Ephesians 5:15-17

Paul mentions that to be wise, I shouldn’t waste my time.  I should use my time to discover God’s will in my life.  To pray and find out what comes next.  I know I waste a lot of time, especially at home.  How much time have I wasted by watching RedBull TV mountain bike vides, or the barista showdown?  How much time have I wasted watching mindless television.  Way too much.  The worst part is, I’ll never receive that time back.  How much could have I grown my faith, or my knowledge in the Lord?  How many more people could I have witnessed to back home?  Or maybe just have edified?  I’ll never have that time back.  I know I like to talk to some of my friends in my hometown.  One owns a coffee shop and one owns a bicycle shop I work at and I made friends with my workmates, but they don’t know the Lord, and I wasted my time watching pointless videos when could have grown my faith and witnessed to them.  Looking back, I just see how selfish I was, and still am.  Yea I would have that occasional talk of God, but never really a deep or meaningful talk where I actually witnessed.  Often times I would just blend in with them, you couldn’t tell much of a difference between them and myself.  Paul says though, which I really enjoy, “Redeeming the time.”  Yes, that time is gone, but I have a week in April, and at least two months after field time of which I can show them Christ’s love and His grace.  I don’t want to go home and be the same person that I was when I was home just a few short weeks ago.  I feel closer to God and I feel I have wasted a lot less time, yes I still waste time here, but a lot less of it.  So for my application I have two: My daily application will be to find at least ten more minutes that I can use to pray.  Then my application for April, is to cut my red bull tv intake out completely and use that time more wisely by praying, reading the word, or by using it to show the love of Christ to my friends back home.

2 Corinthians 1:12

In a Christians testimony, it’s filled with life applicable situations of which the Christian has been through.  Like drugs or other situations of which God has gotten them through to get to Him.  So they may understand and know God.  These situations and learning from them give Christians Godly wisdom.  It goes on to say, “By the grace of God we had our conversation in the world.”   I wasn’t born a Christian, I was born a sinner.  I had to be saved from the flesh, my flesh.  I had to be rescued from my sinful nature.  Who rescued me from me?  Jesus, the only one that could.  Due to the fact that I was rescued from the pits of Hell, I can rejoice in the free gift of grace given by God.  Today I will rejoice in the fact that I’m no longer a sinner going to Hell, I will do this by praying to my heavenly Father thanking Him for saving me from the spot I deserve in Hell.

Psalm 111:10

If I fear the Lord and keep His commandments I shall begin to inquire wisdom, not earthly wisdom, but Godly wisdom.  It however doesn’t mean I shall instantly inquire all wisdom, but it’s the beginning.  Godly Wisdom is what I want in my life.  Godly wisdom helps others and shows the right path.  Godly wisdom leads people to Christ.  It knows what’s evil and avoids it.  The difference between wisdom and knowledge is wisdom applies what you know, but knowledge just knows.  I need to pray for Godly wisdom and not just for knowledge.  I need not to just know what God’s word says, but I also need to use it in my life.  In order to do this though I have to pray and constantly ground myself in what God says through the scriptures.  I need to constantly pray for a filling of the Holy Spirit and attempt to apply the Word in my life, but only with the help of God.  Finally it ends with a remembrance.  His praise endureth forever.  Not my praise, not the praise of others, but His praise.  God’s praise.  In ministry it’s not about me.  If I’m serving looking for something to happen to me.  Or if I’m serving so I have others looking at me talking about how good of a person or Christian that I am…Then it’s the wrong kind of service.  True service is a heart attitude aligning with my actions all to bring the glory and praises to God my heavenly Father.  I must remember that when I am Fearing God and applying it to my life, I must remember to bring the praise to God and not puff myself up.  I must remember it’s not about me and I have to drop the pride out of my life.  I must humble myself.  I can do this by thinking of myself less than everyone else.  David calls himself a worm, but God says he was a man after His own heart.  Today I’m going to put all others before me in all areas and go through the lunch line last.

James 1:5

If I lack wisdom than I must pray for it to receive it.  Wisdom being applied knowledge will come through life situations to me.  If I pray for patience than I will be tested on my patience.  Perhaps with a slow driver, it may seem humorous, but it’s how God works.  The other cool thing is, if I ask for wisdom, yes, God presents it in a way that I’ll learn and apply it, but God will give me the opportunity because He is a gracious giver and won’t uphold.  I may be the biggest screw up ever, let me rephrase that.  I am the biggest screw up ever, but God will even give me the opportunity to gain Godly wisdom.  Wisdom from God is super special because it’s not a waste.  In Proverbs 2:6 It says, “For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of HIS mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.”  So I know I can only receive wisdom from Him, and I obtain this wisdom through the knowledge and understanding that He communicates unto me through His scriptures.  I can’t obtain Godly wisdom through my own understanding, my parents understanding, or my friends, but only God’s.  Solo Deos.  Wisdom is gained through life experience, like my screw ups.  Which I do, A lot, but God’s grace is bigger than my screw-ups.  In 2 Corinthians 12:9 it says, “My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”  Jesus says that He is made stronger in my weakness.  So Jesus is exalted when I screw up, because at that moment I know I can’t depend on myself.  Then and only in this moment I can obtain Godly wisdom, after I admit that I messed up and that I can’t do it on my own.  Then I can learn from my mistakes and with that knowledge I will apply it to myself and obtain God-given wisdom.  Today I will reflect on my mistakes, I will ask God to forgive me, I will ask God to help me learn from my mistakes, and I will ask Him to give me opportunities to apply it to my life.  Through all of it, God tells me I will obtain wisdom, so it’s not just a “hopefully,” but it is God’s promise to me.

James 3:13-17

To start this IBS off I will first quote Ecclesiastes 1:18, “For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow.”  Show off your wisdom, by good things or works.  Instead of bragging about head knowledge and my own brilliance, it would be more edifying to the brother and sisterhood to just help others.  Instead of puffing myself up, I need to edify others.  If I’m bitter or angry towards others, what help does that have in the body?  None, it’s going to do more to harm than to help.  My earthly knowledge is nice and all, but if it doesn’t have anything to do with God, than what place does it serve in the body?  If it doesn’t edify, does it even belong? No, it doesn’t.  All it does it cause others to be upset, and if it doesn’t edify, then it’s of the devil.  If I’m living my life causing strife than I’m doing the devils works and not God’s.  In 1 John 4:12 it says That if you hate your brother or as much as call him a fool than you are not of God.  God is love so if we don’t love we aren’t of God.  If I am given godly wisdom however than it does edify and build up the body.  I need to be in the word more and inquire more Godly wisdom so I can edify the body more.  I need to show love more and not puff myself up.  Today I will put myself below others, I will try and be in fellowship with God more by reading the bible and trying to get something out of it instead of reading just to read.  I will also be in fellowship by praying more often.  If I’m in fellowship with God then I can be in fellowship with my brothers and sisters.  If I’m not in fellowship with God, my friendships can be considered a waste, vanity of vanities.