Title: God's Audit
Bible Book: James 1 : 5
Author: Frank Page
Subject: Wisdom
Objective:
Introduction
Some weeks ago, I had a meeting with our Business Administrator. During that meeting, he shared with me a copy of our most recent financial audit. As you might imagine, our audit shows a very strong financial position, is highly complimentary of our system of checks and balances, and gave an overall wonderful clean bill of health for our financial practices and processes. Some people in our church are extremely focused on how financially healthy our church is. Today, you can again rest assured that the church is being run efficiently, honestly, and carefully. That ought to make all of us feel very good.
Just imagine with me for a moment. Imagine that there were an audit that could be done on our lives. What would the auditor report as he or she looked into every area of our lives? What would the audit reveal about our family, our relationships, our work ethic, our parent/child relationships, our spiritual walk?
The truth is there is an auditor and He audits our lives everyday. The Holy Spirit of God consistently and sometimes painfully speaks to us, revealing and confronting.
In regards to wisdom, would God's audit show us to be wise in how we are living, relating, and connecting to God? The Hebrew concept of wisdom is immensely practical. To the Greek, wisdom is to know. They consider the accumulation of factual data a worthy end in itself. However, the Hebrews saw wisdom as important not in the knowing but in the doing. Are we showing wisdom in what we are doing as well as what we are knowing? When God appeared to Solomon as a new king and said, "Because you have a lot of responsibility on your shoulders, I am going to give you any one thing you ask for." This son of David could have wished for anything such as long life, wealth, prosperity, etc. However, he knew it wasn't going to be enough just to have something. He knew that it would not be enough just to know something. He needed to know how to do something, specifically lead the great nation of Israel. He asked God for a heart of wisdom.
We are going to be studying this important issue. We are going to focus upon specific ways in which we can seek and apply the wisdom of God.
I. We Must Recognize The Need And Seek It
First of all, We Must Recognize The Need And Seek It. Some people are extremely devoted to such sameness and routine that they may well have come to a place in their life where they are in such a rut that they can not see the need to get out. Some people have come to this point and found themselves absolutely content with no growth, no change, and no passion for deepening their walk with Christ. Do you have a holy hunger for a deepening walk with God? Have you sensed that there is a far more fulfilling life in Christ that may have alluded?
What does the Bible say? James 1:5 says, "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." The first thing that you must do is recognize the need and seek wisdom in your life. This ought to be the quest of our souls. It ought to consume us in our daily lives. We ought to seek the wisdom of God at every decision, at work, at school, home, and in our personal walk with the Lord.
Are we seekers of wisdom? Is it a part of our daily prayer request unto the Lord? That same chapter in James goes on to say, "But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea blown and tossed by the wind." Do you believe that God will help you in your quest for wisdom?
II. We Must Know Where It Is Found
Colossians 2:2-3 says, "My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Isn't that an exciting passage? It tells us that the deep mysteries of God are found in Christ. Studying His life, following His example, applying His wisdom is the way for us to experience wisdom in our own settings. We need to know where wisdom is found. People in our world will point you in thousands of different directions. They will show you that wisdom is found in other philosophies or thought systems. People wish to sell you books on the secrets that they have found in living and relationships. Millions of dollars have been made on the internet as people sell their systems and products.
Simply put, the Bible is clear that in Christ all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge can be found.
III. See How It Is Unleashed
This is extremely important. Look at Psalm 111:10. The Bible says that, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: all who follow His precepts have good understanding." Do you see how important this is? The way to begin the unleashing of wisdom in your life is by fear of God. Many people in our world today are frightened by even the thought expressed in this verse. To fear God may make some people want to pull away from Him.
Do not let this frighten you. The Bible is clear in that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. To fear the Lord means to submit to His rule and to follow His precepts. To fear Him means to take Him seriously. Some have translated this reverential awe.
In other words, if you want to live a wise life, you must take God seriously. You must take a passion for Christ seriously. Cultural Christianity may have taught you that coming to church, dressing up, and paying your dues to God is all He asks. Please know that this is a lie from the pits of hell. God wants you to live a wise life. This will be done as you take Him seriously and fear Him with a kind of reverence that draws you to him.
If an audit were to reveal where we are in our lives, what would it say today? We need to recognize the need for wisdom and seek it. We need to know where it is found. We need to see how it is unleashed.
