James 1:5-8

⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. ⁶ But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

200 Pesos

What was the minimum wage per day when you started working? Think about it!

Sometime in the 90s, when minimum wage was more or less 200 Pesos per day in the Philippines, a father gathered his family. And with very serious voice, he asked, “Who used the toilet and forgot to clean?” Everyone was silent. Nobody wanted to admit. Then he said, “Here’s 200 Pesos. I give to the person who used the toilet.” What?

If you were the one who forgot to clean the toilet after use, can you easily admit it?

Yet, his favorite son raised his hand with much expectation. To the surprise of everyone, the father gave 200 Pesos, as he promised. Can you believe that?

Not everyone could readily admit their mistakes because they expect rebuke or discipline for their mistake; but, that situation may have encouraged his family to admit mistakes and not scared of harsh rebuke or disciplinary actions.

What do you think could happen if you admit your mistakes? Does it benefit you?

And most, if not all believers, can readily admit that we normally sin against God. Most often, we ignore godly instructions; and, it has been assumed also that God would not grant our prayer requests, if we are at fault. But if we ask God for wisdom, he gives it generously without finding fault. It does not depend upon obedience or disobedience.

The Lord will grant it unconditionally, if we earnestly ask him for godly wisdom.

What is the significance of wisdom to believers so that we should ask God for it?

Previously, we learned that when our faith is tested, it produces perseverance. And, perseverance practically proves that we have grown mature spiritually.  Yet, not all believers can readily accept testing of faith, why? It says in James 1:2-4, ²Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Many believers persevere because they confidently trust that God had prepared great things for them. But still there are believers who hesitate but doubt that God had situated them exactly where he wants them to experience much of his grace; that is why James encouraged us to ask wisdom, so that we may realize and experience more of the grace of God.

1.  Ask

⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 

Wow! Can you believe it? God generously gives us wisdom if we ask him.

That’s God’s grace, right? Most often we are rebellious to him, and we should expect rebuke or admonition; but godly wisdom is free gift from our gracious God. He does not exclusively give wisdom only to those who are worthy. Everyone can ask God for wisdom and receive it. Yet, James wrote this advisory particularly for believers, why?

People who have no faith in God cannot readily understand it. They would readily ignore godly advisory. It also needs godly wisdom to understand that obedience to God would benefit the obedient. Meaning: With wisdom from God, we can obey him according to his standard of obedience that pleases him. No matter how we do it, our effort to impress the Lord will always fall short of his glorious standard without wisdom.

We need godly wisdom to live a productive lifestyle that is pleasant to the Lord.

And so, God generously gives when believers ask him for godly wisdom.

Well, what “wisdom” would God generously gives to believers who ask him?

Wisdom is the use of knowledge of diverse matters; wisdom is a skillful ability to manage a task or administer a project successfully. In the context of a particular case, when knowledge is applied productively and successfully, wisdom has developed.

Wisdom practically exhibits progress and development when performing a task. Advantageous improvement of endeavor is a practical proof of wisdom. Wisdom does not tolerate you to be contented with mediocre performance. With godly wisdom, we want to do not only right and proper way but to improve if it is still possible to improve.

Personally, what do you wish to accomplish in life? Whether it’s spiritual matter or matters essential to your lifestyle, the Lord would bless it, if you ask him for wisdom. Godly wisdom is essential and beneficial to development and progress of productive life.

            Who’s the greatest king of Israel? David was a simple shepherd before kingship. Without rigid military training, he defeated all his enemies. What was the secret of his success? He testified in Psalm 111:10, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.

King David had gained godly wisdom when he resolved to trust the Lord in all his adventures. His reverent fear of the Lord caused him to make sure that his lifestyle was guided by godly principles. God’s commands and decrees are godly principles for successful and productive lifestyle for believers who prioritize the Lord in their life.

Reverent fear of the Lord is practically manifested in our mindset and lifestyle.

