“Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.” (Psalm 107:43 NLT)
Making decisions without consideration of past events and experiences is almost like crossing a busy highway without first looking both ways for approaching traffic, it’s a recipe for disaster.
One of the clearest examples of a need for wise counsel is couples who came to me asking me to marry them, but when I let them know that I required minimally six sessions with them before I would marry them, they responded with the proverbial “deer in the headlight” look, then said: “Oh, we don’t need that, we’ve been married before!” And while I never did this, my temptation was to scream: “AND YOU FAILED! IF ANYONE NEEDS COUNSELING IT’S YOU!”
Yet, it’s our temptation to think exactly in the same vein about many other decisions we make without giving thought to our past mistakes and failures. Wisdom isn’t given by a magic wand or by drinking a magic potion, it’s learned at the school of “hard knocks,” and maintained by continually seeking the Lord’s wisdom at every opportunity.
An unknown author wrote: “Jesus is the way; He knows where to go; He is the truth; He knows what to say; He is the life; He knows who He is—the One who gives us life both abundant and eternal.” The Lord is wise partly because He’s all-knowing. Regardless of which road we take, in terms of our decisions, He sees the outcome. We can’t see the outcome, so, doesn’t it just make good sense to ask the One who does?
But knowledge alone doesn’t make God or anyone else “wise.” It must be flavored with love and mercy. Rick Warren wrote: “The Bible says wisdom ‘is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds’ (James 3:17 NLT). In other words—even when people mess up, sin, fumble, and fail—it’s wise to show grace.
God is both the wisest and most merciful being in the universe. Everything you have in life—even your next breath—is a gift from him. If we got what we deserved, we wouldn’t be alive. Yet God gives us exactly what we need, not what we deserve. He’s full of mercy.”
Wisdom, especially as it relates to our relationships, demands grace, kindness, understanding and hindsight. Why? Because if we’re not careful we’ll tend to treat others, especially if we’ve been treated badly, like we’ve been treated. It’s almost as if we’re trying to get back at the person(s) who mistreated us, by being unkind to someone else, but that’s never how God treats us.
I’m reminded of the woman “caught in the act of adultery” in John 8. There’s no indication that she said a word in her defense, she had none. My sense is she was still, quietly waiting, perhaps inwardly desiring, for it to be over – the shame, the sense of worthlessness, guilt, being treated like a piece of dirt rather than a human being – but the rocks never came.
Finally, she looks up to see the most beautiful face she’d ever seen and to hear the kindest words she’d ever heard: “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” Then the clincher: “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” Wisdom liberates, forgives, and invites us to be what we never believed we could be. Wisdom allows us to do for others what Jesus has done and continues to do for us – loving, forgiving, releasing, calling, equipping.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed :😊
Walking With Jesus 