God's Wisdom In A Nutshell

Hello,

Today I’d like to give an analogy to help explain that life without a constant and close association with the Lord will negatively impact our lives in several areas.

Picture a fetus growing in it’s mothers womb. It is dependent on it’s mom for everything-most notably protection and nourishment. If that growing baby is born prematurely- the baby will need much more than it did when it was inside the womb. It will require oxygen either via a ventillator or an oxygen cannula. It will require tube feedings, iv fluids, warming lights, medication and monitoring. The cost of a life born prematurely, is far above what it would cost a healthy newborn baby born at full term.

Many times humans get ahead of schedule in their lives for various reasons. We want to grow up and do “grown up” activities. We want to be successful NOW, we want the house, cars, vacations and experiences as soon as possible. But what if God wants our life to emerge more slowly?

By deciding to drive hard in life we are inadvertently pulling away from God- our life source- and like the baby that is born prematurely, we too will increase the cost of our life. Choosing to go at life either ignoring God, putting God on the back burner, or completely dismissing the Lord altogether will prove to be problematic for us down the road.  Below is a list of ways our life will be negatively impacted if we go at life without consulting God with our choices, problems and dilemmas.

1. We will need to work harder.

When Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden and they ate the apple that God instructed them not to eat, they sinned and thus God increased their labor.(Gen 3:16-17) Painful toil is not part of God’s plan. “The blessings of the Lord brings wealth without painful toil for it.”(Prov 10:22)

2. We will die early.

We are meant to be in relationship with the Lord- who is our healer. “by His stripes we are healed.”(Is 53:5) There is a King in the Bible that suffered from a disease in his feet but he relied only on the physicians and not the Lord and therefore suffered the consequences. “In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord, but only from the physicians.  Then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa died and rested with his ancestors.”(2 Chron 16:12-13)

3. We will suffer more.

In the book of Deuteronomy the Lord instructed His first followers that if they would like to be free from health issues, infertility, and financial problems, they should follow the Lord’s teachings. If not- they would be out of His umbrella of protection.“If you follow the commandments and teachings of the Lord…..the Lord will give you prosperity in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, blessing you with many children, numerous livestock, and abundant crops.”(Deut 28:1,11)

4. We will have long term difficulties.

There is a concept talked about in the Bible called the law of the Harvest which means that whatever we plant we shall reap. If we don’t know the Lord we won’t know how to safely prioritize our life- therefore we will reap difficulties. If we neglect relationships and prioritized affluence over caring for our family we will reap poor relationships at best and regret that follows us our whole lives.“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”(Gal 6:7)

5. We will harm our health.

When we know the Lord we know that the world is full of darkness and there is nothing good in it except that which comes from the Lord. If we live apart from God overworking and abusing our bodies for money we may very well gain the money we desire but along with it, problems like addictions to pacify us after our long day. God sets work limits in the Bible of 1/3 of our time at work and 2/3 of our time at home (1 kings 5:14). Overwork is selfish ambition and this is something the Lord is not pleased with. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”(Phil 2:3-4)

6. It will be costly financially.

If we set out on our own plans and do not consult with the Lord, the Lord will bring our plans to complete destruction. “Unless the Lord builds a house they labor in vain who build it.”

The people of Babel got together and used their creative talents to draw up plans to make a skyscraper for their city. They wanted to make something that stood out so that their city and the people residing there, would be made famous. The Lord didn’t approve of their grand plan, so He halted the process by confusing their language. The Lord was angry with the building process because they used their many talents to construct something apart from Him. God is our Creator and therefore has a perfect plan for us. When we live apart from Him we lose out on our purpose and many of the blessings that come along with it. We also waste time- as we can see in the verses above. The building process had begun with time, money and resources allocated for the project. After the Lord stopped the process, all was wasted. This is what happens when we make choices apart from God. Our best decisions are those that we lay at the feet of Jesus and let Him decide if we should proceed. This shows humility and knowledge of His omniscience.

 “They sought God eagerly, and he was found by them. So the Lord gave them rest on every side.”(2 Chron 15:15)

God doesn’t want us to jump ahead of His plans. Not only do they cost us financially, they can cost us our health, relationships, peace and many times- our life. Let’s take our plans to God and stay connected to Him for the protected and nurtured life.

Food For Thought,

Lisa