Wisdom In All Things

This is part 5 in our 5-part Wisdom In All Things Special Series, unpacking the implications of these two short verses from Paul, as they highlight 5 essential factors for living a life of purpose, wisdom, and impact. “All the watching, all the standing fast, all the bravery, and all the strength the Corinthian Christians might show meant nothing without love. They were called to do all those thin...

You could say that the phrase ‘be strong’ follows ‘act like men’ as a definition and prescription. Let’s have Alexander MacLaren take us back into the mindset of the battle as he elaborates on this connection between the two phrases: “Play a man’s part in the battle; strike with all the force of your muscles. But the Apostle adds, ‘be strong.’ You cannot play a man’s part unless you are. ‘Be stron...

Given the current cultural climate on the subject, some might think it pretty controversial to suggest that we ‘act like men’. After all, if you were to listen to the critics, “Could there be anything good that would come from it?” I can understand the sentiment. But not the reaction. I think it was John Stonestreet who I heard say recently, “The response to bad authority is not, ‘no authority’, i...

In the sixteenth chapter of Corinthians, you'll find these two verses, tucked in there, seemingly as a random stream of consciousness, part of Paul's closing in his first letter to this church in Corinth: "Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love." (1 Corinthians 16:13-14) Standing firm means maintaining allegiance to biblical principles re...

In the sixteenth chapter of Corinthians, you'll find these two verses, tucked in there, seemingly as a random stream of consciousness, part of Paul's closing in his first letter to this church in Corinth: "Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love." (1 Corinthians 16:13-14) Paul doesn't directly identify anything in particular that we are to...

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson I use this quote from Emerson in jest. It seems to me that this is the prevailing thought about what we are to do with our lives: the reason we are here is to go our own way; to leave our mark. But is that truly why we are here?  Dallas Willard says “The purpose of human life is to glori...

King David speaking: "For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me." - Psalm 51:3 We've talked in the past about living an examined life . Doing so can be a little unnerving. When we do that, it is (very) likely that we'll find something that we don't want to see, and, as a result, end up shoving whatever we found right back where we found it. However, to consider "not going there" o...

“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.” – Jimmy Johnson Malcolm Gladwell is a popular author and speaker who has written about the importance of practice. In his book Outliers, Gladwell argues that the key to success is not talent, but deliberate practice. Effective practice is the key to long-term skill improvement. These research-backed methods will help you bui...

"Conviction is the driving force that transforms belief into action. It's the unwavering commitment to truth and principle that enables us to navigate the complexities of life with purpose and integrity. Without conviction, our beliefs remain mere ideas, but with it, they become the catalyst for positive change in our lives and the world around us." - D.A. Carson Just as Winston Churchill's convic...

“It’s bad enough wasting time without killing it.” – Norton Juster, academic, architect, and writer. He was best known as an author of children's books, particularly popular was The Dot and the Line - A Romance in Lower Mathematics With all that we have to do, it is awfully tempting to do nothing with out discretionary time. Until you realize the implications. Idleness and laziness can actually ha...

“The love of money is the root of all evil.” – 1 Timothy 6:10 Probably a familiar verse, but think about the last 4 words: “root of all evil.” If we don’t love money, we can avoid a whole lot of bad. In fact, we could swap out the word ‘money’ for so many things in that verse. “The love of… the couch, Netflix, Peanut Butter M&Ms….” But here, God intentionally–and specifically–identifies the lo...

“Imitate Jesus and Socrates.” - Benjamin Franklin Are you as struck by Franklin's recommendation as I am? Why both? If you're going to include Jesus on any list, there really isn't any need to include anyone else. It was curious to me what Franklin might have been thinking that would lead him to include these two people specifically, and only these two people. Perhaps it was this prompting from a...

"Holiness is not only separation from evil, but separation unto God." - John Stott Holiness has long been a central theme in Christianity, and throughout history, various individuals and groups have emphasized its importance. It is a concept that often evokes various perceptions, from being old-fashioned and rigid to grace-filled and deeply satisfying.  Either way, the pursuit of holiness is, at i...

