Jesus

Wisdom: Guidelines and Lifelines For Life

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

life-preserverI have never thought of myself as one of the smartest people in the world, and my GPA from high school is the evidence that proves it.  This may be why the book of James is a favorite of mine.

Like the book of Proverbs, James provides guidelines for life; and, for those of us who lack wisdom, it extends an invitation: “Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him (James 1:5).”

Later in the book, James lists seven characteristics of wisdom: “The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and not hypocritical (3:17).”

I find it interesting that when Solomon spoke of wisdom he also listed seven and referred to them as the Seven Pillars of Wisdom: “Wisdom has built her house; she has carved out its seven pillars (9:1).” Solomon’s list is found in Proverbs 8:12-14:

  • Prudence
  • Knowledge
  • Fear of the Lord
  • Counsel
  • Sound Wisdom
  • Understanding
  • Strength

The Message describes these seven attributes:

“I am Lady Wisdom, and I live next to Sanity; Knowledge and Discretion live just down the street. The Fear-of-God means hating Evil, whose ways I hate with a passion—pride and arrogance and crooked talk. Good counsel and common sense are my characteristics; I am both Insight and the Virtue to live it out. With my help, leaders rule, and lawmakers legislate fairly; With my help, governors govern, along with all in legitimate authority. I love those who love me; those who look for me find me.”

Wisdom has been defined as the right use of knowledge, and, in the biblical sense, it’s the ability to judge correctly and to take the best course of action, based on your knowledge and understanding of God’s principles.

This concept of wisdom is in complete harmony with Solomon’s conclusion to Proverbs 8:

“Blessed are those who keep my ways. Listen to my instruction so that you may be wise, and do not neglect it. Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching at my doors day by day, waiting beside my doorway. For the one who finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord. But the one who does not find me brings harm to himself; all who hate me love death (32-36).”

I’ll close with three thoughts, and I hope there enough to keep you thinking:

  • Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who obtains understanding. ~Proverbs 3:13
  • An intelligent man believes only half of what he hears, a wise man knows which half.
  • Knowledge is knowing the difference between a donut and a life preserver. Wisdom is knowing which one to grab when you are drowning.

Faith, Values, and Politics

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

fox-debateA recent survey that was conducted by the Pew Research Center involved a national sample of 2,009 adults. The results of this survey, that was take earlier this month, offer some interesting findings:

  • Being an atheist is a big liability for anyone who pursues the office of president.
  • 51% of adults indicate they’d be less likely to vote for a presidential candidate who is an atheist.
  • 37% of the respondents say they would be less likely to support a candidate who has been involved in an extramarital affair.
  • 41% of the participants say they would be less likely to support a candidate who has a history of financial struggles.

The chart below looks at the public’s perception of seven of the the people who have tossed their hat into the ring in an effort to become the next President of the United States.

reltableIs it important to you that the President of the United States is a person of strong faith and high moral character?    Do verses like Psalm 33:12 hint that our leaders should be people of faith, and do they influence how you would vote?

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”

While the hope of the United States is found in Christ and not the President, the actions and decisions of those we elect to office will either help or hinder the health of our nation.  This is why we should heed Paul’s instructions to Timothy:

I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good, and it pleases God our Savior  

~2 Timothy 2:1-3

The Tennacity of Tennis

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

TTT

When you look at the picture to the left, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind?  Is it tennis, effort, skill, or the disciplined regime that developed the muscled frame of France’s Gael Monfils?  The picture was shot at the Australian Open, and the first thing I focused on was Monfil’s shadow.

There’s something interesting about shadows—they’re universal.  Only about 1% of the world’s population will be born with red hair, but 100% of people have a shadow.

