Tag: Wisdom

Does the Counsel You Give Justify or Challenge?

June 19, 2017 / Bruce Pagano II / 0 Comments

When I approach a friend for advice, I usually want them to give me a clear answer for what I should do. It always seems easier to not have to wrestle with making the “right” decision. Then, if it happens to not be the right decision, I do not have to be fully responsible for the outcome. But, as easy as that would be, those I count as my best friends never just hand me an answer. And I appreciate them all the more for that.

It always seems easier to not have to wrestle with making the “right” decision.

Click To Tweet

A Counsel of Friends vs. An Over-Saved Response

The way they do this is instead of just delivering me up an answer, they typically walk with me through the issue. That involves asking a lot of thought provoking questions and sharing perspective. One of the best parts of our interaction is the amount of thought and prayer that goes into their end of the discussion. And, they never flippantly use scripture as a mask for not knowing what to say. But, because they care about following Jesus well and being Him to others, when God does reveal wisdom through His word, they obediently share it. Which, again, I appreciate.

And when it comes to scripture, we all have a friend that is really, really religious. You know, the over-saved friend. The one whose advice is drenched in scriptural references, most of which doesn’t even make sense for the issue I am dealing with. Something like, me: “Should I take this job or that job?” Friend: “Jesus said, ‘I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.’” What? In hindsight those are my favorite bits of “scriptural wisdom”, because they are hilarious. If we are honest, we are all guilty of this.

When it comes to scripture, we all have a friend that is really, really religious. You know, the over-saved friend.

Click To Tweet

Scriptural Counsel

When an issue comes up, one of the easiest thing to do is throw a few bible verses at it, regardless of whether they are contextually applicable. We all do it, as both the seeker and giver of counsel. As the seeker of counsel, we look to scripture that justifies our behavior or response, rather than letting Holy Spirit speak to our actual need. To be clear, I am all for using scripture as the foundation for the counsel we give. I wish, as a community of believers, we were more dependent on the word of God for how we are to live out our daily lives. How much fuller would our life in Christ, both individually and communally, be if we sought counsel from the word of God on an everyday basis? After all, wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord and understanding comes with knowledge of Him (Prov 9:10). So to be clear, using scripture is not the issue.

As the seeker of counsel, we look to scripture that justifies our behavior or response...

Click To Tweet

Scripture that Justifies

The issue is when we mis-contextualize scripture for our benefit. If you feel like someone has wronged you, how much easier is it to find a scripture that justifies our anger, rather than let God lead you in how to handle it? If you did, the possibility exists that God may require you to let it go, like, to just drop it. Or worse, He might ask you to forgive the offense and reconcile. Those can be jagged pills to swallow. Instead, we recall our favorite scripture verse to justify, rather than challenge. But comfort, in that sense, is never God’s desire for us; Christ-likeness is. And it has always been that idea that has always been the foundation of some of the best counsel I have ever received.

If you feel like someone has wronged you, how much easier is it to find a scripture that justifies our anger?

Click To Tweet

Counsel that Challenges

I do not remember the issue I was dealing with at the time, but I do remember the counsel. Whatever the issue was, my friend’s counsel came in the form of a question. He asked, “Regardless of the situation and how you feel, what actions would honor Christ?” Bam! Hard question to answer if I am looking to justify myself. It brought me to 1 Cor 10:31, which says, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” If you want a bible verse that can apply to a whole host of issues, this is one. And, while it does not provide an outright answer, it does force you to ask a better question.

Scripture was never intended for use to justify our actions.

Click To Tweet

Rather than throwing scripture at each other in an attempt to justify, our love for one another ought to compel us to challenge each other toward Christ. I am not suggesting that there is never a time to use scripture to comfort. On the contrary, the Holy Spirit is our ever-present Comforter (John 14:16) and Counselor (John 14:26). There are occasions when it is more than appropriate to use scripture as a healing salve. But, scripture was never intended for use to justify our actions. If we desire to “walk as Christ walked” (1 John 2:6), asking “what would honor Christ” is a question that we should ask each other often.

photo: Flickr/Bill Strain

Are We Defiling the Church?

