"A shut mouth gathers no foot."
I pass on to you some verses to meditate on this week. Take one each of the days and see what God would have for you.
Monday: Psalm 119:100: "I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts."
Tuesday: Proverbs 1:5: "Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance."
Wednesday: Acts 1:7: "He said to them: It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority."
Thursday: II Peter 1:5: "For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge."
Friday: I Samuel 2:3: " . . . for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed."
2 Peter 1:5-9: "For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith, goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But, if anyone does not have them he is near-sighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins."
In order for us to enjoy a Major League baseball game, it takes hundreds and hundreds of hours by hundreds and hundreds of people behind the scenes. One such person is the scout. As he goes to and fro across the face of this earth, he is looking for young men who can play the game of baseball. Typically, he is looking for "tools" - tools that will take this young man to the next level of baseball. Typically, those tools include: running, throwing, and hitting.
As we look at the verses above, we see some of the "tools" God is looking for to keep us productive in our knowledge of Christ. Notice that we need to possess them, and, also have them, in increasing measure. If we do not possess these qualities, in the long run, we will forget that we have been cleansed from our past sins.
Meditate On This
It is a "grocery list", but let’s ask ourselves the question: On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), what kind of grade would you give yourself in the following areas:
- Goodness
- Knowledge
- Self-control
- Perseverance
- Godliness
- Brotherly kindness
- Love
In those areas in which you scored low, what can you do to raise those scores? Are you satisfied with the level you have attained in all the areas? Ask God to help you continually improve the "tools" which He has given us.
James 3:13: "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom."
As a person gets older, hopefully they become wiser. In professional sports, the veteran player is many times kept on the team not only for what he can physically do, but for the chemistry he can add in the locker room and on the field. He has ways of reading officials and understanding situations. He has been there before and is able to do things properly.
In the above passage, the way we show our wisdom and understanding is by living a good life and by deeds done in humility. In James 3:13-18, the Word is talking about the contrast between heavenly and earthly wisdom. The wisdom which James is talking about here is very practical and relational, not philosophical and speculative. His fruits are godly attitudes and actions.
Meditate On This!
Obviously because of what you do, you are gaining wisdom in the professional world. That is important and you can bring honor to God by doing your job the best you can. However, there is also godly wisdom that needs to be developed. This comes from stepping back and getting Gods perspective on what you are doing. Today, since one can affect the other, ask yourself how you are doing in each area.