Shadows were the focus of Paul’s discussion in the third chapter of Colossians where he contrasted the shadow of your old nature to your new nature in Christ.  Paul challenged people to come out of the shadows and to live in the light. There are three things you need to do to accomplish this:

  • You need to “set your mind” or focus your thoughts in the right direction: “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth (Colossians 3:1-2).”
  • You need to peel off the rags of unrighteousness and walk away from the shadows of your former life: “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you… in these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices (3:5-9).”
  • You need to wear a new wardrobe: “Put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator…Put on compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another, forgiving each other; And above all these put on love (3:10-14).”

To shake off the shadows, you’ll need to develop spiritual disciplines that are as demanding as the physical regime that’s practiced by Gael Monfils.  When you begin to do this, you will find that you are walking in the light and in fellowship with Jesus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Real You in 72 Hours

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

real-meSaturday, Sunday, and Monday—what was your focus over the past 72 hours?  What does your focus say about the real you?  The 5 questions below may help you answer this question:

  1. What did you find to be funny?
  2. On what did you spend your money?
  3. What is it that you were wanting the most?
  4. What thought was the frequent focus of your mind?
  5. What did you do with your leisure time and with whom did you spend it?

After thinking about the questions above, compare your answers to the lifestyle that Paul spoke of in Romans 12:

Let love be without hypocrisy. Hate what is evil. Cleave to what is good.  Be devoted to one another with brotherly love; prefer one another in honor, do not be lazy in diligence, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord, rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer, contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless, and do not curse.  Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.  Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Do not pretend to be wiser than you are.

Repay no one evil for evil. Commend what is honest in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as it depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

When you compare your answers to the qualities Paul discussed, is the real you a “doer” of the word or just a “hearer” of the world?

Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man viewing his natural face in a mirror.  He views himself, and goes his way, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.

 ~James 1:22-24

 

Feeling Overwhelmed and Under-Qualified?

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

o-NEGATIVE-PEOPLE-facebookThis has been a tough week.  It hasn’t been so bad for me personally, but life had gotten out of hand for a handful of people. It seemed that their “can do” couldn’t “do,” and their “will to do” simply wasn’t “willing to do.”

Each of them had faced a daunting circumstance that had rained on their parade.  Because of this, they were drained physically, a wreck emotionally, and they were anemic spiritually.

When life gets you down and you’re ready to throw in towel, don’t quit.  Try to reframe your circumstances and get a fresh perspective:

  • Tap into your pool of resources. Call a friend, a family member, or your pastor, and share your heart with them.
  • Grab your Bible and read the Psalms. Learn from David and the many trials he faced.
  • Take control of your thoughts. Don’t let the Grinch of negativity determine your course in life. Since you can’t think two thoughts at the same time, replace the negative with a positive.

Before you quit, remember you’re more than adequate in Jesus Christ:

  • Embrace the “CAN DO” promise of Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
  • Remember THE Author has AUTHORIZED you, QUALIFIED you, and He is ALWAYS with you. Jesus said: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:18-20).”
  • Grasp the fact that you have the POWER to PERFORM: Jesus said: “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me (Acts 1:8).”

Before you quit, remember that the CHOOSER has CHOSEN you: You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit ~John 15:16

Standing in the Need of Prayer

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

boy-and-dog-prayingI rolled out of bed at 4:30 this morning with the same thoughts that were on my mind when I crawled into it last night—the prayers of Samuel and Paul.  Both of these men, one from the Old Testament and the other from the New Testament, were prayer warriors.

One word in particular was on my mind, and it was used by both men.  It’s the word “ceasing.”

  • I Samuel 12:23: God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way.
  • I Thessalonians 5:17: Pray without

When you read the writings of Paul, it’s easy to see that he was a man of prayer:

  • Colossians 1:9-10: We have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will…so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects.
  • Ephesians 3:16-17: I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
  • Philippians 1:9-11: And I pray this, that your love may abound even more and more in knowledge and every kind of insight so that you can decide what is best, and thus be sincere and blameless for the day of Christ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

I think the Achilles heel of too many people is that we cease without praying instead of praying without ceasing.  Only heaven knows how many lives have benefitted from and were changed by the prayers of Samuel, Paul, and people like you and me.

