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- 256 pages
- English
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In Pursuit of His Wisdom
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About This Book
We all want to live a good life - but how do we go about doing so? Much-loved author R. T. Kendall urges us to take the Bible at its word when it encourages us to get wisdom - and live by it. In this wise and practical book, R. T. encourages us that not only is God's opinion - his wisdom - on offer, God actually desires us to have it. 'Wisdom is supreme - the greatest good we can seek, the most noble virtue there is, the greatest gift that is on offer and the highest plateau for living that is available in this present world.' Join R. T. on the journey of a lifetime as he shows us the beauty of a life lived with God, secure in knowing the next step forward.
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Yes, you can access In Pursuit of His Wisdom by R T Kendall Ministries Inc., R.T. Kendall in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Theology & Religion & Religion. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
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Religion1
A Wise Choice
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Prov. 9:10)
. . . since you disregard all my advice and do not accept my rebuke, I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you; I will mock when calamity overtakes you . . . [Because you] did not choose to fear the Lord . . . (Prov. 1:25â26, 29)
I have some good news â wisdom is not far away. It is not for the âgodsâ alone, as the ancient Greeks reckoned. It is not for the âPlatosâ and âAristotlesâ of this world. It is on offer to all of us â to ordinary people like you and me. In fact, it is closer than our hands or our feet, closer than the air we breathe. For wisdom is the result of a choice we can make â it starts with an act of the will. It is like total forgiveness; we choose whether or not to forgive totally.
In the Introduction I suggested several definitions of wisdom:
⢠| It is seeing why God sent his Son into the world. |
⢠| It is having Godâs opinion on any matter. |
⢠| It is discerning the presence of the mind of the Holy Spirit. |
⢠| It is knowing the next step forward regarding what we do. |
⢠| It is saying the right thing at the right time. |
⢠| It is having the ability to get things done. |
⢠| It is choosing wisdom above anything else in life. |
The fear of the Lord: choosing Godâs opinion
How do you get wisdom? By choosing the fear of the Lord. As we shall see in more detail below, this means that you so respect Godâs ways as revealed in his Word that you value and seek his opinion on any issue, above any other perspective. Wisdom comes from making a calculated, strategic choice by an act of the will. It is not that you merely say, âI choose wisdomâ â as if to verbalise a wish. Note the order: you choose what Proverbs calls âthe fear of the Lordâ. Wisdom follows. The fear of the Lord means choosing Godâs opinion over anyone elseâs â on any matter. The reason I emphasise this so soon and so strongly is because the book of Proverbs (known universally as the handbook of wisdom in the Bible) makes an inseparable connection between wisdom and the fear of the Lord. âThe fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdomâ (Prov. 9:10). Job agrees: âThe fear of the Lord â that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understandingâ (Job 28:28). But it is a choice we must make.
It is the wisest choice you will ever make.
What is therefore so encouraging is that wisdom is clearly available to all of us â not merely the privileged or the elite. It begins not with good breeding, but with the fear of the Lord. The simplest and most ordinary person on the planet is invited to enter the arena of greatness â the obtaining of true wisdom. Few get there â but all are capable of it. Indeed, those who âhated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lordâ are those who suffer the consequences of having God turn his back on them when trouble comes (Prov. 1:29 â my italics). The result of not having wisdom can be pretty awful, as we will see in more detail below.
Important clarification
However, choosing the fear of the Lord does not mean running scared day and night. It does not mean âI choose to be afraid of Godâ. It is not living in perpetual terror that you have done something wrong and God is no longer speaking to you. It is not biting your nails regarding whether God is pleased or upset with you â like picking the petals off a daisy, saying, âHe loves me, he loves me notâ. Away with the notion that God is always looking for a way to throw the book at us!
Wisdom means seeking his opinion, and choosing the fear of the Lord is precisely that. It is also seeking his timing as to when to speak or act. God has a point of view on everything, and he waits to be consulted before we make major decisions. It is our job to consult him. One of my favourite verses in the Bible is this: â. . . in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straightâ (Prov. 3:6). It cannot get more encouraging than that. This means to share your plans with God â to talk to him about anything and everything. Hide nothing from him. He is your friend, not your enemy. He loves being asked before we make major decisions. He likes being âinâ with us before anyone else is. Take him into your confidence. The fear of the Lord is consciously respecting that God can bless or withhold blessing as we show reverence for his perspective â that is, his Word and his ways.
