Following God's Wisdom

​Stewardship 1                                                                                           LSB #’s 733, 869, 754 tune 606
Text – 2 Chronicles 1:7-8a, 10
 
Following God’s Wisdom
 
 
Today is the first week in the stewardship emphasis, Living Wisely  in an Unwise World.  Next week, we’ll focus on “Using Time Wisely,” & the last week is titled “Becoming Money Wise.”  The text for today tells us:
“In that night God appeared to Solomon, & said to him, ‘Ask what I shall give you.’  And Solomon said to God… ‘Give me now  wisdom & knowledge  to go out & come in before this people, for who can govern this people of Yours, which is so great?’”  
“God answered Solomon, ‘Because this was in your heart, & you have not asked for possessions, wealth, honor, or the life of those who hate you, & have not even asked for long life, but have asked for wisdom & knowledge for yourself that you may govern My people over whom I have made you king,  wisdom & knowledge are granted to you.  I will also give you riches, possessions & honor, such as none of the kings had who were before you, & none after you shall have the like.’”  (2 Chronicles 1:11-12 ESV)
 
What if God came to you & said you could ask for one thing?     What do you want?     Is that what you would ask for? 
•     Some of you  would ask for help with your children.  Parents want their children to lead faithful, happy & successful lives.  
•     Some would ask for money  to improve your standard of living  & to do good for others. 
•     Some of you would ask for health.  Life without it  is challenging to say the least. 
•     Some of you might want power & influence. 
In the reading for today, Solomon was invited by God to ask for anything he wanted.  He chose wisdom.  With that, he could be the leader that God wanted him to be.   For several years, Solomon followed God’s wisdom, & Israel prospered under his reign.  As king, he built the world’s largest temple,  but unfortunately, as time passed, he began to abandon God’s wisdom & foolishly followed the wisdom of the world.  The root of Solomon’s downfall is that he married many pagan women who led his heart astray from God.  Solomon began worshipping false gods.  We can say that Solomon transitioned from the world’s wisest man  to just a fool. 
Jesus twice used the word fool to describe man’s thoughts & actions.  If we examine why Jesus referred to man’s foolishness  this question may arise: “Is God calling me wise or foolish?” 
Jesus said there are two kinds of people.  There are those who hear what Jesus says & respond to His ways & wisdom.   There are others who hear His words but,  like the foolish man, fail to put them into practice.  The people who reject His words  are like people who built their houses on sand.  (Matthew 7:24-27) 
When our homes are built on solid footings of rock or concrete, they far better withstand the wind & the rain.  In the same way that concrete supports houses, God’s Word, when received & applied in our lives, supports & strengthens us.  With God’s presence, we can withstand the storms of life. 
In contrast, the foolish man relies on himself & does not put God’s Words into practice.  His life  is like the house built on sand.  There’s no strength or support for life’s challenges & he gets washed away. 
The 2nd reference to Jesus’ calling man  foolish  is the Parable of the Rich Fool in Luke 12.  Because of a large crop, the wealthy farmer tore down his existing barns to build larger ones.  Jesus did not call him foolish because he built larger barns.  He called him a fool because he was so attached to his worldly possessions.  His riches were the most important thing to him. 
Since the rich man saw his wealth as his own, Jesus said, “Fool!  This night your soul is required of you, & the things you have prepared, whose will they be?”  (12:20 ESV)   The wealth the man possessed did not make him a fool.  It was because his whole life was focused on being able to “relax,  eat, drink & be merry.”  For earthly gain, he forfeited his soul.  In both cases of foolishness, Jesus called the men fools because they ignored God & did things their own way.  If we don’t put God’s Words into practice & if we fail to acknowledge Him as the source of all things, we will live self-centered, foolish, & selfish lives  rather than God-centered faithful lives. 
If we follow & serve Jesus, we won’t hear Him call us foolish,  but will hear Him say, “Well done, good & faithful servant!”  (Matthew 25:23a ESV) 
Unfortunately,  in our thoughts & emotions,  our sinful nature is eager to follow the world’s wisdom.  Though we are wayward & evil people, God loves you & me & wants the best for us.  He continually invites us into a relationship with Him.  By the Holy Spirit’s power, our hearts are drawn to following His ways & wisdom. 
Through His Word, we learn that God’s way & wisdom are vastly more trustworthy than the world’s wisdom.  God tells us through the Apostle Paul that “the wisdom of this world is folly with God.”  (1 Corinthians 3:19a ESV)    The book of James gives us a wonderful comparison between God’s wisdom  & the wisdom of the world:
Who is wise & understanding among you?  By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.  But if you have bitter jealousy & selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast & be false to the truth.  This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.  For where jealousy & selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder & every vile practice.  But the wisdom from above is first pure,  then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy & good fruits, impartial & sincere.  And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.  (3:13-18) 
 
