Intellect or Wisdom?

September 5

A rich man may be wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has

discernment sees through him.

Proverbs 28:11

J.D. Artweller had amassed a fortune. His holdings included three of the high-

rise structures visible along Chicago’s skyline, one of which housed the eighty-

second floor, corner office he was sitting in. He held partnership in two banks

and owned the local ALS team. Nobody really knew the true extent to which

he was involved.

“Martha!” Artweller hollered at his receptionist. “Is Flanerty here

yet?” … ”Time is money,” he grumbled to himself.

“Yes, Mr. Artweller,” Martha answered.

“Then send him in!” came his clipped command.

She smiled across her desk at J.D.’s 2:30 appointment, hoping to alleviate

any tension her boss’s crassness might be causing.

J.D. didn’t seem to care about people other than what they could do to

increase his holdings. Embarrassed for the man, she said apologetically, “You

may go in now, Mr. Flanerty.”

She needn’t have been worried. John Flanerty wasn’t fazed by Artweller’s

demeanor. He’d had dealings with J.D. in the past. He knew him to be a very

lonely man beneath the rough-barked exterior, and had determined when he’d

first met J.D. to show him unconditional kindness by treating him in such a

way that it would be in keeping with the nature of Jesus. Perhaps those seeds

would sprout and choke out the bitterness entangling his heart.

h

For reasons unknown to most of us, there are people who have been wounded

so deeply that they have turned to the god of wealth for their validation. They

hold the misconception that accumulated riches equates to great wisdom. But

there is a distinct difference between great wisdom and intellectual and finan-

cial cunning. And those who are discerning know the difference, they see right

through the J.D.s of the world.

Matthew 6:24 says, “You cannot serve both God and money.” This world

and everything in it is God’s. When we greedily hoard stuff or money we set

our hearts against God. To be rich and wise in our own eyes is to be lost. Not

just in thought or position, but in spirit. There are no riches worth such cost.

Prayer

“Help me to not be possessive of what You’ve given me,

Lord. Guide my heart to distribute Your wealth where

it will do the most good. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Once Upon a Time

September 4

O Lord, open his eyes so he may see.

2 Kings 6:17

“Tell me a bedtime story, Daddy!” squealed Jennifer Rose.

“Okay, but just a short one,” Dale said as he lay his daughter in her bed.

“Let’s see,” he began. “There once was a little girl who had a great big guard-

ian angel. One day, as the little girl walked along a path beside a swift-flowing

creek, she slipped in the mud, falling headlong into the water. Now, the water

was deep and the undertow was strong! The little girl screamed ‘Help! Help!’

as she struggled against the current. She stroked with all her might, pulling

herself closer and closer to the edge of the creek.

Unseen by the little girl, her guardian angel gently pushed her with his

huge hand, nudging her toward safety until finally she reached the bank.

Well, that little girl clawed her way onto dry ground; thankful God had

heard her cry. She raced home and told her mother about her harrowing

experience!

Relieved that her daughter was safe, the mother scolded her for running

off on her own. She warned the little girl to never go near the creek alone!

The little girl said, ‘I’m sorry, Mommy,’ then added, ‘But I’m never alone.

My guardian angel is always with me! He’s the one who saved me!’

Her mother answered, ‘That’s nice, honey. Now go get changed.’ And the

little girl lived happily ever after.

Okay, end of story, time to go to sleep.” He kissed Jennifer on the forehead

and turned out the light.

h

Most bedtime stories are make-believe and fictional, the equivalent of a fairy

tale. But what about today’s story? Do we believe, like the little girl, that angels

are watching over us in the heavenly realm? Are there otherworldly warriors

fending off the enemy as we journey through life? Do we believe, as the Bible

declares, that the air around us is filled with a raging battle?

Or do we, like the world, believe that it’s just a good story in an outdated

book?

We either believe it or we don’t. There is no middle ground. So what do we

believe? Truth or fairy tale?

Prayer

“Reveal the truth to those who doubt in the heavenly realm,

Lord. Like Elisha’s servant, open their eyes. Amen.”

 Deep- Seeded Desires

September 3

Each one is tempted, when by his own evil desire, he is dragged away

and enticed.

James 1:14

Taylor was beautiful. Gary had tried—unsuccessfully—to land a date with her

for almost two years. So when she stopped by his office on Tuesday and said

with a smile, “I’m free Friday night if you don’t have any plans,” Gary imme-

diately secured the date. The problem was he actually did have plans. And his

plan’s name was Wendy. Gary and Wendy had been dating for about a month.

