Wisdom In 2009

"Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?" - 1 Cor. 1:20

Imagine that all of your credit cards are carrying debt up to your total credit limit, your house payments are beyond your ability to make and you could lose your car because your payments are too high. You get called into court to explain what you plan to do to get our of this extreme debt you owe, and you answer with something like this:

"This terrible financial crisis I find myself in has only one possible solution: I am going to start spending like never before. It really is the only wise thing to do. Previously, I spent money on frivolous things, and that has to stop. I can't keep the failed practices of my past going any longer. Now, I am going to spend on important things. And I'm not just talking thousands, either. I am going to spend a cool million dollars. That is the only way I can see to get through this trying time. I know that this means that I will never pay off this debt in my lifetime, but my kids will just have to understand that I only did what I had to do to get through this moment."

Welcome to the wisdom of man. Our government is taking this exact approach to "stimulate" our economy. Finding no projects to cut in the national budget, we are adding new projects that will put us trillions of dollars in debt.

Remember when we found out the military was paying $400 for a hammer; all of those crazy amounts that were being paid for toilets and common items you and I could get for a few dollars? Well, US residents, you are now paying $2 trillion (that is $2,000,000,000,000!) for a band-aid!

I pose this question from scripture, again:

"Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?" - 1 Cor. 1:20

And you thought the Bible was irrelevant...

Thankful for the Church

In almost every Epistle of the Apostle Paul, he starts with words of thanksgiving for the church:

1CO 1:4 I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.

EPH 1:15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.

PHP 1:3 I thank my God every time I remember you.

PHM 1:4 I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers,

COL 1:3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints--

1TH 1:2 We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers.

2TI 1:3 I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.

Why, then, is there such a major shift in the body of Christ to be harsh with, disgusted with and disappointed with the church? What has happened to the "love for all the saints" mentioned in Ephesians and Colossians (Above)?

Love for all the saints...does this even register with the American Church?

Jesus said the world would know we are His disciples by our love for one another (John 13:35). Paul told the church in Corinth that even if they possess spiritual gifts in powerful measure, without love, they are nothing (1 Cor. 13:1-3). The second greatest commandment is to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. The new trend is for "believers" to attempt to love the needy people in the world while harboring contempt for the church.

You cannot love God while hating your brother:

1JN 4:19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

To the "Revolutionaries" out there: Get back to church!