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Today's Little Lift
by Jim Bullington
Jude’s marvelous benediction reads: "To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen." (Jude 1.25). There is one phrase in this closing sentence of Jude’s short book which may escape our attention unless something drives us to observe it. That shall be the purpose of this 5 part miniseries, i.e. to drive us to consider the phrase, Who Alone Is Wise.
Wisdom is a valuable asset. It cannot insure that we always have only what is best, but it can go a long way toward that end. Circumstances beyond our control can still rear their ugly heads and cause us to experience that which we otherwise would not have chosen and which we would have avoided had we been the decision-maker in the matter. So, wisdom is a marvelous tool to be used to guide our feet at all times, but it is not a cure-all to remedy all man’s ills. That is what Solomon meant when he said, "I returned and saw under the sun that—The race is not to the swift, Nor the battle to the strong, Nor bread to the wise, Nor riches to men of understanding, Nor favor to men of skill; But time and chance happen to them all." (Ecclesiastes 9.11).
The realization of the circumstances just cited is actually a far more important realization than might first be thought. The realization of these facts actually shapes one’s world view and can determine where one spends eternity. Here’s why this is the case: In the final analysis, wisdom becomes an end in itself and becomes our primary hope for tomorrow, or wisdom is seen for what it is, i.e., a God-given faculty which, when kept in perspective, allows us to receive the wisdom that descends from above. In the models just proposed, wisdom either becomes our god, or wisdom points to the one true God and forces us to honor Him in all that we do.
When Jude affirmed that God alone is wise, he did not mean that there is no sense in which we may be wise; he merely noted the fact that true wisdom has but one source. We can receive wisdom for that source [God], or we can refuse that source, identify our own gods (e.g. science, experiential fact finding, human philosophies, higher education, ad infinitum), and pursue them to the neglect of the only source of true wisdom. That is what Paul meant when he spoke of the Greeks who sought after wisdom [apart from Divine wisdom] and who in turn hardened their hearts to the preaching of the Gospel [to the Greeks the preaching of Christ was but foolishness]. (see 1 Corinthians 1.22-23).
Jude’s closing remarks are intended as a note of praise but they also sound an ominous warning to those who seek the best of life without placing God at the head of the order of all things; his words should serve to warn us that our eyes must never lose sight of the fact that God is the source of all true wisdom.
How shall the young secure their hearts? The same way the old keep their hearts secure, i.e., by acknowledging God as Creator and by honoring Him in all that we do, say, or think! We secure our hearts by believing and embracing the fact that God Alone Is Wise!
Questions:
1. Define wisdom as Jude used a form of the word in his benediction.
2. Do wise men always receive the best; do they always win; are they always the richest; do they ever suffer reversals of fortune? Discuss Ecclesiastes 9.11 in this light.
3. Is there something wrong with seeking wisdom? Then why did Paul condemn the Greeks for doing it (see 1 Corinthians 1.22-23)?
4. Not in today’s message, but read James 3.17-18 to catch a glimpse of true wisdom.
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