"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can." - John Wesley In a world often marred by turmoil and adversity, the call to "not grow weary in doing good" holds profound significance, primarily for Christians. While the call to "not grow weary in doing good" is fir...

"Heaven is not a distant place, but a perfected state of being where we will enjoy unbroken communion with God and one another." — Tim Keller Thinking rightly about heaven is both significant and transformative as it will shape our thoughts, actions, and deepest longings. Embracing an anticipatory mindset about heaven moves us away from it being a theoretical concept to a transformative way of liv...

"In every life we have some trouble, but when you worry you make it double... don't worry, be happy..." - Bobby McFerrin He has provided us a catchy way to remember two very important truths about worry: by worrying, we do make things doubly worse, and, that we do have a choice. If you're looking to be happy, you're aiming way too low. Instead, why settle for "being happy" when you can be at peace...

"When we use our spiritual gifts, we are joining in God's mission to reconcile the world to Himself. It is an act of obedience and surrender, allowing God to work through us to bring about His purposes and transformation in the lives of others." - D.A. Carson The idea of “to whom much is given, much will be required” is that we should, and will be, held responsible for what we have been given. It...

I think we all would agree that when expressing our anger, it is better that we stop short of turning green and smashing everything. Even if we have the power to do it. But you might say, "There are times when we need to smash things into oblivion... like, evil." However, it seems pretty clear that God is the only one that gets to turn green and smash things (so to speak): "Beloved, never avenge y...

I want to make sure you are properly warned against enduring the consequences of a lop-sided morning. Because a lop-sided morning leads to a lop-sided day. By lop-sided, I mean focusing only on one area of your life to the exclusion of others. My sense is that there is a tendency to elevate exercise over the time you need to spend thinking, or more importantly, feeding your soul. Mornings should b...

There's no denying that "A Few Good Men" is a classic. In this movie, you have a young military lawyer, Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee, played by Tom Cruise, assigned to defend two marines accused of murdering a fellow soldier.  With Colonel Nathan Jessup on the stand, Kaffee confronts the commanding officer of the Marines by accusing him of ordering a "code red" (an unauthorized disciplinary action) th...

“We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future.” – George Bernard Shaw Shaw's comment on wisdom is important because it rightly integrates the past and the future. In fact, it can't truly be wisdom unless we apply to the future what we have learned by experience to be true. For as it has been said, if we don't learn from history we are doomed to rep...

Kindness penetrates. Similar to the way water can find its way into the most hidden, protected places. However, when it comes to kindness, it is not so much that it breaches as it is being absorbed. Kindness is wanted. Needed. Life-giving. Nice on the other hand, is temporary and superficial. Nice is the sizzle. Kindness is the steak. The Bible doesn’t teach, call, or direct us to be nice. We’re t...

“People have learned to escape Reality very well but too often lose their way back.” — Eugene J. Martin, visual artist Harry Houdini's escapes were just an illusion, much like our attempt to try and escape reality. Fortunately for us, as Jon Bloom reminds us, “Jesus has come to set us free from fantasy’s impoverishing enchantment.” Rather than look for the ‘escape button’, we can respond properly...

No doubt you are familiar with the hymn. Sung the world over, it has ministered to millions. And probably why it resonates so deeply, is that for Horatio Spafford, the author, these lyrics are autobiographical. Despite the years of tragedy he and his wife had endured, these lyrics are a testament to his faith and trust in God. It is this idea that even in the midst of great loss and sorrow, we can...

Once we get our thoughts right about God, ourselves, and our circumstances, that right thinking leads to right living . This was something that Peter, in 1 Peter 1:13, was trying to stress by calling a group of Christ followers being persecuted for their faith to do three things: gird their minds, keep sober, and hope–completely–on the grace of God. Read the transcript for A Mind Ready for Action...