May we not sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray. . .

 

Standing in the Need of Prayer

North Korea and a Wee Little Man

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

 

NKOREA-US-POLITICS-RODMAN-BASKETBALL

Kim Jong-un, North Korea’s Supreme leader towered over his father who was just a little over 5 feet tall; however, he appears to be a wee little man when he stands beside his idol Dennis Rodman.  Even though he’s small in stature, Kim caught the world’s attention earlier this week when there was an earthquake near a nuclear test site.

While the focus of the world was on the terrorism of Iran and the mindless madness of the Middle East, North Korea tested a hydrogen bomb under the cloak of darkness.  These claims have been met with suspicion from the rest of world because the seismic wave left by the explosion was smaller than what occurs when a real thermonuclear weapon is detonated.

The narcissistic Supreme Leader of North Korea has a heart that’s as shriveled as his ego is big. He could learn an essential lesson by considering the example of  Zacchaeus (Luke 19), the wee little man who encountered the King of kings and Lord of lords.

As a tax collector, Zacchaeus had some authority, and He was rather rich.  Like Kim Jong-un, Zacchaeus had run rough shod over people, and he had enriched himself at their expense.

The life of this miserable tax collector began to change when he realized something: The wealth of the world can fill your pockets, but it will leave your heart empty.  When he began to examine the life of Jesus, the embezzling heart of Zacchaeus was embellished by the love of God.

The proof of his new found faith was seen in his statement to Jesus: “I’ll give half of my possessions to the poor, Lord! And if I have extorted anything from anyone, I’ll pay back four times as much!”

Jesus joyfully responded: “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”

Even though Zacchaeus was a wee little man in the eyes of his peers, he became a prized possession in the eyes and heart of God.  Hopefully, Kim Jong-un will learn this lesson someday.

 

A Selfie Sentence: 3 Years in Jail

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

 

woodySelfie on a Stick is a company that sells a stick-like Bluetooth device that allows a person to take a self-portrait.  Sales figures from is company have shown a 3,000% growth in sales in November alone, and Nordstrom stocked their shelves with the Selfie on a Stick three times and completely sold out.

Invasion by  selfie stick has been such a problem in South Korea that the government has criminalized the unlicensed sale of selfie sticks, and anyone caught selling one faces a 3 years in prison.Selfie-Stick-Mann-Selfie-Fun-S7

The selfie stick is a sign of the times; it’s a time of self-presumption, self-consumption, and self-gratification that knows very little about denying self, taking up the cross, and following Jesus.

What’s the theme of your life?   Do the words of Frank Sinatra’s My Way describe you?

And now, the end is near

And so I face the final curtain

My friend, I’ll say it clear

I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain

 

I’ve lived a life that’s full

I’ve traveled each and every highway

But more, much more than this

I did it my way

Your life motto should not be  “my way” but “Thy way.”  Instead of living a life that is posed for a selfie stick and an Apple iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy, your life should be lived for the glory of God and framed in the image of Christ.

To get a good picture, a photographer will tell you to think in terms of contrasts, light, lenses, and shutter speed.  To get a clear picture of who you are relation to Christ, ask you’re a couple of questions:

  • Am I conformed to the image of Jesus (Romans 8:29)?
  • Am I focusing on the old self or the new self, and am I being renewed in the image of my Creator (Colossians 3:9-10)?
  • Are my eyes focused and fixed on Jesus or am I distracted by nonessentials (Hebrews 12:1-2)?

The next time you reach for your smartphone or a camera to take a picture, ask yourself another question:  Am I listening to God and living a life that’s a mirror-image of His principles?

I’ll close with these words from James: “Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like!” ~James 1:22-24 The Message

Depression: An Emotional Hole

/ insightbyseymour / 2 Comments

A-5-Minute-by-Craig-SunterLife would be boringly bland if it were not for our emotions.  I’m thankful that I can scan the horizon of humanity and see faces of innocence framed in smiles that run from ear to ear.  What would a party be if a child never had the gift of joy when he unwrapped a toy?

