“For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, ‘He catches the wise in their craftiness’” – 1 Corinthians 3:19

Education, study, learning, and research are all important and excellent endeavors. The ability to learn, reason, and pursue the sciences is a gift of God. He is the father of science because He created an orderly universe that holds together with consistency and because He created us in His image with the ability to think. It’s good for Christians to pursue these areas of study.

However, we should also understand their limits. The study of nature and reasoning of mankind can’t explain the supernatural or limit the divine. When the world’s knowledge and wisdom tries to dictate what God can and can’t do, it’s crossed over from wisdom into foolishness. When finite human thinking starts sitting in judgment on the infinite mind of God, it’s crossed over from wisdom into foolishness. When scientific inquiry into “how” becomes speculation into “why”, it’s crossed over from wisdom into foolishness.

A healthy human wisdom understands its strengths and limitations. It understands how far it can draw useful conclusions and the point beyond which the conclusions will simply be a joke in God’s eyes. Appreciate human knowledge and wisdom but also appreciate its limits. Develop your mind but stay humble before the Lord. Avoid saying what God can and can’t do. Recognize that God has primarily revealed Himself through His Son and His Word and only secondarily through His creation and our ability to reason and study. Don’t become trapped in self-delight about your knowledge and insight. Develop your mind but always #FollowJesus

“He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.” – Acts 18:26

Don’t be afraid to help a Christian grow through loving correction. Conversely, recognize that someone correcting you may well be trying to help you grow!

We live in a time and place in which people are increasingly afraid to correct others. Everyone is thin-skinned and easily offended. Christians are often among the worst! Our culture tells us that people who disagree with us hate us and that people who try to correct us think they’re better than us. What demonic nonsense! Correcting each other is actually a biblical mandate!

We are blessed with Scripture for learning and correction but we’re also blessed with other Christians who care enough to help us grow. Apollos was a fervent and accomplished speaker who was doing good things for the Lord. He was also incomplete in his knowledge. So a godly couple took him aside and gave him further theological education. It wasn’t humiliating, denigrating, or debilitating. It was empowering! They weren’t cutting him down, they were building him up. With this correction, Apollos was then blessed and sent throughout Greece to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.

We MUST change our culture within Christianity. We must learn that correction isn’t attack. We must learn to crave godly correction. We should welcome the attention of those who see our potential and want to increase it with discipleship. Ultimately, correction isn’t about us, it’s about what’s best for God’s Kingdom. So, don’t hate correction. Likewise, don’t be afraid to offer loving correction in God’s Word. If a person won’t accept it, that’s on them, not on you. We must build each other up, but not with participation trophies, with the correct understanding of God’s Word. #FollowJesus

“And to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:11

What’s your life ambition? Does it look like a quiet life of hard work? Working with your hands wasn’t well-regarded in that part of the world back then but that’s what Paul advises for them and for us. He commands us to live holy lives that glorify our Savior. He commands us to live lives full of love for others. As for all the other stuff people chase after – fame, status, power, wealth – not so necessary. Often we exhaust ourselves chasing after things that aren’t bad but also aren’t necessary to live a satisfying life in Christ.

Paul (much like other wisdom writers in the Bible) praises the value and virtue of a quiet, satisfying life devoted to God and filled with meaningful, satisfying, honest hard work. There’s a lot to be said for that in our loud, unstable world that’s always pushing some new life hack or shortcut to avoid hard work.

Take a few moments and think about what you truly want your life to look like. What are you aspiring to? What are you dreaming about? Do you need to set your goals higher (in holiness and love for others)? Do you need to set your goals a bit lower to see and enjoy what God has already blessed you with or made available? #FollowJesus

“Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days.” – Galatians 1:18

We tend to be impatient in our service to the Lord. Trusting in God’s power, we expect results ASAP. Well, in God’s wisdom, as soon as possible might be a period of years. It certainly was for Saul (Paul). While a casual reading of Scripture tends to make us think everything happened very quickly, a more careful reading reveals that even for God’s most famous servants, things took time.

After his conversion, Saul spent three years doing… Well, we aren’t really sure! It certainly wasn’t high profile or famous! Most likely, he was praying, meditating on Scripture, and figuring out how to integrate his encyclopedic knowledge of the Old Testament with its perfect fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit was working in and through Saul, who’d already spent YEARS studying Scripture.

Only when the time was right did God move him out into ministry. Though he began preaching immediately, he wasn’t yet prepared (in God’s eyes) for the work prepared for him. Even after the three years, it would be several more years before Saul was called to help lead the church at Antioch and go out on mission. Everything was in God’s good timing and the results were magnificent. The lesson for Christians today isn’t that we should wait around doing nothing. Rather, we should always use our time well – worshipping, practicing personal spiritual habits like Bible study, meditation, memorization, prayer, fasting, giving, growing in community, serving God in various ways, and sharing Christ as we’re able.

God will transform us as we do these things. He will mature us and make us more and more like Jesus. He will also give us some clarity about what and how He wants us to serve Him in the future. As we gain that clarity about His calling on our lives, then we will already have begun the formation needed to be truly useful to Him. So, use your time well. Grow in the Lord. But be patient with Him and with yourself. You’re on a journey and even if you feel stuck, know that God has already prepared good things for you to do for His glory (Ephesians 2:10). #FollowJesus