134. GET WISDOM. 2 Chronicles 1:10

When King Solomon ascended to the throne, God said to him, (See 2 Chronicles 1:7) “Ask, what shall I give you” Imagine that! Solomon was given ‘carte blanch’ by the one whose dictionary did not contain the word ‘impossible’ But there was a catch! God was testing Solomon to find out what was really in his heart. An arrogant person would have asked for fame. A worldly person would have asked for wealth. A self-seeking person would have asked for power. What did Solomon ask God for? What would you ask God for if you were given the same option? (2 Chronicles 1:10) Solomon replied “Oh God, now give me wisdom.” So God granted Solomon’s request and gave him something more gratifying than fame, more extravagant than wealth, and more thrilling than power. As it turned out all the material blessings Solomon enjoyed were by-products of the gift of wisdom. An anonymous thinker wrote: Tell me your dreams, and I will tell you the riddle of your life.. Tell me your prayers , and I will write the history of your soul. Tell me your askings, and I will tell you your gettings. Tell me what you seek, and l will tell you what you are... I do not wish to know your possessions… only your wants. I do not care to know what you have, only your have-not and your desire to have. Not your attainments, but what you have not yet attained and follow after: That which comes to you in your victories by day and your dreams by night, the ideal you set before you, the things you approve as excellent, what you seek after, and have given your heart to. These are the measure of a man.” So pray for Wisdom. When King Solomon asked for Wisdom instead of power, fame or riches, God told him, “ You could have asked me to make you rich, famous or powerful To let you live a long time, or you could have asked for your enemies to be destroyed instead, you asked for Wisdom and Knowledge to rule my people. So I will make you wise and intelligent. But, I will make you richer and more famous than any king before or after you.” (2 Chronicles 1:11-12) Did God keep His promise? Well consider this, What would you get if you crossed Micky Mouse, an Oil magnet, the leader of a Super-power nation and Socrates? Answer, s The most famous, richest, most powerful wisest person on the planet. That’s a fitting description of King Solomon at that time. He ruled the worlds greatest Empire. His merchant ships plied the seas, bringing him back the treasures of the known world. He designed and built some of the most important buildings ever to be seen, including the Temple. He constructed reservoirs, vineyards parks and gardens. He mastered commerce, science and literature. He became a Poet Laureate, a distinguished writer and gifted musician. He learned the incredible worth of Wisdom, enjoyed all its benefits and wrote: (Proverbs 8:10-11) Let instruction and knowledge mean more to you than silver and the finest gold. Wisdom is worth much more than precious jewels or anything else you may desire.” There are thirty one chapters in the book of Proverbs, by reading one chapter a day, you will have made a start on your road to Wisdom. Wisdom is a gift from God which we are all going to need in the months and years ahead. So pray for it and become wise. Why does the Bible talk so much of Solomon’s Wisdom? I believe it’s NOT Human wisdom raised to a spiritual height, but Spiritual wisdom lowered to a human understanding. Solomon, the wisest man in the world said in (Proverbs 4;6-8) “The beginning of Wisdom is this: get Wisdom, though it cost all you have, get understanding. Cherish her, and she will exalt you.; Embrace her and she will honour you.”Along these lines, Haydon Robinson observes and I quote: ”Since 1955, knowledge has doubled every five years”. High school students today have been exposed to more information about the world than Plato, Aristotle, Spinoza and Benjamin Franklin. In terms of facts alone, neither Moses nor Paul could pass a college entrance exam today. Yet by everyone’s standards and even with all our knowledge, society today is peopled with a bumper crop of brilliant failures, men and women educated to earn a living don’t know anything about handling life itself. Alumni from noted universities have mastered information on a narrow slice of life but couldn’t make it out of first grade when it comes to living successfully with family and friends. Let’s face it. Knowledge is not enough to meet life’s problems. We need wisdom, the ability to handle life with skill. Spurgeon once said, “There is no fool so great as a knowing fool” however, to know how to use knowledge we need to have wisdom. Bottom Line. The more knowledge you’re exposed to, the more you need to pray for wisdom. Here is a time-tested and proven formula for obtaining Wisdom:-1 Acknowledge that you need it. Benjamin Franklin once said “The doorstep to the temple of knowledge is a knowledge of your own ignorance.” 2. Go to the right source. (Proverbs 2;6) says”The Lord gives wisdom” He alone, because He alone has true wisdom. Indeed, His wisdom makes ours look like foolishness. And in (1Corinthians 1-25) just think about this, if God were capable of one stupid thought, which he’s not, it would still be wiser then the wisest thought we could ever have. 3. Ask for it, God doesn’t hoard His wisdom, He is ready to give it away. Again in (Proverbs 2;3-6) Solomon says “If you call out for insight...cry aloud for understanding...look for it as for silver, and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of The Lord and find the knowledge of God. For The Lord gives wisdom, From His mouth comes knowledge and Understanding. Finally from James we read (James1:5-8) “If anyone needs Wisdom, he should ask God. And it will be given to you. God is generous and wont correct you for asking. But when you ask, you must have faith and not doubt. For anyone who doubts is like an ocean wave tossed about by a storm. If you are that kind of person, you can’t make up your mind, and you surely can’t be trusted, so don’t expect The Lord to give you anything at all.” So each day pray for Spiritual Wisdom which comes from God alone. Thank you for reading these words on getting Spiritual Wisdom. Ask and trust God for it. We truly need it in to-days world where there are so few people we can trust for the truth. God bless. Phaline.

