For the LORD gives wisdom. From his mouth come knowledge and understanding...wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy. Wise choices will watch over you. Proverbs 2:6, 10-11
Choices. We make them every day. Good choices, bad choices, and choices we're not sure about. What is right? What is wrong? What is good? What is better? Choices are not always easy to make, and different people may give you different advice. What you think is right may turn out to be wrong, or others might say you made a mistake, but did you really, or is that just their opinion? It's not always easy to know the difference, and making the right choices often takes wisdom. The good news is, God will give us wisdom and help us to do what is best.
Let's take a look at a time when Jesus had to use wisdom when it came to following Jewish Law versus doing what was best. It was the Sabbath Day and Jesus went to the synagogue (Jewish place of worship) to teach. Afterwards Jesus went to Simon Peter's home and Peter's mother-in-law was sick with a fever. "Please heal her," everyone begged. Standing at her bedside, he rebuked the fever, and it left her. And she got up at once and prepared a meal for them. (Luke 4:38-39)
This is a good thing, right? Well, yes, except it was the Sabbath, and Jewish Law said that no work was supposed to be done on that day of the week. According to some, that included healing people.
As the sun went down that evening, people throughout the village brought sick family members to Jesus. No matter what their diseases were, the touch of his hand healed every one. (Luke 4:40)
Here we see that most people waited until the Sabbath was over (after sunset) to come to Jesus for healing. Undoubtedly they feared asking sooner would have been wrong, but Jesus wouldn't have thought so, and He also violated another law by "touching" those who were sick. This would have made Him "unclean", but He did it anyway.
Jesus could have told Peter's mother-in-law she had to wait until sundown for healing, but He didn't. Why? Because her need for quick healing was greater than a law designed to meet a person's need for rest. She didn't need a day of rest, she needed healing, and Jesus met her need.
On another occasion when Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath and others pointed fingers of judgement at Him, Jesus said, "If you had a sheep that fell into a well on the Sabbath, wouldn't you work to pull it out? Of course you would. And how much more valuable is a person than a sheep? Yes, the Law permits a person to do good on the Sabbath." (Matt. 12:11-12) And another time He said, "The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people--not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath." (Mark 2:27)
Jesus was a bit of a rebel, wasn't He? And for good reason. People were being controlled by the laws rather than benefitting from them: that changed God's original intentions. He gave the Law to Moses as a means of guiding His People to live in the best ways, but later others turned these "good rules" into burdens that restricted people's freedom and went against the laws of common sense. God's laws were never meant to replace wisdom. They were meant to teach wisdom. They were meant to be a guide for good living, not a strict rule-book.
The Ten Commandments make good sense and provide benefits for those who follow them. Along with telling us to keep the Sabbath as a special day of rest, they also teach us to follow and trust God alone, not to put our faith in "other gods". They can't help us, but God is on our side.
God also said to "Honor your father and your mother", and other commands keep us safe, and keep us from hurting others (Exodus 20:12-17). Just imagine what the world would be like if everybody followed them: no one would kill, steal, lie, or be envious of others. How many crimes would be non-existent? How many people would be so much happier if we all learned to be content with what we have instead of always wanting more?
But sometimes the things we are taught to do become more of a duty, obligation, or a way of making us look good. We don't follow God's instructions because we know they make good sense, we obey because we're afraid of what God might do to us if we don't, or because we want to earn His favor, or we want others to see how "good" we are. We aren't concerned with our own needs or the needs of others, we just want to feel good about ourselves. We aren't interested in "loving our neighbor", as Jesus said to do, we just want to be "better" than our neighbor.
Jesus said the greatest commandment is to listen to God and love Him (Mark 12:28-30). He didn't say this for His benefit--as if He needs my love and devotion. He said it for my benefit, because He knows I need to listen and love His ways so I can have the Abundant Life. And it's not only about what I do, but what I believe. Am I obeying God because I believe He wants the best for me, or because I'm afraid of Him? Am I listening because I know He always tells me the truth and guides me in the best way, or because others tell me I should? Do I love Him because I know He is worth loving and He loves me unconditionally, or do I try really hard to love Him because I know I'm supposed to?
What choices are you facing? Daily choices about how you see others and treat them, rules to break or follow, to listen to your parents or ignore their guidance, to complain or be thankful, to be content or wishing you had_____, to listen to God and trust Him, to seek Him because you want to know Him better, to share His kindness, forgiveness, and love.