One of the ancient prophets lamented that the people of God ârejected knowledgeâ (Hos. 4:6). This does not mean they rejected education or did not go to university. That particular generation of ancient Israel rejected Godâs Word and ways, as we shall see further on in this chapter. I have been to countries where people canât get Bibles. I once gave a man a New Testament in a particular country, and he wept. He held on to it as if it were pure gold. Do you have a Bible? Do you read it? It is âwisdomâ to do that and âwisdomâ flows from that.
What if God had said that we get wisdom by having great brains? How would you feel if God had said:
⢠| âBy education you get wisdomâ? |
⢠| âBy being cultured you get wisdomâ? |
⢠| âBy intellect, intelligence or a high IQ you get wisdomâ? |
⢠| âBy success in making money you get wisdomâ? |
⢠| âBy becoming knowledgeable in politics you get wisdomâ? |
⢠| âBy seeking a political office and succeeding you get wisdomâ? |
⢠| âBy being well connected you get wisdomâ? |
⢠| âBy reading books on wisdom you get wisdomâ? |
⢠| âBy hard work and experience you get wisdomâ? |
⢠| âBy learning to play the piano or a musical instrument you get wisdomâ? |
⢠| âBy reading How to Win Friends and Influence People you get wisdomâ? |
But no, acquiring wisdom is none of these. Thank God. It is the fear of the Lord that leads to wisdom, and it is choosing the fear of the Lord that results in wisdom. This leaves all of us without an excuse. We canât blame our brains, lack of learning, or not being born into a position of privilege. It is level ground; we all qualify.
The passive fear of the Lord
The fear of the Lord, however, may be understood in two ways: (1) a choice we make â wanting his opinion; and (2) a passive sense of the fear of the Lord â an unsought feeling. It is of vital importance that we grasp (2) as well as (1); the passive fear of God demonstrates that we are talking about the living God. This means God can roll up his sleeves as if to say âEnough is enoughâ â and answer prayer, or even bring judgment. When we realise that God is the same yesterday, today and for ever, we should be all the more motivated to choose the fear of the Lord.
Whereas the wisdom we are in pursuit of â the subject of this book â comes as the consequence of a choice, there have been occasions when the unsought passive fear of God was experienced. In the latter case, then, it is not the result of choice, but a feeling. It is sudden, unexpected. It is the experienced awe of God. In other words, it just happened!
How can this be? What is it like? Answer: it is when God steps in supernaturally. Here are three examples:
First, passive fear may emerge when God does something wonderful and extraordinary. That should bring great joy, and yet, strange as it may seem, it may bring fear. When Mosesâ face was radiant the people were âafraid to come near himâ (Exod. 34:30). When God answered Danielâs prayer, he âstood up tremblingâ (Dan. 10:11). When Zechariah saw the angel of the Lord in the temple â who brought good news of answered prayer â he was âgripped with fearâ (Luke 1:12). When Jesus healed a paralytic, the people were âfilled with aweâ (Luke 5:26). The women who saw and heard the angel at the empty tomb of Jesus on Easter Day were âafraid yet filled with joyâ (Matt. 28:8).
Second, passive fear may come upon people when God brings judgment â and shows his displeasure. The Mosaic Law was Godâs judgment upon Israel for their transgressions (Gal. 3:19). When the people heard the thunder, saw the lightning, heard the trumpet, and saw the mountain in smoke, âthey trembled with fearâ (Exod. 20:18). When Uzzah touched the Ark of God â and was struck down dead â King David was âafraid of the Lord that dayâ (2 Sam. 6:9). When Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead for lying to the Holy Spirit, âgreat fear seized all who heard what had happenedâ; indeed such fear âseized the whole church and all who heard about these eventsâ (Acts 5:5, 11). One might surmise that such a scary and solemn scene would put people off â and drive them from coming to church. Yet the opposite happened (see...
Table of contents
- Cover
- Also by R. T. Kendall
- Title Page
- Imprint Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- Foreword
- Introduction
- 1 A Wise Choice
- 2 Common Grace
- 3 A Secret
- 4 An Invitation You Cannot Refuse
- 5 The Prize
- 6 The Gift of Wisdom
- 7 Blind Spots
- 8 Concealed Wisdom
- 9 How to Get the Mind of the Holy Spirit
- 10 Recognised Wisdom
- 11 The Fool
- 12 The Wisdom of Jesus
- Conclusion
- Hodder Faith