April 18th Devotion
An Invitation to Wisdom – Alistair Begg
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. James 1:5
“Wisdom” has fallen rather out of fashion. Did you encounter the word with any frequency over the past week or so? Most likely, you didn’t read it in any articles or hear about it from schoolteachers. Wisdom has become almost an old-fashioned word, neglected in favor of terms like insight, information, and intelligence. But none of these words, individually or combined, still do not add up to wisdom.
Wisdom is not mental; it is moral. It is knowing how to live God’s way in God’s world and acting on that. Jesus memorably talked about wisdom in terms of the wise and the foolish builders (Luke 6:46-49). The wise man built his house upon the rock, and the waves came tumbling round, and the house stood firm. The foolish man built his house upon the sand, and it collapsed. The difference between the two types of people this story represents is that while both hear Jesus’ words, only the wise put them into practice, building their lives upon them, allowing their decisions to be directed and their desires to be shaped by what He says.
By nature, we lack such wisdom. But the invitation to wisdom in this verse from James is gracious and inclusive. To accept it, we first must recognize our need of wisdom; humility is always wisdom’s precursor (Proverbs 1:7). Once we acknowledge that need, James then encourages us to simply ask God, who abides in faithfulness and provides “every good gift and every perfect gift” (James 1:17). Jesus has likewise told us, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).
If we come to God sincerely, He promises to give His wisdom generously without making us feel guilty or foolish. We often repeat our requests and concerns because the trials are real and the hills are steep, but God is not annoyed or dismissive. He is eager to help!
James understood that through life’s joys and sorrows we may be tempted to think differently than from God’s perspective. With wisdom, though, we are able to act in the light of God’s revelation of Himself, walking through life with sure footsteps as we seek to obey His commands and trust that He will be guiding our steps. Through His wisdom, you can act simply and properly, with thankfulness that God is so generous and gracious. All you need do is to accept that you need it and to ask for it—and then get on with your day, secure in the knowledge that, once you’ve asked, “it will be given” to you.
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. James 1:5
“Wisdom” has fallen rather out of fashion. Did you encounter the word with any frequency over the past week or so? Most likely, you didn’t read it in any articles or hear about it from schoolteachers. Wisdom has become almost an old-fashioned word, neglected in favor of terms like insight, information, and intelligence. But none of these words, individually or combined, still do not add up to wisdom.
Wisdom is not mental; it is moral. It is knowing how to live God’s way in God’s world and acting on that. Jesus memorably talked about wisdom in terms of the wise and the foolish builders (Luke 6:46-49). The wise man built his house upon the rock, and the waves came tumbling round, and the house stood firm. The foolish man built his house upon the sand, and it collapsed. The difference between the two types of people this story represents is that while both hear Jesus’ words, only the wise put them into practice, building their lives upon them, allowing their decisions to be directed and their desires to be shaped by what He says.
By nature, we lack such wisdom. But the invitation to wisdom in this verse from James is gracious and inclusive. To accept it, we first must recognize our need of wisdom; humility is always wisdom’s precursor (Proverbs 1:7). Once we acknowledge that need, James then encourages us to simply ask God, who abides in faithfulness and provides “every good gift and every perfect gift” (James 1:17). Jesus has likewise told us, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).
If we come to God sincerely, He promises to give His wisdom generously without making us feel guilty or foolish. We often repeat our requests and concerns because the trials are real and the hills are steep, but God is not annoyed or dismissive. He is eager to help!
James understood that through life’s joys and sorrows we may be tempted to think differently than from God’s perspective. With wisdom, though, we are able to act in the light of God’s revelation of Himself, walking through life with sure footsteps as we seek to obey His commands and trust that He will be guiding our steps. Through His wisdom, you can act simply and properly, with thankfulness that God is so generous and gracious. All you need do is to accept that you need it and to ask for it—and then get on with your day, secure in the knowledge that, once you’ve asked, “it will be given” to you.
Posted in Devotions
Recent
Archive
2023
January
January 2nd DevotionFollow-up to January 1st teachingJanuary 3rd DevotionJanuary 4th DevotionJanuary 5th DevotionJanuary 6th DevotionJanuary 9th DevotionFollow-up to January 8th teachingJanuary 10th DevotionJanuary 11th DevotionJanuary 12th DevotionJanuary 13th DevotionJanuary 16th DevotionJanuary 17th DevotionFollow-up to January 15th teachingJanuary 18th DevotionJanuary 19th DevotionJanuary 20th DevotionJanuary 23rd DevotionFollow-up to January 22nd teachingJanuary 24th DevotionJanuary 25th DevotionJanuary 26th DevotionJanuary 27th DevotionJanuary 30th DevotionFollow-up to January 29th teachingJanuary 31st Devotion
February
February 1st DevotionFebruary 2nd DevotionFebruary 3rd DevotionFebruary 6th DevotionFebruary 5th follow-upFebruary 7th DevotionFebruary 8th DevotionFebruary 9th DevotionFebruary 10th DevotionFebruary 13th DevotionFebruary 12th follow-upFebruary 14th DevotionFebruary 15th DevotionFebruary 17th DevotionFebruary 16th DevotionFebruary 19th Follow-upFebruary 20th DevotionFebruary 21st DevotionFebruary 22nd DevotionFebruary 23rd DevotionFebruary 24th DevotionFebruary 27th DevotionFebruary 26th Follow-upFebruary 28th Devotion
March
March 1st DevotionMarch 2nd DevotionMarch 3rd DevotionMarch 6th DevotionMarch 5th Follow-upMarch 7th, DevotionMarch 8th DevotionMarch 9th DevotionMarch 10th Devotion3-12-23 Follow-upMarch 13th Devotion3-14-23 DevotionMarch 15th DevotionMarch 16th DevotionMarch 17th DevotionMarch 20th DevotionMarch 19th Follow-upMarch 21st DevotionMarch 22nd DevotionMarch 23rd DevotionMarch 24th DevotionMarch 27th DevotionMarch 28th DevotionMarch 26th Follow-upMarch 29th DevotionMarch 29th DevotionMarch 30th Devotion
April
April 2nd Follow-upApril 3rd DevotionApril 4th DevotionApril 5th DevotionApril 6th DevotionApril 7th DevotionApril 9th Follow-upApril 10th DevotionApril 11th DevotionApril 12th DevotionApril 13th DevotionApril 14th DevotionApril 17th DevotionApril 16th Follow-upApril 18th DevotionApril 19th DevotionApril 20th DevotionApril 21st DevotionApril 24th DevotionApril 23rd follow-upApril 25th DevotionApril 26th Devotion
No Comments