All of these choices hinge on one truth: God's love for you. When you believe in His unconditional love, all of the above choices become so much simpler. You don't have to debate with yourself or work up the goodness to do the right thing. What you need to do becomes clear and joyful. And if someone dares to accuse you of being foolish or wrong, you can smile and know that God is on your side.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and he will show you the path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6
Choices. We make them every day. Good choices, bad choices, and choices we're not sure about. What is right? What is wrong? What is good? What is better? Choices are not always easy to make, and different people may give you different advice. What you think is right may turn out to be wrong, or others might say you made a mistake, but did you really, or is that just their opinion? It's not always easy to know the difference, and making the right choices often takes wisdom. The good news is, God will give us wisdom and help us to do what is best.Let's take a look at a time when Jesus had to use wisdom when it came to following Jewish Law versus doing what was best. It was the Sabbath Day and Jesus went to the synagogue (Jewish place of worship) to teach. Afterwards Jesus went to Simon Peter's home and Peter's mother-in-law was sick with a fever. "Please heal her," everyone begged. Standing at her bedside, he rebuked the fever, and it left her. And she got up at once and prepared a meal for them. (Luke 4:38-39)
This is a good thing, right? Well, yes, except it was the Sabbath, and Jewish Law said that no work was supposed to be done on that day of the week. According to some, that included healing people.
Here we see that most people waited until the Sabbath was over (after sunset) to come to Jesus for healing. Undoubtedly they feared asking sooner would have been wrong, but Jesus wouldn't have thought so, and He also violated another law by "touching" those who were sick. This would have made Him "unclean", but He did it anyway.
Jesus could have told Peter's mother-in-law she had to wait until sundown for healing, but He didn't. Why? Because her need for quick healing was greater than a law designed to meet a person's need for rest. She didn't need a day of rest, she needed healing, and Jesus met her need.
On another occasion when Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath and others pointed fingers of judgement at Him, Jesus said, "If you had a sheep that fell into a well on the Sabbath, wouldn't you work to pull it out? Of course you would. And how much more valuable is a person than a sheep? Yes, the Law permits a person to do good on the Sabbath." (Matt. 12:11-12) And another time He said, "The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people--not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath." (Mark 2:27)
Jesus was a bit of a rebel, wasn't He? And for good reason. People were being controlled by the laws rather than benefitting from them: that changed God's original intentions. He gave the Law to Moses as a means of guiding His People to live in the best ways, but later others turned these "good rules" into burdens that restricted people's freedom and went against the laws of common sense. God's laws were never meant to replace wisdom. They were meant to teach wisdom. They were meant to be a guide for good living, not a strict rule-book.
The Ten Commandments make good sense and provide benefits for those who follow them. Along with telling us to keep the Sabbath as a special day of rest, they also teach us to follow and trust God alone, not to put our faith in "other gods". They can't help us, but God is on our side.God also said to "Honor your father and your mother", and other commands keep us safe, and keep us from hurting others (Exodus 20:12-17). Just imagine what the world would be like if everybody followed them: no one would kill, steal, lie, or be envious of others. How many crimes would be non-existent? How many people would be so much happier if we all learned to be content with what we have instead of always wanting more?
But sometimes the things we are taught to do become more of a duty, obligation, or a way of making us look good. We don't follow God's instructions because we know they make good sense, we obey because we're afraid of what God might do to us if we don't, or because we want to earn His favor, or we want others to see how "good" we are. We aren't concerned with our own needs or the needs of others, we just want to feel good about ourselves. We aren't interested in "loving our neighbor", as Jesus said to do, we just want to be "better" than our neighbor.
Jesus said the greatest commandment is to listen to God and love Him (Mark 12:28-30). He didn't say this for His benefit--as if He needs my love and devotion. He said it for my benefit, because He knows I need to listen and love His ways so I can have the Abundant Life. And it's not only about what I do, but what I believe. Am I obeying God because I believe He wants the best for me, or because I'm afraid of Him? Am I listening because I know He always tells me the truth and guides me in the best way, or because others tell me I should? Do I love Him because I know He is worth loving and He loves me unconditionally, or do I try really hard to love Him because I know I'm supposed to?
What choices are you facing? Daily choices about how you see others and treat them, rules to break or follow, to listen to your parents or ignore their guidance, to complain or be thankful, to be content or wishing you had_____, to listen to God and trust Him, to seek Him because you want to know Him better, to share His kindness, forgiveness, and love.All of these choices hinge on one truth: God's love for you. When you believe in His unconditional love, all of the above choices become so much simpler. You don't have to debate with yourself or work up the goodness to do the right thing. What you need to do becomes clear and joyful. And if someone dares to accuse you of being foolish or wrong, you can smile and know that God is on your side.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Photos ©2014 by Cindy Rae Riggs. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Decalogue parchment by Jekuthiel Sofer 1768. Public Domain
Photos ©2014 by Cindy Rae Riggs. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Decalogue parchment by Jekuthiel Sofer 1768. Public Domain
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