James tells us that, as believers who follow God’s wisdom, we will avoid the selfishness & bitterness associated with false wisdom.  Earth-bound wisdom is from Satan & leads to an unhappy, unfulfilling life.  With God’s wisdom, we seek to live lives filled with good works for others.  God’s wisdom enables us to apply His truth to the situations that we face in life. 
With God’s wisdom, we know what God wants & then,  through the power of the Holy
Spirit, we do it.  Let me repeat verse 17 again: “But the wisdom from above is first pure,  then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy & good fruits, impartial & sincere.”   Through faith, we know that true wisdom & understanding come only from God.  In the book of Proverbs, Solomon wrote, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”  (9:10) 
God comes to you & me through His Word to give us wisdom.  A common characteristic of people who follow God’s wisdom is that they finish well in life.  Finishing well doesn’t mean winning in the sense of beating everyone else.  Rather, it means crossing the finish line of life while not losing sight of the goal of salvation with Jesus. 
Finishing well also applies to non-spiritual aspects of life.  It could mean not letting down as you finish a job with one company, having taken a better offer with another.   It can be taking notes even on the last day of school.  It’s as simple as cleaning up after you finish a project.  There are many individual matters in life  in which we can demonstrate our desire to finish well. 
As we finish well, we demonstrate God’s wisdom.  In the NT, St. Paul was intent on finishing well: “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind & straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 3:13-14) 
Paul saw clearly what was ahead & had determined in his heart that he wanted to finish well.  His desire to finish well produced an alertness while he was alive.  He would not let up until he crossed the finish line.  God had taught him how to live wisely  in an unwise world. 
Earlier, we heard of King Solomon who finished life poorly in spite of everything that he had: “All King Solomon’s drinking goblets were of gold,  & all the vessels of the house of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold.  None were of silver; silver was not considered anything in the days of Solomon.  Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches & in wisdom.”  (1 Kings 10:21, 23)  Yet he did not finish well because Solomon lost his perspective & became lukewarm about God’s wisdom.  How many of us know how long we have left on this planet?  Will all of us finish well?  Are you determined to finish well in life   or will you allow your spiritual life to slide  as did Solomon? 
Through faith, we know God sent His Son to save us from our sins,  & from our very natural fear of death.  Because Christ rose from the dead,  & Baptism includes us in that resurrection,  we can live our lives now  without fear.  What we do with our lives today  is important to God.   
In Christ, God has instilled in us an eternal perspective  which allows His Children to patiently wait for His will to be done.  In Christ, our perspective is different from the one we had  without our Savior.  Even when we cannot see the effect of God’s wisdom,  faith allows us to trust that He is working  & mightily at that. 
Because Jesus saved us from hell, our saintly nature desires to  finish well  all the tasks that God plans to accomplish through us.  The forgiveness of our sins gives us assurance that the Holy Spirit will empower us to follow God’s wisdom.  We live in the grace of Christ Who has forgiven our sins.  God loves us & will never leave us nor forsake us.  (Hebrews 13:15)   
Yahweh’s presence creates a longing within  for wise living!   When we think of how we want our lives to turn out, we start to see each day, week & year as building blocks to use in that direction.  Not caring how our lives turn out will lead to foolish, careless living. 
In Christ, we have a new, eternal perspective on what life is meant to be.  We can be excited about the plans God has for us.  Let us turn our hearts back to our Lord  each new day.  Let the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ prompt us to follow God’s wisdom.  
Dear Father, You are the source of all good things.  We especially thank You  for Your
desire to give us Your wisdom.   May we accept Your wisdom,  embrace it,  & seek to live by it.  In the name of Jesus.  Amen. 
 
 
With the Lord begin your task;  Jesus will direct it.  For His aid & counsel ask;  Jesus will perfect it.  Every morn with Jesus rise,  & when day is ended,  in His name then close your eyes;  be to Him commended.      If your task be thus begun  with the Savior’s blessing,  safely then your course will run,  toward the promise pressing.   Good will follow everywhere  while you here must wander;  you at last the joy will share  in the mansions yonder.  Amen.  LSB 869:2, 4.