133. GROW OLDER FULL OF GRACE. Proverbs 10:27.

Does the thought of ageing make you anxious? If so this is for you, from one who has been there, done that and picked up a few clues on the way. I was and still am reasonably healthy, and still the years keep falling away with constant regularity, producing a few more wrinkles, requiring more time to do simple chores, and more rest periods. Not being one to accept the inevitable gracefully, I decided all this needed addressing. So I decided to re-examine my value system. To me this meant talking to God about it. We all know that with Him the contents are more important than the package. And in order to make peace with our increasing wrinkles, time-costly chores and prolonged rest periods, we must first come in to agreement with God. Ultimately Da! I woke up,! and I believe God put in my heart, that “it’s not the number of days in our lives that count but the quality of life in our days that matter” I pondered this for a while and came up with the following:-- Jesus’ first miracle was turning water in to wine. Note what the Host of the wedding reception said (John 2:10) “Everyone brings out the choice wine first...but you have saved the best till now” And that can be the story of yours and my life too. We don’t have to suffer from “Gerascophobia”, the fear of ageing. Keep fighting, keep growing, keep moving forward. Read the words of Caleb “For my part, I wholeheartedly followed The Lord my God. Moses solemnly promised me, the land of Canaan on which you were just walking will be your grant of land and that of your descendents forever… Now as you can see,The Lord has kept me alive and well as He promised for all these forty-five years since Moses made this promise - even while Israel wondered in the wilderness. Today I am eighty-five years old. I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. So give me the Hill Country that The Lord promised me.” And in (Joshua 14:-13) we read “Joshua blessed Caleb… and gave Hebron to him as his portion of land “ That’s called growing older under God’s grace. Your portion of grace is there, God promised it to you, find it, claim it and use it; and forget about the wrinkles, chores etc. You are heading for a new season. He’s kept the best wine for last. GREAT. By the year2030, one in five of us will be seventy years of age or older, that’s about 20 per cent of the worlds population. Millions of us will live to be100 or more. When asked at his Birthday party how he felt about turning 80, President Dwight D Eisenhower replied, “It sure does beat the alternative.”!!! Anita Bogan died in 2007 at the ripe old age of 106. Her Obituary in the Los Angeles times read “Blessed with good health and a sound mind, Anita spent most of her old age doing what she wanted to do, with a feisty, “What’s age got-to-do-with it” attitude. In the decades following her 80th year, she created a non-profit foundation to build senior housing...Opened a flower shop...played golf daily… took cruses to celebrate her birthdays and inspired many people. On her 100th Birthday The Kern County Board declared an “Anita Bogan Day” By her attitude to life Anita changed the way people around her viewed their attitude to ageing. In (Proverbs 3:1-2) The Bible doesn’t just promise long life, it promises quality life. “My Son do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity.” And in (Proverbs 9:10-11) we read “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For through wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life.” The secret of enjoying the process of an ageing life is to build and develop a close relationship with God and live according to His principles. This is not difficult if you keep your Bible handy, it has the answer to all your questions. The tent has to go, and the Soul must appear before God, So we count old age as the blessing it is intended to be thanking God for giving us the extra time to know Him more clearly, follow Him more closely and love Him more dearly. It’s then that the anxiety of approaching senior years and yes, even death will fade. I am not saying it will be a bed of roses, and even if it is for some of us, it’s worth keeping in mind ... roses have thorns. so tread carefully, by preparing and catering for your impending losses at least some of which You will have to accept and deal with, eg. lack of:- strength, Sight, hearing, taste, smell, memory etc. But you will never loose your ability to love and be loved and the more you use and cultivate these virtues and attributes the more help will come your way. You see, there are two ways to handle this inevitable stage in life, we can get bitter, twisted and resentful, or we can handle it God’s way. Which is much more acceptable to you and those around you. It takes a bit of humility, But the end result is worth it. And people love you more for it. Thank you for reading these few words on “Ageing Gracefully” We are nearly there and the strong, loving open arms of Our God and Father are waiting for us God bless. Phaline. ------------------------------------

