Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and saltwater flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
(James 3:10-12)”

 

We are also warned about our eyes. “Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. (Proverbs 6:25)”

 

What your eyes focus on will enter your heart. Jesus was serious about this. He said, “If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. (Matthew 5:29)”

 

Jesus said, additionally, “Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. (Luke 11:34)”

 

Therefore, we must keep our eyes on Jesus the beginning and the end of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2)

 

Keep out of situations that can compromise your heart. “Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. (Proverbs 6:26)”