There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan, that can succeed without the LORD. Proverbs 21: 20, NIV.
Heavenly Parent, we say “Thank You” today, because Your love toward us” is better than life!” Keep us close to Your side as we travel the road of life; speak wisdom to our hearts as we rejoice this day, in the study of Your Word. In the blessed name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
I believe the concept of a department store is based on the thought that, everything you need can be found in one place. That makes a lot of sense in the world of business, but it also makes a lot of sense, in the realm of spiritual things. Today I would like to share with you, the thought that everything you could possibly need to have “a full life,” is to be found in Jesus! Let us see how we can unpack this thought from our Scripture for today.
There is no wisdom … without the LORD. We read from the Word of God, that to, “reverence the Lord (Easton’s 1897 Bible Dictionary), is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all those who do His commandments” (Psalm 111: 10, NKJV). My eldest daughter was the first person who shared the following concept with me. I am not sure if she said that she had read about it in a book on business, or, if it was just a thought that she had received from the LORD. But the minute I heard it, it made all the sense in the world! It went something like this: “Any wise concept, in whatever field, comes not from an individual, but from God.” While writing on the topic of the Incarnation, I was blessed to find this gem by Justin Martyr, a Christian philosopher, that spoke to the same truth. It reads: “… Whatever truth there is in the writings of Plato was granted to him by the Logos of God. The same Logos who was incarnate in Jesus …” (The Story of Christianity, p. 51). What a wonderful thought! What a blessed assurance; that all the wisdom that we need to live lives of excellence, to make right decisions, or, to find a life partner, is to be found in the LORD!
There is no … insight … without the LORD. In 1 Corinthians 12, we read the following: “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, … to another discerning of spirits…” (7-9, NKJV). Discernment or insight, comes from the same God who gives wisdom. Nevertheless, some are willing to go “shopping” elsewhere, when the best of everything we need is to be found at the same place, in the same Person. For every genuine gift God provides, the Adversary goes out of his way to produce a counterfeit. Much of the literature that we are reading with the hope of becoming more insightful, or discerning, will not stand the test, when the moment of truth arrives, and we need to distinguish between what is coming from God, and what is not.
There is no … plan that can succeed without the LORD. When we talk about a plan succeeding, what we are saying, is that, that which was intended, or expected, has come to pass. We are saying that we reached the goal that we set out to accomplish. This part of our text is confirming, that in effect, it is the LORD who brings about our success. God Himself confirms this fact when He says, “I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out- plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for” (Jeremiah 29: 11, MSG). No plan of yours will ever be superior to the plan of God. He has the perfect plan, because He sees “the big picture.” In His omniscience He sees the end from the beginning. Therefore, He can counteract any traps the enemy has laid for our feet even before we encounter them. God can disarm the mines before we walk on them, because He knows where they are. He has taken every precaution! That is why He can say, and we can believe Him, that He is well able, to give us “the future we hope for!”