132. BE VERY CAREFUL. 1 Corinthians 10:12.

Life is a series of choices, and and some of these choices become battles. Battles of conscience verses freedom. “I am who I am, so why can’t I do as I please. I’m a strong Christian, I go to church most weeks, I tithe regularly, sing in the choir and even read my Bible. most days” In (1Corinthians 10:12) we read “If you think you’re standing firm be careful that you don’t fall.” What does that mean? It doesn’t mean that we can deliberately choose to do as we please, No, It means that we are often prone to think we are better than we really are; but, Scripture tells us, “no one is good, not even one.” and again Paul tells us, (Paraphrased) “The things that we are doing, are right, but they are what we should be doing anyway.” so, although doing what God requires of us, pleases Him, it does not qualify you or me for The Grace of God which has brought us into His Kingdom; in fact, It’s the other way around. It’s God’s Grace alone that has qualified us for being in His Kingdom. There is absolutely nothing that you or I have done, can do or will ever be able to do, that will qualify us for being a member of God’s Kingdom. It is by His Grace and His Grace alone that we are where we are to day with God. He chose you and me, He put His finger on us even before we were born. Now, one of the ways of staying in God’s Kingdom is that we have to be very aware of Satan’s wilds and ways, because his greatest ambition is to get us out of there. And he will use any means he can to do that. These wilds and ways usually consist not only of lies and half-truths, but of sweet temptations, which appear to be quite harmless and innocent ideas, but will compromise our value system or conscience just a little bit. and we think it’s not worth getting into a tizzy over so , we let it go. But in letting it go, you let it grow and pretty soon you have big situations on your plate that you hadn’t planned on and you certainly don’t know where they’ve come from. That’s when you find you are in a ”Battle” with Satan. which you are not sure you are strong enough to deal with. When this happens, (and it will) don’t panic, get upset or intimidated pray and ask for God’s Holy Spirit help and watch Him take over your case. You will find there are three crucial parts in every battle, and the easiest part is sometimes the fight itself. Then it is the period of indecision just before the conflict – Whether to stand and fight, or run away.- is often difficult. But by far the most dangerous period of a Battle is the aftermath. After you have reached your goals and are celebrating your victories.. With your resources spent and your guard down, you need to watch for things like overconfidence, dulled reactions and and faulty judgement. Do you remember David’s story? (2 Samuel 1-4) In the Spring of the year, at the time when Kings go out to battle…David remained at Jerusalem. Why? Who knows “Angry, Lazy or tired. (first little temptation) Then it \happened... Satan saw his opportunity and jumped right in; he caused David to see a woman bathing, then the king sent messengers and took her. Pay attention to the phrase “Then it happened.” David chose to stay home rather than go to battle Why? He hadn’t seen Bathsheba yet, but Satan knew where David should have been so he was ready to take advantage of any situation that may present itself and he was delighted to find one. Even Bathsheba didn’t know. She would have seen all the troops marching off to war and decided quite innocently to go have a bath in comparative safety. But No. somebody was in the wrong place at the wrong time. And in that short period of time David got soft, careless or arrogant. It was only a brief affair, but it changed everything, His peace vanished, his character was ruined and his family life was destroyed. Don’t fall prey to the perils of past victories. Keep in mind this H.A.L.T. sign. When you are Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired. You are in a vulnerable place and need to be extra careful. Resting on your laurels is synonymous with flirting with potential disaster. “Trouble awaits the man or woman who dwells in the land of comfort and accomplished dreams. SO take a bit of advice and keep the H.A.L.T. rule. Or as my Dad used to say “Never sign important documents at night, in fact if you can, wait 24 hours before signing and talk to God about it and give Him a chance to reply. Thank you for once again reading my thoughts on this matter. May the Spirit be your guiding light. God Bless. Phaline. ----------------------

