Morning Musings-Earthly vs Heavenly

  Morning Musings with the boys at breakfast...





You want earthly or heavenly wisdom?  

James 3:12-18 explains that earthly wisdom is characterized by:  bitter envy and selfish ambition in the heart; boasting; and denying truth.  James says this is unspiritual and of the devil.  A product thereof will be "disorder and every evil practice".  Not something I'd want to get into.

Heavenly wisdom, by contrast, is "pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere...there will be a harvest of righteousness" from this.

If we feel we lack the heavenly wisdom, we have free access to God who gives wisdom generously when asked.  "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him"  (James 1:5).

Earthly wisdom says, "I know it all, I can do it" and is "leaning on ones own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5).  Sometimes the people of the world are more "shrewd" when dealing with their own kind than how the "people of the light" manage (Luke 16:8).  That is shrewdness but not wisdom.  Shrewdness may often be used to help themselves according to their self interest and desires, so beware.

We learn in 1 Corinthians 1:25 that God's "foolishness" is "wiser than human wisdom".   Granted, God made the human mind and has given some folks extra dollops of wisdom but if His foolishness is still wiser than any other human wisdom, I'll take His wisdom first.  When we acknowledge God, "He'll direct our paths" (Proverbs 3:5, 6). 

This does not mean we can't go to others for advice.  God did give us good brains and He expects us to use our intelligence; the point here is to seek and acknowledge God in our life. 

 I believe the example of Nehemiah is a good one.  He had heard of the destruction of the wall in Jerusalem and was greatly disturbed to his innermost being over it. "[He] sat down and wept.  For some days [he] mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven..."  (Nehemiah 1:4).  He went on to ask God to show him favor in the presence of King Artaxerxes.  He asked God for success.  (Nehemiah 1:10, 11).  He must have had a plan of action in mind but he was asking God for approval.

We see what happens next, in Nehemiah 2:4,  "then I prayed to the God of heaven and I answered the king".  He then proceeded to detail out his plan.  God did work for him and give him favor in the eyes of the king.

Nehemiah had done his 'homework' in questioning his brother about the condition of the Jerusalem wall and later, he viewed it first hand when he went on a covert recce surveillance trip on site (Neh 1:2; 2:11, 12).  Verse 12 says he took "a few men" with him.  So he was not going solo in this at all.  Proverbs 15:22 says, "Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisors they succeed..." 

So this can be seen as a double sided coin...on the one side we must acknowledge God and gain His heavenly wisdom, and on the other side, seek counsel of earthly advisors.  Of course we should ask God for the wisdom to choose godly advisors.  Look at what Jesus did the night before He chose His twelve disciples:  "He went out on the mountain to pray and prayed all night" (Luke 6:12).  "Prayed all night"!!  Whom was He consulting?  Whom was He acknowledging in His life?

We do well to follow His example.  

There is earthly wisdom and there is heavenly wisdom...which will you choose?

                                                       ~ERC  2016~