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Wisdom of Solomon 6:12-16

Wisdom is radiant and unfading
And is easily perceived by those who love her;
For she is found by those who seek her.
She comes upon those who long to know her beforehand.
He who rises early in the morning to seek her
Will not grow weary,
For he will find her sitting at his gates.
For to think deeply about her
Is the perfection of discernment,
And he who keeps watch for her
Will soon be free from worry;
Because she goes about seeking those worthy of her,
And she appears to them favorably in their paths
And meets them in every thought.

Encouraging Words

In our modern and enlightened age, we have come to a place where wisdom is a thing that we can pursue. Wisdom has become an object. In our ancient Christian faith, the early Church, Wisdom was recognized as a person, that person being Jesus Christ. As our early Church fathers read back through what we call the Old Testament writings through the lens of Jesus, they saw that all teachings about Wisdom were about Jesus, the Wisdom of God. If you read this passage again and substitute “Jesus” for the word wisdom” and “him” for “being you will see the power of this teaching and the need to pursue Jesus as the source of Wisdom and not wisdom as an object. Glory be to God!

Jesus is radiant and unfading

John 21:7

Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea.

Personal Challenge

Do I love the Lord this much? Jesus had recently been crucified by the Roman empire, He had resurrected from the dead and been seen by hundreds of people, including Peter and the rest of the apostles. I am sure that these men had many thoughts going through their heads. To process these events they went back to what they had spent their entire adult life doing, which was fishing for a living. And while they were fishing, Jesus appeared to them after a long night of unsuccessful fishing. He called to them from the distant beach and told them to lower their net one more time. This time their net was so full that they could not pull it up. This is when John recognized that this was Jesus. When Peter heard John proclaim that this was Jesus, Peter dove into the water so that he could rush back to the shore to see his beloved Lord. Do I love Him enough to drop everything and run to Him when He draws near? Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner?

Wisdom of Solomon 6:1-3

Listen therefore, O kings, and understand;
Learn, O judges of the ends of the earth.
Give ear, you that rule over multitudes,
And take pride in yourself over a multitude of nations.
For power was given to you from the Lord,
And your lordship from the Most High,
Who will make a careful search of your works
And examine closely your plans.

Personal Challenge

Once again, the teachings of the scriptures challenge the ways of the world. Our world around us teaches us that it is up to us to make our way up the ladder of success and leadership. We are to set our eyes on our goal and do whatever it takes to get there, even if it means using and abusing others along the way. But the scriptures teach differently. Sure, this passage is talking kings and judges, but it can apply to any position of leadership, whether it be executives or managers at work, or leaders in volunteer organizations, or priests, deacons, and pastors in churches, but God is the one that puts people into these roles and He expects a higher level of accountability from them for what they do in that role. Jesus highlighted this expect­ation when He said, “for everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required.” Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

John 20:29

Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Encouraging Words

Don’t we all like being blessed by someone that we love and respect? As blessed as the Apostle Thomas was, as an Apostle, as the person that established for all of us the physical and tangible proof that Jesus had indeed been resurrected from the dead, and as one who helped to spread the gospel of our Lord throughout the known world, Jesus has called use even more blessed. We have never seen Jesus in His resurrected body. We have never seen or touched His pierced side or nail-pierced hands, but we still believe that He is the risen, incarnate, Son of God. And for this, we are blessed. Glory be to God!

Wisdom of Solomon 5:15-16

But the righteous live forever,
And their reward is with the Lord;
And their care is by the Most High.
Therefore they shall receive a kingly dwelling of dignity
And a crown of beauty from the hand of the Lord,
Because He will shelter them with His right hand
And protect them with His arm.

Encouraging Words

Our desire and associated attempts to live godly and righteous lives are never wasted. Our God rewards us for living this way. Some­times the reward is in this life, but it is always going to be there for us throughout eternity… an eternal life spent with God. Knowing this makes it easier to put our worries and cares at the foot of the Most High knowing that He will take care of us and crown us with the beauty of His glory. He will protect us and care for us. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy?

John 20:25

The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”

So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

Personal Challenge

Most of my life I heard it taught that Thomas was a bad person for doubting his fellow apostles. But because of Thomas seeking proof, we have had this proof to rely on for our own belief ever since that event. I love how the notes in my study Bible put it…

The doubt of Thomas is described in the Church hymns as “blessed,” for it was not a doubt of resistance to truth, but one that desperately desired a truthful answer—a “doubt which gave birth to faith” when the answer was revealed. In hymns of the Church, Christ says to Thomas, “Your doubt will teach My Passion and Resurrection to all,” and we affirm that his doubt “brought the hearts of believers to knowledge.” The conversion of Thomas’ doubt into faith led him to the clearest confession of Christ’s divinity, addressing Jesus as my Lord and my God.

Thank you, Thomas, for laying the groundwork for so many of us who have never had the opportunity to see Jesus face to face. Glory be to God!

Wisdom of Solomon 4:7-9

But though a righteous man may die before his time,
He shall be at rest.
For old age is not honored for its length of existence,
Nor measured by its number of years;
But discernment is gray hair for mankind,
And a spotless life is the maturity of old age.

Encouraging Words

Old age is quickly becoming a very prevalent part of our culture. With the baby boomers entering into the age of retirement our society is beginning to see a tsunami of issues related to aging. I know, I am in this generation. There are many in our culture today that would prefer it if we would just step aside and let them take over. I am not ready to do that. I may not be in my prime physically, but I can still split a cord of wood with an ax (it might take me a month or so) or do an Iron Butt motorcycle ride (Google that). But I do believe that I am in the prime of my life with what I can give to my society. Forty years of experience in the business world provides wisdom and discernment that only comes from having lived through both successes and failures, hiring and layoffs, and just plain having done it before. I still have a lot to offer whether it be teaching high school students every Sunday at my church or helping out to coach college seniors on how to run a project, or leading a team on a mission trip, or riding my motorcycle from Ohio to California with my gorgeous bride as my companion. The message here is twofold. To the young ones coming behind us, don’t put us out to pasture because we are elderly, leverage what we know so that you can avoid some of the mistakes that we made and reap the benefits of some of our accomplishments. For those who are of my generation, get out of the pasture, stop resting on your laurels of retirement and give back to those who are coming behind us. Remember…old age is not honored for its length of existence, nor measured by its number of years, but discernment is gray hair for mankind, and a spotless life is the maturity of old age. Glory be to God!

John 17:20-21

I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.

Encouraging Words

In the verses before these two, Jesus prays for the apostles for He knows that they will be the foundation upon which the Church will be built from that day forward. In these verses, He prays for all future generations that will be coming into His Church. His desire, His prayer, is that we will be unified in Him and in our relationship with one another. Unfortunately, we have fractured the Church with splits and personalization, but we are still His Church and covered by His prayer so that we will be lights in this dark world. Glory be to God!

Wisdom of Solomon 4:2

When virtue is present, people imitate it, And when it goes away, they long for it. Throughout one’s lifetime, Virtue leads the struggle for undefiled prizes, Wearing a crown and conquering.

Personal Challenge

Virtues especially godly virtues are something that we should pursue with our entire being and rejoice when we find it. Virtue, as opposed to passions, draws us closer to our God and creates an atmosphere around us that people long for. Do I desire virtues or do I try to take the shortcut? Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!