131. LONELINESS. Psalm102:7.

Loneliness is often self inflicted, caused by people who, at the start of their oneness don’t want to share their grief or hurt with anyone for fear of being unable to express themselves adequately, or, being misunderstood if they did. Loosing someone who has been very dear to us is one of the most heart wrenching experience known to man. Husbands, wives children, siblings and friends we have loved and lived with for years are now gone – Where? Yes, we still have our faith in God, And yes, He has every right, and yes, He has His very good reasons. But “I’m Hurting.” So I’ll sit here on my own and await my turn. And When people come with their Bible readings and Christian platitudes, to help us get over our loss, we are sometimes not impressed, and want to say to them,”NO! I am not Abraham or Sarah, I don’t want to give up my loved one, not even to God.” The problem is that becomes our comfort zone, though understandable, it is not very comfortable at all. And the longer we sit there, the harder it will be to get out of. That's when loneliness starts settling in and we begin to think nobody cares. I would think divorce must be very similar, especially for the innocent party, or if it was unexpected; in such cases there would be feelings of inadequacy, unworthiness and deep hurt which would be very demoralising and difficult to cope with. I am not a councillor in these matters, but, being nearly ninety years of age I have had the experience of seeing God take both my parents, three brothers, a husband, two miscarriages a son and several very dear friends.. So, I have that first-hand experience, and can only speak from that perspective. I know everyone is different, and everyone experiences heart wrenching sorrow at these times, but, these are also times when your journey with God can (if you let it) take a giant leap forward. At first you are made aware that you can’t do anything more for Him/Her, so you have to turn to the only one who can meet their (and your own) needs as well. Almighty God is your only avenue. So let Him have the full force of your grief, yell and scream, stamp your feet, cry until your tears run out. Like Mary and Martha say “If you had been here my brother would not have died.” Why, Why, Why MY loved one. I’ve been a good Christian, I trusted you, I’ve tried so hard and you’ve let me down. Eventually, when your pillow is wet with tears and you drift into deep exhaustion and sleep comes, only to be woken by the stark reality of your current situation. And it all starts over again. This may occur for a few days but, for the Christian, I believe this is the point of submission, where you come to God on your knees, acknowledge Him for who He is and make your peace with Him. You will be very vulnerable and once again tears will flow, but the presence of God will be very real to you. Cherish these moments. Drink and consume the depth of love that God is pouring down on you; that’s the only true medication that will work. Only then will you be able to understand and accept. The WHY? That plagues your heart and mind. He really does know and care about what’s going on in our lives at these deep-hurt situations. ..And one day we will understand. There was a day in December 1998 when Wolfgang Dircks a divorced disabled loaner, was found deceased in his apartment in Bonn, Germany, – five years after he died. He was 43 and died watching television. Neighbours didn’t notice his absence. His Landlord came by after the bank account from which his rent was paid dried up. A TV schedule was still sitting on the lap of Dirck’s skeleton and was open to the page of the 5th of December of 1993. - The apparent date of his death. The TV had long since stopped in the on position, but the lights on the 1993 Christmas Tree were still glowing When God created us, God said, in (Genesis 2:18) “It is not good that man should be alone, I will make him a helper Comparable to himself.” You were created to be in relationship. You don’t have to accept Loneliness as your destiny. Instead, take look at these suggestions : 1. Find a need and meet it. Often loneliness is not the absence of people, but that of purpose. Show a genuine interest in others, Resist making your own issues and worries the topic of every conversation. In (Philippians 2:3-4) Paul tells us “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit Rather, in humility, value others before yourself, not looking to your own interests, but to the interests of others.” 2. Be generous with your time, talents and resources. Not everyone will accept what you offer, but some will, pray for guidance and keep reaching out. Remember what God says in (Isaiah 43:4) “To me you are very dear, and I love you. So what’s the best way to deal with “Loneliness” (1) Learn to be alone without feeling lonely. Jesus often left the crowed to be alone with His Father in prayer. Why? Because He knew that solitude is essential for spiritual growth, and He came back from those encounters personally enriched and better equipped to deal with the challenges of life that day. In (Genesis 32:24) we read “Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till the breaking of day.” Out of Jacob’s time alone with God came a man with a new name, a new nature, a new walk and a new future Plus, when people realise you can enjoy being alone and doing an activity alone, they are attracted by your strength independence and confidence. (2) Reject the idea that you can’t live without that certain person in your life. God is the only person you must have, and in (Hebrews 13:5 you will find that He has promised to always stay with you. Sometimes people fall into depression after the death of someone they love because they haven’t cultivated an outside life or interest. But it’s never too late to get started. And God will Help these people. Paul wrote in (2 Timothy 4:16-17) “The first time I was brought before the Judge, no one came with me, everyone abandoned me. May it not be counted against them. But The Lord stood with me and gave me strength so that I might preach the Good News in its entirety for all the Gentiles to hear.” God will go on with you and show you how to grieve your loss with Him, how to leave your loss with Him and how to go on to achieve whatever He has in mind for the next stage of your journey with Him. Thank you for reading these few suggestions on coping with loneliness. I hope they help. The biggest gain I have received from God through all the lonely times are His gifts of dependence and reliability my trust and utter reliance on God has grown tremendously, I know that regardless of the the circumstances, or where I am, or who I’m with , God is in control and wont let me down I trust His word implicitly. (Isaiah 43:4)”You are precious to me and I love you.” God Bless. Phaline. ------------------------------------