Gary, realizing his dilemma, called Wendy and told her something had

come up, and he wouldn’t be able to keep their date on Friday. Wendy had

assured him it was okay and that she would take a rain check.

All day Friday, Gary played out his perfect scenario of how the evening

would go: a quiet dinner over on the east side at Carrillo’s, a ride in a Hand-

some Cab through the Old Town, followed by a romantic walk down by the

pier. He couldn’t believe his luck; he had finally gotten a date with Taylor!

They arrived at Carrillo’s around 7:00. Upon entering the restaurant, Gary

walked straight into his worst nightmare. There stood Wendy and her father,

waiting to be seated. When their eyes met, Wendy’s smile disappeared and

was replaced by a look of horror and humiliation. Suddenly, Gary realized in

his desire to date Taylor he had made a self-centered decision. His regret was

profound, immediate, and too late.

h

Our value systems become compromised when we cloak selfish, indulgent

behavior in lies and choose to give in to deep-seeded desires that are morally

or ethically wrong. When temptation rears its ugly head, we must look for a

way of escape instead of allowing the thought room to breed and grow.

Temptation in itself is not sin. But, as James describes, we get carried away

when we don’t immediately reject its offer. When we entertain the tempta-

tion, we are taking steps to consummate the agreement brought by the enemy.

Instead, we should be running in the opposite direction. Remember, no temp-

tation has taken us that we cannot overcome if we choose (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Prayer

“Lord, help me live a righteous life. Cause me to

be aware of the danger in entertaining evil desires,

even momentarily. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Proven Character

September 2

We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering

produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Romans 5:3, 4

Cody was a C- and D student in his freshman and sophomore years of high

school. The university he was applying to required a 2.8 GPA for enrollment.

His cumulative 2.4 wasn’t going to get him in. But someone had watched Cody

change over the past two years, and he believed in him. He wrote a letter to the

dean of admissions, enlightening him with regard to Cody’s accomplishments

and his 3.24 GPA in his final two years of school. 

He asked that the university take into consideration this change of behavior when 

determining whether this young man should be given an opportunity to prove himself 

at their institution.

To their credit, they allowed Cody to enroll at their branch campus, promising that 

a 2.8 GPA in his first year of studies would make him eligible for transfer to the main 

campus the following semester. 

To his credit, Cody carried a 3.1 GPA that first year and was allowed to transfer. He graduated with a 3.45 GPA, a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and a minor in criminal law.

h

Cody is reminiscent of those who for one reason or another have applied

themselves in their latter years. Sadly, many who make these positive changes

are never reaffirmed.

But unlike our peers, God doesn’t see us as unfit because we made poor

choices in our early years. He is pleased that the changes take place. Cody was

fortunate that someone saw the change taking place in him and believed it to

be genuine.

God also wants to champion our cause, to stand up for us in the face of

opposition. Abba Father wants us to know that He sees us. He knows the truth

and urges us to persevere by overcoming hopelessness. He wants us to know

and feel the satisfaction of positive change in our lives. He whispers, “It is pos-

sible to build character at any point during your life.” We need only choose to

believe and follow His lead.

Prayer

“Lord, please raise up advocates for those who are

genuinely trying to make a better life. Bind those who

would stand against them and restore hope to the

hearts of Your people. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Miles of Preparation

September 1

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will

carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1:6

As he read the e-mail, he could actually picture the tears running down

his daughter’s face. In her freshman year at college, she was struggling with

separation anxiety. So was her daddy. Separated by two hundred miles, it felt

like ten thousand.

That first year marked the beginning of new levels of growth for the family.

Visits by both student and parents alike marked their progress. After a cou-

ple years of saying good-bye, they didn’t hang on to each other quite so long,

and the heartache was a little less intense. As the four years passed, there was

measurable growth. There were struggles and disappointments: Daddy would

undergo bypass surgery, and his daughter would begin to lean on the other man

in her life. Her boyfriend of four years would become her fiancé. They would

graduate with their bachelor’s degrees, return home, and as planned over the

past two years, get married. Then new levels of growth would bring new pain.

h

There is pain attached to most meaningful growth. In childbirth, both mother

and child experience trauma. But that trauma gives way to joy and delight. As

children grow, they begin to assert their individuality. Falling, they get back up,

sometimes crying in pain and needing comfort, sometimes stubbornly moving

forward without much thought to the fall.