February 6, 2017 / Bruce Pagano II / 0 Comments

In Matthew 15 Jesus addresses the Jewish tradition of hand washing as a way to prevent defiling the food you eat. The idea being if you eat with dirty hands, you defile yourself on both a physical and spiritual level. Regarding that, Jesus explained, “…it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person” (Matthew 15:11). Jesus is saying that the words we speak are important. But, not only are they important, they hold the power to taint and corrupt us on deep levels. In doing so, they cause us to become something substantially less than God intends us to be.

I know Jesus was plainly speaking to the condition of our individual souls, but what if it is farther reaching than that? As I have thought on that verse, I think it easily applies to Christians corporately, as the body of Christ, as well as individually. Specifically, what if what we say, as Christians, could defile the body of Christ? And, what if in defiling it, we cause the body to become something less than God intends for it to be?

As I scroll through my news-feed, I see a lot of words and statements that easily fall into that category. And while it is bad to say something that defiles you individually, it is altogether worse for us to collectively defile the body of Christ. Lately, it seems as if many Christians are more concerned with their agenda than with what they say and how they say it.

Of course there is ample opportunity, especially in this season, to be angry and respond out of that anger. But, my biggest concern is that instead of looking to the Holy Spirit for how to respond, many look only to their own feelings, conveying them as the “Christian” viewpoint or stance. And because Christ has called us to be His witnesses, when we do that, and we do it in an angry and hurtful way, we defile the body of Christ. In doing so, we become poor witnesses for Jesus and push people away from Him.

Good fruit is the evidence of our connection to Christ and should always inform the way we relate to others.

Click To Tweet

Jesus was clear on the seriousness of our words and the impact they have on the fruit we produce. In Matthew 12:33-37 he said,

“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

And what is that fruit? This good fruit is the evidence of our connection to Christ and should always inform the way we relate to others. That means the way we interact with others, regardless of their differing views and how they express them, should always be seasoned with love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. It is these things there is no law against (Galatians 5:22). And, it is these things that elevate and bring honor to His body.

Sometimes wisdom and grace may suggest that you not respond or give an answer.

Click To Tweet

I’m not saying that you cannot have an opinion or take a stand on an issue. There is a difference between debate and sharing facts and intentionally being malicious. How then should we respond? The Apostle Paul tells us, “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” (Colossians 4:5-6) This passage shows us two ways that we are to respond to non-Christians.

1. With Wisdom

Paul telling us to “walk in wisdom toward outsiders,” covers numerous areas. While it can be difficult to know what wisdom looks like in our conversations, bible commenter, Matthew Henry makes some suggestions. His first point is to be careful not to be hurt by non-Christians. Our ability to not take on the pain of others’ words is grounded in our security in Christ. The more secure we are, the less impact their words should have on us. Henry also proposes that we should be careful to not speak the way that non-Christians do. He calls it taking care to not “pick up their customs.” If you are using the same hurtful words they are, you are not using wisdom. His last insight is something I already addressed. He said, a wise response will not hurt them or give them reason to be prejudice against Christ and His Church.

Our ability to not take on the pain of others’ word is grounded in our security in Christ.

Click To Tweet

2. With Grace

Wisdom leads to grace-filled responses. Paul uses the example of salt to describe how grace should impact our conversations. Like salt, grace preserves the wisdom which leads to peace in our interactions with others. It should also flavor our conversations with a grace that can only come from Christ. In this way, we are prepared to give an answer to every person.

Wisdom leads to grace-filled responses.

Click To Tweet

Sometimes wisdom and grace may suggest that you not respond or give an answer. But regardless, we ought to “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” (Hebrews 12:14)

photo: Crosswalk

True Wisdom: 2 Things It Isn’t & 7 Things It Is

December 7, 2015 / Bruce Pagano II / 0 Comments

used from kenmbuki.wordpress.com

In the past I have struggled with understanding the difference between knowledge and wisdom. I knew things. I knew a lot of things. I prided myself on learning and knowing facts. I earned a few degrees along that way and that only added to the confidence of knowing. Even if I didn’t know specific details about a subject, I always knew enough that I was able to mash it together with other knowledge and make it sound like I knew what I was talking about. I thought all that knowledge meant I was wise. I thought that was enough.

Turns out that it is not enough. Over the last seven years I have been learning to follow Jesus better than I did my first thirty-one years. During that time God has taught me, through numerous circumstances, that I knew way less than I thought I did and that I was severely lacking in the wisdom department. He also taught me that true wisdom, His wisdom, is essential to fulfilling my roles as a follower of Jesus, a husband, a father, and a leader.

For clarity sake let’s differentiate between the two in meaning. Knowledge is the gathering of facts or information acquired through experience or education. Wisdom, on the other hand, is the prudent or sensible application of that acquired knowledge in any specific circumstance. When I see the definitions next to each other I realize that knowledge is good, but wisdom is preferable.

During those seven years God has continually brought me back to James 3:13-18. Maybe because the two things that I struggled with the most have been the two things God, through James, tells us that wisdom from God is not. In order to understand what true wisdom is we need to understand the things that create roadblocks to it. These are the two things that true wisdom is not and are in fact what James calls, “earthly, unspiritual, demonic.”

True Wisdom…

…is not Jealous.

In verse 13 James calls wisdom meek. The quality of meekness is grounded in quietness and gentleness, which will be addressed in the second part of this article. Jealousy is opposed to and cannot occupy the same heart as meekness. Jealousy in a person causes them to focus on their discontentment and resentfulness at what others have, whether it is their possessions, influence, or even authority. Jealousy often insights one’s heart toward malice for the person that is the object of their envy. A heart consumed by jealousy resides in a world of strife and confusion and dampens your ability to prudently apply knowledge in a quiet and gentle way.

Selfishness shuts down your ability to be truly wise.

Click To Tweet

…is not Selfish.

Jealousy gives way to selfishness. When a person’s focus becomes their glory and their advantage, then their ability to wield wisdom in a way that is beneficial and God honoring no longer exists. If jealousy gives way to selfishness, then selfishness gives way to a myriad of other sins. Deceit, surrender to temptation and the like are all sewn by the desire to indulge one’s self. James calls this is the wisdom of devils. Selfishness shuts down your ability to be truly wise.

One of the most important things to understand about true wisdom is that it is a gift from God. James tells us that if we lack wisdom and ask God, who by His very nature “gives generously to all without reproach,” it will be given to us. True wisdom comes from God and consists of seven qualities.

True Wisdom…

…is Pure.

It is undefiled by the world and is the unadulterated Word of God residing in you. It does not allow known sin, but instead studies and meditates on holiness of heart and mind.

…is Peaceable.

Peace follows purity. Wise men preserve peace at all cost. They seek to create peace and to restore it where it may have been lost. In his commentary, Matthew Henry says that wise men seek to create and restore peace “In kingdoms, in families, in churches, in all societies, and in all interviews and transactions, heavenly wisdom makes men peaceable.”

…is Gentle

This is the meekness that James first mentions. Acted out it is far more than simply timid and quiet. Heavenly wisdom is not cruel or harsh and is slow to anger. It is not domineering, pompous or offensive in conversation. Heavenly wisdom maintains a gracious and controlled behavior toward others in a way that exhibits humility.

…is Open to Reason.

In a word it is persuadable. It seems counter-intuitive to suggest that wisdom can be persuaded, but in the context of heavenly wisdom, someone that is wise can be persuaded toward good and away from evil. We make mistakes and the wise person is open to the persuasion of the Word of God to influence their behavior and conscience.

…is Full of Mercy and Good Fruits.

True wisdom is full of and offers the same mercy that God extended to us. That God-extended mercy compels the wise one to do good works, relieve needs, forgive offenses and to do those as often as the situation presents itself.

…is Impartial.

True wisdom does not separate others because they are different. The impartiality of heavenly wisdom is that which does not pass judgment based on conjecture and does not seek to admonish others based on preconceived notions. It offers the same acceptance to everyone, regardless of differing conditions.

…is Sincere.

Heavenly wisdom is without deceit. It rejects craftiness and guile that the world counts as wise. It is genuine and wide-open, sound and unchanging, and dependable with itself.

Heavenly wisdom draws others to Jesus.

Click To Tweet

Heavenly wisdom draws others to Jesus. This is the wisdom that I’m continually asking God to produce in me. This is the wisdom that produces wholeness and allows us to walk in the roles that God created us to in a way that honors and glorifies Him. This is the wisdom that helps us to sharpen each other. This is the wisdom from above.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

Tag: Wisdom

Does the Counsel You Give Justify or Challenge?