Author: Brian Burdett

“Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great?” – 2 Chronicles 1:10

When Solomon was a young king, God offered him anything he wanted. Wisely, Solomon asked for wisdom to govern Israel well. He didn’t ask for wealth, status, power, or victory in battle. He recognized his limitations and humbly asked for the wisdom to be a good and just leader. This pleased God greatly and He not only blessed Solomon with incomparable wisdom but also all those other good things he didn’t ask for.

Did you know that you can make the exact same request of God? The Book of James promises that if you’d like wisdom, you just need to sincerely ask God for it and He will give it to you generously. The wisdom of God is available for the asking! So, have you prayed for God to give you wisdom with the full expectation that He will provide? Every follower of Jesus should!

Ask God to give you wisdom. Then fuel your mind with the wisdom God’s already provided in His Word. Read and think about a portion of God’s Word every single day. Let His revealed wisdom become your wisdom. Soak in the wisdom of Jesus displayed throughout the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Drink in the wisdom of Solomon in Proverbs. Linger longer in the wisdom of David and the other psalmists. Visit the wisdom contained in the letters from Paul, Peter, James, John, and Jude over and over. See wisdom in action in the book of Acts.

Hopefully you get the idea! The Bible is a book full of God’s wisdom – in prose, poetry, and prophecy. In stories and letters, histories and descriptions of the future. Pray to God for wisdom and then study the wisdom He’s already revealed. He will make His wisdom your wisdom. #FollowJesus

“I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.”
– Psalm 119:11

Are you struggling to kill off a particular sin that seems to keep tripping you up? Is there some temptation you really can’t seem to get out of your mind? Do you really want it gone? If so, then what’s your relationship with God’s Word? Are you reading a meaningful amount of Scripture every day? Are you systematically making your way through the Bible? Are you making time to think about what you read, what it proclaims about God and Jesus, and how it applies to you? Are you memorizing Scripture that will help you in your battle against temptation and sin?

The reality is that we can’t just choose to stop thinking about something we don’t want to think about anymore. That just makes us think about it more! We must actively replace whatever we hate thinking about with something else. The Bible tells us to set our thoughts on the good things of God so they will squeeze out all the thoughts about darkness and temptation. For that to happen, we must be soaking our souls in God’s Word!

As we marinate in God’s Word, we’re filled with thoughts about God’s glory, Christ’s love, and the Spirit’s power. We’re clarified and reinforced about God’s standards, His holiness, and His call for us to be holy like Him. Intentionally fill yourself with God’s Word so that sinful desires will be crowded out and sin itself itself crucified in your heart. Make a point to memorize Scripture to have available in times of need. When Jesus was tempted by the devil, He didn’t ask the devil to wait a minute while He pulled out His Bible scrolls. No, Jesus recited Scripture from memory to fight the devil! You can too, it just requires discipline and effort. Don’t let that scare you off! It’s worth it. Store up God’s Word in your heart to protect you from temptation and sin. #FollowJesus

On this special day of remembrance, we rejoice that God has blessed this particular nation with an extraordinarily large amount of earthly freedom. This freedom is a gift of God given through the sacrifice of countless men and women across two-and-a-half centuries. As we remember their sacrifices today, take a few moments to consider the challenge given by President Lincoln on November 19, 1863. The hard work of promoting union, liberty, equality, and democracy continues…

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate — we can not consecrate — we can not hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

“The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and kind in all his works.
The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.”
– Psalm 145:17-18

Remember this truth!!! Remember it. Remember this truth when times are dark. Remember this truth when God feels distant. He is never distant! Regardless of what you may feel in the moment, this truth is clear and unchanging. If you truly call out to God, He’s right there with you! You aren’t alone. God is near. He’s never more than a prayer call away, so call on Him. Call on Him desperately and honestly. If you seek Him, you WILL find Him!

God is perfectly righteous in all His ways. He won’t ever deal with you unrighteously or unjustly except to give you better than you deserve. Why? Because He’s kind in all His works. So don’t be afraid to call out to God. Don’t be shy or ashamed to admit you need Him. Don’t worry about what He’ll say or do. God is kind and God is righteous. Obviously if you’re in the midst of unrighteousness, He isn’t going to encourage you to continue. But if you repent of your unrighteousness, He’ll forgive you you every time. If you repent for distancing yourself from Him through sin, He will embrace you. If you repent of rebelling against Him, He will always restore you. Because He is kind as well as righteous.

If God were only perfectly righteous, you might have good reason to fear calling out to Him. Fortunately, He’s also kind. He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for your sins already. They’re all paid for and ready to be forgiven when you ask forgiveness in His name. The kindness of God is beyond anything you can imagine. His love is without limits. There’s nothing to fear about calling on God! Don’t let guilt, shame, stubbornness, or pride stand in your way. Call on God. He is near! #FollowJesus

“The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” – Luke 6:45

A credit card marketing campaign has long asked, “What’s in your wallet?” Jesus, however, asks a much more important question: “What’s in your heart?” He also tells you how to figure out the answer to that question. Since most of us have difficulty being honest about our heart condition, Jesus teaches us how to do the hard work of self-examination.

First, examine your words. What comes out of your mouth in startling, unplanned, unexpected, or stressful situations? Is it good or evil? Honoring to God or not? Encouraging or discouraging? Do you speak optimism or pessimism? Patience or anger? Kindness or cruelty? Building others up or tearing them down? Be honest! What comes out of your mouth in unguarded moments? The answer to that question reveals the remaining work to be done in your heart. If ugly things come out of your mouth, then there are still ugly parts of your heart. Take these parts to Jesus in prayer, repentance, and meditation on Scripture. Don’t be afraid to do that work – embrace it! Don’t be ashamed – we all have work to do. Jesus didn’t go to the cross just to change your eternal destination – He went to change every part of your heart. Invite Him and permit Him do His work!

Second, examine your actions. Are they the loving, gentle, kind, others-oriented actions of blessing that Jesus would do? Or are they, at heart, actions designed to benefit yourself, make yourself look or feel good, or manipulate others? Once again, be honest! Why are you doing the good things that you do? Are you doing Christ-like things or the same things any non-believer does? Your actions, and their underlying motives, also reflect your heart condition. Is it good or bad? Christ-transformed or untransformed? Are you bringing out good treasure that blesses the world because your heart is filled with the blessed, holy treasure of Jesus Christ Himself? If not, turn your heart over to Jesus and let Him replace the bad treasure with more of Himself. #FollowJesus