Blog #78 January 26, 2024
Joshua 22:5 But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the Lord charged you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.
God’s wisdom must be central to all we think, feel, say, or do. His teachings must be more than just that which we think of first, they should be as automatic as the next beat of our heart or the next breath we take. They need to be our thoughts, too. Consider the actions of Eve that we might understand all God offers us.
Genesis 3:8-11
3:8 And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden. And he spake by the mouth of the serpent.
3:9 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which thou beholdest in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
3:10 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die; for God doth know, that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
3:11 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it became pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make her wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat; and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat.
Genesis 1:29 And I, God, created man in mine own image, in the image of mine Only Begotten created I him; male and female created I them.
We were created in the image of God. Fully aware and fully able to learn, ponder, and decide. Both Adam and Eve knew God. Both, received wisdom directly from the Father. They knew that which caused Him joy and that which brought Him sorrow. Ask yourself, were Adam and Eve victims or did they go to the tree with a heart full of rebellion. Can sin affect a heart loyal to God? How much should we trust and depend on God? Do we need to understand God completely to honor His wishes? Is fellowship of oneness truly a thing, or is it a catch phrase we banter around. Is it a blessing from God or is the blessing our ability to choose. Is it something that just happens, or is it that which we labor to achieve.
Psalms 62:7-8
62:7 In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
62:8 Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah.
Total submission to the words of God and the ways of the Kingdom, was David’s way of insuring God’s righteousness in his life. I am convinced that this is the only choice we can make if we are to win the battle between sin and righteousness. Understand that God believes this, too. His word is central to our covenant and the wellspring of understanding, but it must be more than just words on paper we learn and try to accomplish. We must plant it in our lives and allowed it to flourish. It must direct our steps. The words of God and the ways of God must be allowed to invade our life to such an extent that the concepts they teach us become the very concepts we live by. His words have to be our words, too.
Psalms 1:1-2
1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
1:2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
John 1:14 And the same word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Christ was the word made flesh. He allowed all that He knew of God and His ways direct the life He lived. Christ is the fullness of all we seek to be, and we can be if we allow God’s ways to become the most precious part of our lives. If the desire of our heart is to live daily as Christ lives, the ways of God will be with us in both word and deed. It will guide not only our actions but also our spontaneous reaction to the world and its trials. If our heart is filled with Christ, the Spirit will be there with Him and there be no room left for doubt, fear, shame, or rebellion. We will ignore the lust of the world because we will be able to see them for the bondage they are. In this state of mind, we will no longer labor for God that we might live. Instead, we will live to labor in God’s purpose, and do so free from all doubt.
Psalms 49:3 My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.
God helps us understand how to allow His wisdom a place in our lives. You must understand that the wisdom is the way we use the knowledge we have and the knowledge we gain to achieve the goal we seek. God through the Spirit brings clarity to the fact that He and the world have different goals. The goal we choose determines the path we will walk. God’s goal involves us, our growth in the ways of the Kingdom, and the purity we possess together in oneness with the Father. The goal of the world is “me”, how much I can possess, and how secure my power can make me.
3 Nephi 5:110-112
5:110 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and thieves break through and steal,
5:111 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.
5: 112 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Wisdom tells us that as our fellowship with God grows we discover the many aspects of the full nature of God. Like us He can be filled with both joy and sorrow. When we act in His wisdom He is filled with joy. When we don’t He knows sorrow. In all of this realize that above all God is aware of us and seeks to be active in our life.
3 John :4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
Genesis 7:35 And it came to pass, that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people, and wept; and Enoch bore record of it, saying, How is it that the heavens weep, and shed forth their tears as the rain upon the mountains? And Enoch said unto the Lord, How is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity?
If we choose to believe that who we are and what we do means little or nothing to God, we underestimate the love He has for us as well as the authority He has to act upon that love. Through the ministry of Jesus Christ, God steps away from being our Lord God Omnipotent and wears that mantel of Priesthood, watchman, and judge. If we are to accept His love for us, we must accept this treasured aspect of His nature He offers us. We must understand in our hearts that this is a good thing. He is not with us to control us, He is here because He loves us and seeks always to lift us up and bestow on us all His knowledge and all His wisdom.