Emotions are God’s gift to His creation, and I believe He intended for you to have a life filled with gigglicious moments—those times that are delicious with laughter.

When I think of emotions, I wonder about Adam and Eve.  They never had a second of sadness, and they were never disappointed; not, until they sinned and disobeyed God.  Their lives of delight were immediately overcome by fright and despair as they tried to hide from God.

The negative and debilitating emotions that Adam and Eve experienced in the Garden are the same feelings that still afflict thousands of people today.  Some research by the National Institute of Mental Health confirms this:

  • 60% of our fears are over things that will never happen.
  • 30% of our fears are focused on things that happened in the past
  • 90 % of our fears are somewhat insignificant
  • 88% of our fears are health-related (hypochondriacs)

The Anxiety and Depression Society of America has stated that anxiety disorders are the most common forms of mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older (18% of U.S. population). Uncontrolled worry can have a debilitating effect on a person’s appetite, relationships, job performance, and sleep–all of which can be precursors to depression.

While your situation may be different from those of another person, the circumstances of life should not circumvent your emotional health.  Circumstances are external events that trigger an internal and emotional response.  Even though you cannot control all of the externals, you can learn to manage the internals.

The simple truth is that you either control your thoughts or they control you. A key means of controlling your thoughts is to be introspective with a proper perspective. This is a technique that is at least as old as the Apostle Paul, who said: “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise—dwell on these things.”

It takes discipline and practice to make this a habit. This is because many people are born with a negative bias in the way they see life. Research indicates that the brain is more likely to focus on negative feelings instead of positive feelings. This has been referred to as the FUD Factor (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt). When our thoughts are left unattended they wander into the wilderness of negativity and stumble into the cesspool of distress.

This is one reason Paul said that we need to bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).” Some thoughts can be wonderfully captivating; however, others are so powerful in their negativity a person becomes a prisoner of his own mind.

When you give some thought to your pattern of thinking, you become aware of your self-talk; and, you can begin to identify it as wholesome conversation that builds your self-esteem and glorifies God or an attack on who you are in Christ.  When you begin to recognize the pattern of your thoughts, you’ve taken the first step into transformative thinking that will renew your mind (Romans 12:2).

What Did Mary Know?

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

Have you ever taken a moment to consider the momentous thoughts of Mary? I have, and I do, whenever I read  Luke 2: “Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

When Mary pondered the magnitude of the angelic message, and the adoring words of the shepherds,  did she fully comprehend the magnificent meaning of that first Christmas?

When she gazed into the eyes of her innocent son, could she mentally grasp what she would emotionally gasp 30 years later when he took on the sin of the world?

How could she know that the son nurtured in her womb would have such a significant future and manifest awesome and miraculous power over creation?  Did Mary have an aha moment when Jesus changed the water into wine at the marriage supper at Cana?

Was she pleasingly puzzled when her son had a leg up on the religious charlatans of the day and healed the legs of a crippled man?

When Mary saw a crowd of hungry faces suddenly satisfied by a sack lunch that was multiplied 5,000 times, did she realize that her son could also satisfy the spiritual hunger of the world?

When her son of a carpenter was dying an excruciating death on a wooden cross, did her anguish confound her comprehension of God’s ultimate plan?

How fast did her heart beat when she heard that her three-days-dead son had removed his grave clothes, rolled away a massive stone, run off a squad of soldiers, and then became the resurrection and life to all who would believe?

There are some things that I ponder in my heart:
• How could Jesus understand everything, but be misunderstood by most everyone?
• Who was his best childhood friend? Could it have been a boy named Barabbas or Judas?
• What did he and his cousin John (later called the Baptist) talk about?
• Did his brothers and sisters see him as unique or annoyingly odd?

I wonder, Mary Did You Know?