As we grow mature spiritually, we find it more beneficial to trust and obey the Lord. We trust that his instructions are crucial principle to be successful in the career path we follow; and, all the more we firmly desire to live and prioritize a lifestyle pleasant to him.

LOTTO Ticket

You may have heard about giving gifts during Christmas party. But here’s a unique story. At a company Christmas party, one employee put a lottery ticket into the gift bag he gave. The recipient returned the lottery ticket to the giver. The surprised giver said, “Hey, it’s yours! I gave it intentionally; you might win the lottery!” The recipient who returned the lottery ticket is a devout Christian; she said politely, “Sorry! I don’t play lotto. You can have it back. My God has already blessed me with my needs.”

Wow! That is great and wonderful testimony of genuine believers at workplaces.

God would love it for sure! Many pastors would love to have church members who would confidently trust God with their finances. Would you agree that when the believer returned the lottery ticket, such decision testified that she truly have active faith and reverent fear of God?

Listen: If you desire a very favorable advancement or progress in your career, pray for wisdom; and so that, you will have a wonderful testimony that exhibits your faith in the Lord.

Well, it is not a secret anymore that, some individuals have become instant millionaires after they have won lotteries. Sadly, many lottery winners have lost their millions of money overtime, and suffered worse life than before they won. Why? They have no financial wisdom; they spent their money recklessly, not smartly and not discreetly either.

Have you asked why God allows others to be millionaires while others are not?

Wealth is useful, but life in its fullness is not limited to financial abundance.

Can you believe that, if you pray for godly wisdom, your life will improve?

Let’s read this: It has been narrated in Daniel 1:20-21, ²⁰In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom. ²¹And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.

Daniel and his friends were exiled in Babylon in their teenage years. Without any hint or clue of what may happen, they resolved in their hearts not to defile their bodies; and, God commended their commitment and favored them. The Lord gave them godly wisdom, so that Daniel and his friends were successful and prospered in a foreign land.

Additionally, Daniel, from his teenage years to over more than 67 years, he was a very powerful official under four kings (Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius and Cyrus).

You may or may not become powerful official like Daniel, but if you ask the Lord for wisdom, can you expect that God blesses you to be more productive than average? You’ve got to believe that you would receive it when you ask the Lord for wisdom?

2.  Believe

⁶But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 

What certainty do we have that God generously gives wisdom when we ask him?

            Listen: When James said that God generously gives wisdom to all without finding fault, he implied that godly wisdom is free gift to be given to all who ask the Lord for it. So, just as faith is free gift of God, godly wisdom is also free; we only need to ask God.

God does not random throw away godly wisdom so that anyone will just pick it up when they need it. No! Asking God for godly wisdom practically exhibits faith in him.

We need to have unshakable faith; we need to ask God to increase our faith. So, when we ask for wisdom, we’ve got to ask God for increase of faith also so that, we won’t doubt about the generosity of God. We’ve got to make sure that our faith in God is not easily blown and tossed by wind of changes and chances.

Godly faith and godly wisdom are inseparable. Godly wisdom helps us to be firm in making decision, and faith helps us not to be hesitant in our obedience to him. Why?

By faith, we believe that God has designed the best lifestyle for us personally, and with godly wisdom, we confidently follow the right path prepared by the Lord for us.

It says in Ephesians 1:17, ¹⁷The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

The Lord has prepared a wonderful life we can experience ever. Can you believe that! It’s sad reality that, not everyone can comprehend it; it’s not very easy to believe!

Nevertheless, the Spirit of wisdom and revelation can help us know his wonderful plan better, so that we may follow him. Can you accept that the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ is the Spirit of wisdom and revelation? He reveals great things and empowers us to firmly decide; and with godly wisdom, we confidently obey the Lord to be blessed.

Here is another practical proof to know that if we have active faith in Jesus Christ, and how we may know and realize that the Holy Spirit of Christ reigns in our heart.

Can you accept that things pleasant to God are also things that will benefit us?

