Peter G. Kuskie,
I am hoping
that what I have to share this month will help us in a practical way - that we
will leave hear better equipped for life.
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I am finding that there are a multitude of decisions to be made
every day and those decisions seem to be getting tougher.
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Some are of little consequence – When to eat, what to wear
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Others have a major impact on our lives – Live, marry, work.
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Our decisions affect others - Simon & Garfunkle
said I am a rock I am an island -this is not true – decisions we make impact on
others & have a rippling effect
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Many voices in the world and none are without significance.
Because of
this I want to talk about something that I believe if there ever was a time we
needed it, it is now – wisdom. Pro 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore
get wisdom
What is wisdom?
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It is the right use of knowledge.
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It is the setting of the right goals with the right means of
achieving them.
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It is doing the right thing at the right time.
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It is that which, when the winds of adversity blow uses that
adversity as a means of steering us into the purposes and plan of God.
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It is man who sees the glory of God as his end and who makes his
acts and habits a means to that end.
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It is a gift of God - even if He is not acknowledged as its source.
What makes a person wise?
a. Being old does not make
you wise, and being young does not mean you are foolish.
b. Experience does not make us wise.
> Someone once said that
experience may be a great teacher but the trouble is it usually sets the test
before the lesson.
> The
children of
c. Being a Christian does not automatically make
you wise - there are wise people who are not Christian just as there are
foolish people who are (oh foolish Galatians).
d. Depending on ourselves does not make us wise
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Pro 18:2 A fool hath no delight in
understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.
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We are encouraged to know ourselves, our inner selves
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Jer 17:9 The heart is devious above all else;it is perverse, who can
understand it?
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All that I know is my heart
is devious and I am powerless to change it.
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No wonder Pro 3:6 tells us not to lean not to your own understanding.
How do we get wisdom?
Jms 1:5
If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all
generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. 6But ask in
faith, never doubting…
1. If any of you is lacking in wisdom
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To obtain wisdom we must acknowledge our need for it.
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The greatest hindrance to receiving all that God has for us is our
lack of a sense of need.
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All we have, dulls our senses to our need for God
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Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness
2. If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God
o
To obtain wisdom we must look to God
o
Pro
o
Pr 2:6&7 For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come
knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a
shield to those who walk blamelessly
a. We
sing the chorus based on Isa 2:3 Come and let us go
unto the mountain of the Lord….He will teach us of His ways & we will walk
in his paths
Ø Where do we need to go to
have him teach us of His ways? To the
mountain of the Lord
Ø Jesus went off into the
mountains to pray – secret place
Ø So often we play truant
from God and still expect to know what we need to for life’s decisions
b.
Jn
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Ever tried to follow someone from a distance? It is not easy, but it is easy to lose them
in the crowd.
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The crowd are those things that clamour for our attention all the time.
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Following him then lag & a voice calls, or lights attract.
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In our day and age there are more of them then ever.
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Rom 2:12 And be not
conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will
of God.
3. God who gives
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Literally “the giving God.”
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We need to see that God is for us.
He wants to help.
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Rom
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To whom is this wisdom available? – Aristotle, C S Lewis, Fancis Schaffer? It
is available to “any man.”
4. to all generously
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No just in small measure
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Eph
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Solomon asked for wisdom and God gave him riches and power
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The prodigal asked for the place of a hired servant God gave him
status and honour.
5. and ungrudgingly
God always gives with his
heart when he opens his hand
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Some have trouble with that.
We think our behaviour may have upset God.
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Tell me you parents and grandparents, do you love your child any
less when they do the wrong thing or get into trouble?
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When I was disciplined I never felt any less loved.
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No you may be sad or angry but the underlying factor in how you
feel is love.
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Current Affair – son who was caught with drugs in the house and the
elderly parents have been accused of being drug traffickers and may loose the
family home of 50 years. How do you feel
about your son? Cried saying we are hurt
but we still love him – he’s our son!
6. But ask in faith, never doubting
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Awww man ask in faith never doubting?!!!
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Better you know Him the more confidence you have in Him.
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When a new manager or leader takes over we watch don’t we? Can they be trusted? Do they know what they are doing?
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Can we trust God?
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The better we know him the more we know we can
Pro 3:6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own
understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your
paths.
Pro 4:7
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom
