Wisdom 17 Making a Wise Move

[HKHaugan]

Wisdom 17 Making a Wise Move

Let’s review wisdom. Paul defines it clearly for us, “It is because of Him [God] that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God---that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption (1Cor.1:30).” He concludes in vs.31 that our inclination to boast has to be transferred from self to Jesus. If there are any accomplishments to be praised, any personal qualities to be lifted up, any skills to be admired, Jesus is the One who made them possible. Simply put, a person always sees the self as being a product of the Lord. He is the One to be thanked, praised and admired. It shifts the object of prayer as praise for Him, what He has done and what He will continue to do if He becomes the first thought in anything we undertake. That’s the beginning of wisdom. Not how spiritual and relational that is.

Look at those aspects of wisdom Paul identifies, righteousness, holiness and redemption. Righteousness is the way to believe right, to trust right and to be right. The secular world around us wants us to submit to whatever it takes to be right in the context of fitting in to whoever is the local source of social and economic power regardless of what drives that power. Just adapt yourself and you’ll be accepted by the right people and get ahead the right way.

Consider the reality of that fact. If there is a change of heads of corporations or departments in them, if there is a change of coaches on a team, a clergyman in a church, a principal or a teacher in a school, or any supervisory position. They come in with a different set of ideas as to the way something ought to be done. You have to change the way you think about your job, trust the one who changes it and do it the way that person wants it done. When there’s a new sheriff in town that’s the way it goes. Unless you accept that, you have only two choices, stay or leave. You may have to leave anyway if the new boss wants his choice for your job. In the secular world no one is irreplaceable and that, to the disdain of a hardworking executive, includes the boss. Is all that the wisdom to rely on? This is just a drop in the bucket. Think of all the things we have to ‘fit’ into like neighborhood, clubs, churches, just plain old general protocol for all the relational stuff. Everything we do demands choice and wisdom is the key. The question is, whose wisdom?

Back to Paul’s definition, “…Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God---that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption (1Cor.1:30).”

If He is the Righteous One, then there is only one way to be right. Right like Jesus. But that is impossible since we are sinners and we have no perception nor ability to be perfectly wise apart from God. The only way to be wise is to let Him be wise through us. Now we’re talking about the way to be wise.

If Jesus is our holiness, then there is only one way to be holy. Holy like Jesus. Jesus was always conscious of His being the Son of His Father. He chose to set Himself apart from the world for His Father. He had a unique relationship with the Father. That is how He created and sees each of us, unique, set apart for the Lord’s use. Being unique means we each have a unique relationship with Him that is unlike anyone else’s except that we are all receiving from Him the same love and acceptance and all that that entails. Our uniqueness is, like Jesus, unique with the Father as well. We are each special to Him. Our personal uniqueness is what He intended to be productive based on the particular way each of us uses what we have been given. Only Jesus could be Jesus. Only He could be the Messiah. Only He could die for sin. Only He provides the life that can carry us into eternity. Each of us is unique. Each of is the only one who can witness the way we do. Each of us is one of a kind, an only one that will never be repeated. That’s an eternal gift. That is the witness of the Son and the Cross proves it.

If He is our redemption, what are being redeemed from? Every world grouping is based on looking, acting and being the same. If you don’t fit in you’re out. Fear drives the world. There is no true freedom in the world. Jesus came to set our uniqueness free. It starts with the choices we make. If they are Jesus centered it will be the spirit of wisdom that we trust to make them. Being a disciple of His is the beginning of true freedom. Then there is only one way to be redeemed and that is to allow the Holy Spirit to restore our spirituality to be like Jesus. Roughly similar is the restoration of a piece of furniture that’s been beaten and discolored by wear and tear. Much of our conditioning has been from family and culture affecting the way we respond relationally to circumstance. The Holy Spirit restores us with His wisdom through the word of wisdom, Holy Scripture.

He starts first with the mind by getting us to study the Word. The Word gives us the immediate challenge to contrast the way we were conditioned by the world and see the principles He brings to counteract the negative and affirm the positive.

Second, as images of God we already contain the abilities to be spiritual, personal and relational. But those abilities have been misused and abused through sin. His forgiveness and its resulting insights enable us to see the abuses within and His power enables a change in our attitude and behavior as we use those abilities.

 Third, that change depends on our willingness to relate to Jesus in our daily encounters. Prayer is the way we relate to Him, the Holy Spirit conveying our heart’s concerns, hopes, fears and needs. Sometimes spiritual growth is an up experience and you’re flying high. At other times it seems like you are plateaued, dry and going nowhere. But it’s all a learning experience under the patient tutelage of the Lord Jesus who directs the whole process with His love and discipline. He is bringing us into the balance of mind, heart and spirit He intended when we were created.

 If we make a choice, any choice, it is going to be a spiritual process. But we never have to make choices alone. The Holy Spirit is always there ready to comfort and counsel us. He is the Spirit of wisdom and, allowed to influence our choice, will always use the bedrock of Scripture to help us. This takes trust in the Word, trust in the Lord and trust that the Holy Spirit will give us the insight necessary to make the right choices. The Lord’s wisdom will always be there for us so that when a choice is made it will be our faith spurring the action, the doing, the carrying out of the process.