Who will you call on?
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” ESV James 1:5-6
A popular movie several years back popularized the phrase “Who you gonna call?” And as trivial as this example may seem, it exemplifies the point I wish to impart today. When you lack skill and expertise in a certain area, it pays to call on someone who possesses skill in that area.
How many times have you started a project at home and gotten in over your head? I can’t count the times that I’ve given up on plumbing projects and finally called in a professional plumber; ditto for electrical projects. Come to think of it, I’d be better off calling the pros on most of my home projects. The point is that I end up calling on people who I know are skilled in areas where I am not.
Here’s another example. I’ve got a friend who’s in the tree trimming business. He knows his craft well and if I could bear to watch, I know I’d be fascinated at the way those trees come down just where he wants them to fall. His method is of course opposed to my much more dramatic method, which is to get my saw permanently wedged into an almost finished cut and wait for the wind to fell the tree wherever it wishes. When it comes to tree trimming, it pays to go with the pro.
Our passage today doesn’t deal with plumbing, electricity or tree trimming, but wisdom. The passage begins with a somewhat rhetorical question “If any of you lacks wisdom…” I say this is somewhat rhetorical because everyone lacks wisdom when they compare themselves to the all-knowing God of the bible. We all absolutely lack wisdom!
But here’s what’s most striking about the passage. The all-knowing God of the bible stands ready to impart wisdom in generous portions to all who will ask in faith. What exactly does that mean? Well, positively, it means that when I recognize and acknowledge God for who he is, the unfathomable Creator of heaven and earth, and call upon him in that spirit of humility, that he will give me wisdom to bring to bear on whatever I’m facing. Negatively, it means that if I waver between handling things by my own strength and wisdom or the world’s wisdom versus turning it over to God, then I need not expect any generous portions of wisdom from God. Instead, I should expect to be tossed wherever the winds of this world would have me.
Life is too short to be about tossed like waves on a windy ocean. Call on God, if faith, for wisdom in whatever you face today. God bless.
A popular movie several years back popularized the phrase “Who you gonna call?” And as trivial as this example may seem, it exemplifies the point I wish to impart today. When you lack skill and expertise in a certain area, it pays to call on someone who possesses skill in that area.
How many times have you started a project at home and gotten in over your head? I can’t count the times that I’ve given up on plumbing projects and finally called in a professional plumber; ditto for electrical projects. Come to think of it, I’d be better off calling the pros on most of my home projects. The point is that I end up calling on people who I know are skilled in areas where I am not.
Here’s another example. I’ve got a friend who’s in the tree trimming business. He knows his craft well and if I could bear to watch, I know I’d be fascinated at the way those trees come down just where he wants them to fall. His method is of course opposed to my much more dramatic method, which is to get my saw permanently wedged into an almost finished cut and wait for the wind to fell the tree wherever it wishes. When it comes to tree trimming, it pays to go with the pro.
Our passage today doesn’t deal with plumbing, electricity or tree trimming, but wisdom. The passage begins with a somewhat rhetorical question “If any of you lacks wisdom…” I say this is somewhat rhetorical because everyone lacks wisdom when they compare themselves to the all-knowing God of the bible. We all absolutely lack wisdom!
But here’s what’s most striking about the passage. The all-knowing God of the bible stands ready to impart wisdom in generous portions to all who will ask in faith. What exactly does that mean? Well, positively, it means that when I recognize and acknowledge God for who he is, the unfathomable Creator of heaven and earth, and call upon him in that spirit of humility, that he will give me wisdom to bring to bear on whatever I’m facing. Negatively, it means that if I waver between handling things by my own strength and wisdom or the world’s wisdom versus turning it over to God, then I need not expect any generous portions of wisdom from God. Instead, I should expect to be tossed wherever the winds of this world would have me.
Life is too short to be about tossed like waves on a windy ocean. Call on God, if faith, for wisdom in whatever you face today. God bless.
posted by TBC at
1/07/2009 09:20:00 PM
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