Alma 17:69-70
17:69 Yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest, let it be in the Lord; yea, let thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord for ever; counsel the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good:
17:70 Yea, when thou liest down at night, lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou riseth in the morning, let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.
As in the case of Eve and the apple, sin does not just happen. Temptation becomes tempting because of the awareness we have of the intriguing nature of sin and our tendency to take too lightly power it can exercise in our lives. Eve, was attracted by what she thought was there. She felt she was stronger than the temptation it presented. She was so sure of her own abilities that she was unafraid to face it alone. This is an affliction, which plagues man even today. Good, evil, and the line between them have become so obscured that even those of the covenant can be fooled into believing that some types of evil can be faced without God. He is aware of this and He warns us of the foolishness of those beliefs.
Isaiah 5:20-21
5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
5:21 Woe unto the wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
God has something better planned for those who strive to be His children. His love for them causes Him to urge them to seek a better way. The weight of history shows that man alone is no match for the powers inherent in the lust of the world. Our choices become all-important in the life and death battle we wage against unrighteousness. If we are to live, we must make choices that enrich life, seek growth, and bring us always closer to God.
Helaman 5:85-86
5:85 And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge, and he hath made you free;
5:86 He hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose life or death, and ye can do good and be restored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you.
To face evil alone is not the wisdom of God. We have been given an option and that is fellowship. Fellowship is the wisdom of God. Fellowship with God through His Spirit, allows His wisdom to be present in our hearts. Fellowship with the children of God allows us a temporal resource for spiritual guidance. In fellowship, we have no need to face evil alone, but that is the point of this lesson. Rebellion and a heart open to the ways of the world are created when we choose to doubt the true need we have for God, the wisdom of God, and the people of God.
When we turn our backs on fellowship and the ways of fellowship, we become easy prey to the forces of darkness. Lust is a restless demon ever seeking for a place to occupy and a heart to live in. Because of its unlimited appetite, lust is not limited to a time or a place. It is everywhere, always, and it threatens us in ways we have yet to imagine.
Luke 11:25-27
11:25 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, it walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, it saith, I will return unto mine house whence I came out.
11:26And when it cometh, it findeth the house swept and garnished.
11:27 Then goeth the evil spirit, and taketh seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in, and dwell there; and the last end of that man is worse than the first.
Fellowship is not a mandate to be obeyed. It is a blessing to be used and enjoyed. It begins when our heart humbles itself to the ways of the Spirit and grows to be a wall of protection from the sins within ourselves. It captures our heart and brings with it the security of God, which is the assurance of Zion and the purpose it serves. Fellowship is a godsend that carries with it the authority to work within our lives that we might work within the lives of others. It carries also the strength of humility that allows others to work within our life that we might be one in God. When our fellowship begins in God it is truly a fortress that creates a testimony of righteousness for all the world to see.
Psalms 18:30 O God, thy ways are perfect; the word of the Lord is tried; he is a buckler to all those who trust in him.
Let our wisdom grow in that we fully understand the need for fellowship with God, the word of God and the people of God. The Kingdom is just that, a community of believers that stand together for the purpose of God. God gave us a righteous man and we killed Him for His righteousness. God seeks a righteous people who will join Him in His purpose and reach out to gather all mankind to be with them.
We are to be a people each looking out for the other. In this, we will be able to protect others from their foolishness in the same way we are protected by others from ours. In every heart, there is the capacity to sin, but when the heart is sheltered within fellowship of even just two or three, Christ is there to protect us.
DC 6:15b Where two or three are gathered together in my name, as touching one thing, behold, there will I be in the midst of them; even so am I in the midst of you.
Live you life in the fullness of God’s way and grow in fellowship with people of like mind.
This is the way of wisdom and a recipe for joy.
Fred