Delete

I woke up this morning from a dream: I typed the word "god" and wanted to capitalize the "G".  So I deleted only the small "g" and replaced it with a capital "G".  I did this a few times, and every time the small "g" would reappear on the screen.  Frustrated, I deleted the whole word and re-typed it with a capital "G".  Finally, the word stayed as I typed it. 

In getting aligned with God we can't just change one thing, we have to change everything and start over.  So just as I was changing one letter of the word and it kept changing back, so too when we change one thing in our Lives we can keep changing back to our former selves.  We have to change everything.  We have to delete our old ways and start again with a new mindset and new habits. 

The awesome thing about starting over with God is that we get a full set of instructions on how to move forward with our new Life.  We can't lose!  Don't be afraid of the delete button. It doesn't matter if you've only written one word or many chapters in your Life Story, God will write something new, something better.

"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"  -  2 Corinthians 5:17

Go ahead.  Click "delete".

Wisdom is Wealth

I was talking just yesterday about the need for Wisdom, and was led to Proverbs 8 in my morning devotion time.  This verse stood out: "for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her." - Proverbs 8:11

Are you chasing a dream?  It could be your dream job, a dream companion, a dream home... Whatever it is, it won't work out if we don't make wise choices. Sometimes we get just want we want, only to watch it slip through our fingers.  Unwise choices will make us mess up.  It's possible to pray for the thing but never seek the ability to manage the thing we desire.  God in His Divine Wisdom often witholds from us what He knows we will mis-use.  If we're not ready, why give us what we cannot handle in the right way?  Sometimes we feel God is cruel.  But in every situation He is wise.  A child may need to learn to write, but you don't give a pencil to a 2-week-old baby. They won't know what to do with it, so you wait until they show signs that they are ready.  Often when we hear "no" God is saying "Not yet...you aren't ready."  So get ready.  Get Wisdom.

In Proberbs 8 Wisdom is portrayed as a woman speaking, saying that she was present when the world was made.  God made everything to work in harmony.  Things that seem unrelated working together to create the universe.  He had to think of every detail.  That took Wisdom.

Wisdom isn't found in books.  It is found within our spirits when we align ourselves to God's Will.  One of my pastors defines Wisdom as the practical application of God's principles to daily Life (I'm paraphrasing).  Wisdom doesn't come with gray hair and a long beard.  It's not a shimmering purple mist that sits over our heads.  It's not for "certain" people.  It's for those who ask for and seek it out.  It comes from sitting at God's feet, paying attention to the movements of His Spirit and acting on what He deposits within us.  God downloads all the directions we need for Life.  We just have to keep the connection open.

So what happens when we get this Wisdom?  I will let her tell you: "With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity." Proverbs 8:18  Did you hear that?  Those things come when we seek Wisdom.  It's a package deal!  But instead we seek the things and work ourselves into the ground to get them.  Wisdom will show us not only what is right for us but how to manage it well.

If we want more than we have now, we have to be more than we are now.  Challenge yourself today to find Wisdom and keep her close.  She will prove to be a good friend.