Monday, April 6, 2009

The Wisdom of God

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. James 3:17

Imagine being able to tap into a secret ingredient that gives you the wisdom of God-yes, the wisdom of the Creator of the universe, the Captain of the earth. What could happen if you possessed the insights of the all-powerful Being who owns all the earth's resources? What if you could tap into the Source of all success principles, the Alpha and the Omega, the One who controls the future?

What an advantage that would be! It would enable you to know the ins and outs of the market, to anticipate the actions of your competitors, to know how to handle every negotiation, how to hire, how to manage staff and contractors, how to advertise and market your products, and how to deal with any and every business problem that came across your desk!

The Bible gives us a framework of how to know the wisdom of God. Wisdom is the understanding of knowledge with the fear of the Lord. The wisdom of God is the ability to know how God would respond in every situation and respond the same way. When you have the wisdom of God, you have the mind of God.

According to James 3:17, wisdom from above has these characteristics:

- Pure
- Peaceable
- Gentle
- Willing to yield
- Full of mercy
- Good fruits
- Without partiality
- Without hypocrisy

How do you acquire this wisdom? Psalm 111:10 states that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And James 1:5 states that if anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach. When we ask, God will generously and graciously give His wisdom to us.

The wisdom of God is acquired first through cultivating a reverential fear of God in our hearts. This allows us to have a healthy respect for God and His word, which causes us to seek to know His word and walk in it. Second, the wisdom of God is acquired by request. Yes, it is that simple. All you have to do is ask. Ask Him sincerely when faced with various situations about how to address them. He will not only give you the exact action to take, but He will also show you how to take the action.

When you ask Him, rather than relying on your own strength and resources, you receive the most valuable, insightful wisdom of all-the wisdom from above. The beauty of it is that it's a gift-you cannot muster it up on your own even if you want to. Of course, this wisdom is only available to those of us who have a personal relationship with His son Jesus Christ and have committed ourselves to being led by his Spirit. Ultimately, all this is done by the Spirit of God.

So when faced with any business problem, do not lean to your own understanding. Do not just respond in the usual manner, but humbly seek the wisdom of God.

This wisdom, of course, is unlike any conventional, worldly wisdom that might come naturally to you. God's wisdom has these uniquely divine characteristics:

- God's wisdom calculates and incorporates eternal benefits. The rewards of this wisdom are not just temporal but eternal. You may not see the results you want immediately.
- God's wisdom is revealed and guided by His Word. This wisdom is scriptural and centered on glorifying Christ.
- God's wisdom is often foolishness to worldly people. This wisdom may not immediately make sense to you and to those around you.
- God's wisdom is spiritually discerned. The wisdom from above can only be understood by those who are led by the Spirit of God.

Are you employing the wisdom of God in your decision making? Tap into this wisdom, take bold action, and you will experience a powerful marketplace advantage.

Copyright © 2009 Patrice Tsague ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.