If you can easily accept that without hesitation, the Spirit of Christ enables you, by faith. The Lord had instructed the people of Israel in Leviticus 26:3-5, ³If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, ⁴ I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit. ⁵ Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land.

Farming and agriculture are livelihoods, source of income. Blessing of livelihood is a result of obedience to the Lord. By faith, we believe that obedience to godly principles would benefit obedient believers; and with the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, we can skillfully apply godly principles to particular tasks, careers or livelihoods we venture into.

Spirit of God

Have you received the Spirit of Christ in life? Do you have the Holy Spirit of God?

When the Holy Spirit of God, the Spirit of wisdom and revelation prevails in our life, even difficult situations are instrumental to the accomplishment of the wonderful plan of the Lord in our life. Can you believe that without any doubt?

You have heard about Joseph son of Jacob. Joseph was sold as slave in Egypt. He was also imprisoned for false accusation. Slavery and imprisonment are considered as horrible life experiences. But after many years of horrible life experience, Joseph was appointed as Prime Minister of Egypt. Did you know that Pharaoh King of Egypt saw in him the work of the Spirit of God? It narrates in Genesis 40:38-40, ³⁸So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?” ³⁹Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. ⁴⁰You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”

Someone had advised that if you read the Book of Genesis more than twenty times, your faith in God will certainly grow stronger. Somebody tried and read the Book of Genesis more than 20X and prove that her faith in God had grown stronger. Try it!

If you are praying for increase of faith, help yourself and read Genesis 20X!

By faith, we desire reading God’s word. The Spirit of wisdom and revelation helps us discover godly principles that would benefit us to confidently trust and obey him.

It declares in 1 Corinthians 1:24, But to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

When we accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the Lord sent his Holy Spirit into our heart, and we also received wisdom of God. Can you believe that? But because of our sinful tendency, we often disobey the Lord. What happen when we ignore him? We also ignore the Spirit of wisdom; and, we slow down in our spiritual growth; and then, doubt manipulates us, so that we don’t expect to receive anything from God.

3.  Receive

⁷That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

To help us understand more about what the Lord may tell, let’s pause for a little while and earnestly ask God to give us wisdom. You may silently pray, “Lord, I don’t understand everything, but please, give me godly wisdom I need to decide firmly and resiliently and confidently follow the path that you have prepared for my betterment.”

When James advised that when asking God for wisdom, we must believe and not doubt; yet, oftentimes after praying, and we still sense some doubt in our minds, right?

Doubt reveals that we have not received God’s answers to our prayers, just yet.

So, when doubt lingers in your mind, pray for increase of faith and empowerment of the Holy Spirit; and, keep praying continually, until you sense joy and peace from God. Joy and peace are assurance from the Lord that he answered your prayers; and, you also firmly desire to follow the path that the Lord had prepared for you, with resiliency and with confidence, no matter what obstacle may arise along the way.

Moses Doubted

Did you know that great leaders in the Bible have their share of doubts? Moses was considered as the greatest leader of Israel; but, when the Lord told him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, he hesitated. He doubted his ability to lead or communicate.

It says in Exodus 4:10-13, ¹⁰ Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” ¹¹ The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? ¹² Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” ¹³ But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”

Moses had his share of hesitation; deficiency and imperfection were his reasons. And, when he obeyed the Lord, Moses became the greatest leader of Israel eventually.

Will the Lord accomplish similar greatness in your life if you obey him faithfully? Of course, he will! So, start obeying the Lord; and, you will discover that he is faithful.

The Lord may have called you to be a ministry leader, a missionary or pastor.

Pray and tell God all things that cause you to be hesitant and doubt.

Pray for increase of faith, godly wisdom and empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

For one whole year, regularly pray for increase of faith, wisdom from God, and empowerment of the Holy Spirit of Christ and observe what happens.

You would certainly realize your dream for the best lifestyle you wished to have, when you follow the path that the Lord had prepared specifically for your betterment.

It admonishes us in Philippians 4:6-9, ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

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