As God’s creation, we have an inherent need to seek and learn and grow.

God’s good work prepares us for the future. Though our parents provide much

of the knowledge we seek, experience is the teacher we learn from the most,

because hands-on learning imprints itself deeper in our mind.

As we ourselves have grown, we must allow our children to go it alone,

gaining their own experience, trusting in today’s text that God began this good

work in their hearts. He alone can draw them into a relationship that will guide

them as they grow. His preparation brings a certain amount of pain. With that

pain comes growth.

Prayer

“I don’t really like pain, Abba. But I trust You. Walk me through

the pain. Continue this good work in me. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Saddle the Donkey

August 31

Abraham got up and saddled his donkey.

Genesis 22:3

Carl and Ruth were tired. Working tirelessly for twenty-six years, they had

served on almost every board and committee in the church. Someone had told

them early in their Christian walk, “God wants us to be spiritually exhausted at

the end of each day!” They had taken it to heart, and many times they had sac-

rificed personal activities in an effort to be where they thought God expected

them to be; they just wanted to please God.

Then one fall Sunday morning, on a rare vacation, they attended worship

at a quaint little church in a picturesque little town in the South. The pastor

brought a message regarding purposeful service. He explained that our reason

for being is to serve the Lord.

Amen, thought Carl and Ruth.

Then he said something they’d never heard before. “When God calls us to

service, it is to be His call, on His terms, for His purpose. We are not to serve

for the sake of service. When God called Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, it was

God’s call. Abraham did not awaken one morning and tell Sarah, ‘I think we

should sacrifice Isaac. What do you think, Sarah?’ He would never have set out

to do that on his own!” The pastor went on to say, “We set out to please God

by doing things in His name. Many times those things are not what He would

have us do.”

h

It is our reasonable sacrifice to serve God. He created us for service. But what

we do is as important as why we do it.

How many times have we found ourselves serving God only to be com-

pletely frustrated and at wits’ end? If we were to ask, we might hear God say,

“I appreciate your hard work, but that’s not what I wanted you to do.” Many

times we begin an act of service, not inspired by God, asking Him to bless it,

never connecting our frustration to the fact He wants us doing something else.

Our self-assigned sacrifice may look good, but we really should make sure

God wants us to saddle the donkey.

Prayer

“Lord, please show me what You want me

doing right now. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Conscious Effort

August 30

Think on these things.

Philippians 4:9

Another using dream. Gibb wondered what was going on and what it meant.

He couldn’t get the images out of his head.

He’d been free from addiction for over five years and hadn’t had to deal

with the seduction or obsession since then. Yet this dream felt so real; he’d

been searching through medicine cabinets in houses that weren’t his. When he

awoke, his relief was profound. But he was disturbed that he’d not only found

pills during his search, he’d taken some! Knowing it would end in him hurting

those he loved and terrorizing people he didn’t know, he couldn’t figure out

why, after all these years, the dreams had surfaced again.

Searching for a reason, Gibb realized he’d slacked off in his morning devo-

tions recently. He’d begun to hurry through the readings. He hadn’t been as

consistent in his prayer time either. Getting out of bed, Gibb decided to change

his devotional routine to see if the dreams stopped.

After brushing his teeth, he headed for the living room. Bending his heart

to God, Gibb simply asked, “What are the dreams about, Lord?” He received

an astonishingly immediate response. “Your life of leisure, Gibson. You have

taken things for granted lately, and the enemy has responded. When I told

you to think on these things, I meant all the time.” Grateful that God had redi-

rected him, and knowing this would end the dreams, Gibb bowed his head in

thanksgiving.

h

We can become neglectful of our relationship with God and end up losing the

closeness where we find refuge. It may not necessarily be a fatal mistake, but

left unchecked, it can cause needless suffering. Prolonged distancing will cause

us to cut ourselves off from our shield of protection. When that happens, we

must return to the basics, recommitting our hearts in an effort to draw closer

to God. Having gotten sloppy in our approach, it will usually require conscious

effort to reestablish our relationship without establishing just a familiar routine.

Paul advised the Philippians to think about wholesome things in order to

keep their minds stayed on God. We would do well to do the same and not

allow ourselves to become slipshod in our spiritual discipline. Conscious effort

will be rewarded with closeness in relationship.

Prayer

“I’m prone to becoming lazy, Lord. Help me

recommit my heart and mind to Your care. Draw

me ever closer. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”