As an artist, everything beautiful inspires and delights me to no end. Beautiful flowers, landscapes, wildlife, and delightful and gorgeous birds; all the beauty found in God's creation takes my breath away and fills me with awe and admiration.
God's Holy Word, the Bible, affects me the same way in that it fills me with awe and admiration for the heavenly Father and for His love and mercies and His wisdom. The Scriptures also inspire and delight me as the Holy Spirit gives me understanding as well as directs me to verses that fit a particular day or circumstance or emotion. God's Word is powerful and can work miracles in a person's life, such as a renewing of the mind (Romans 12:2) and helping someone to live a holy, Christ-filled life.
(15)"But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; (16) Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." - 1 Peter 1:15, 16
You have to admit that endeavoring to be holy is a wise decision. The Scriptures can make you wise - and in a spiritual, more important way than flighty worldly wisdom can do. Worldly wisdom, more often than not, leads to death apart from God.
The first, most basic act of wisdom is to recognize that you are a sinner and in need of a Savior - a Redeemer - to save you and to give you eternal life with Him. It is God's will for all to come to a knowledge of Him and of His Son, Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:9). It is the most important decision a person will ever make in his life; a decision that determines his eternal destiny.
As a person studies God's Word and obeys Him and is in submission or total surrender to Him, he comes to truly know the Lord and that will enable him to know God's will, as he is given the mind of Christ.
"For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that He may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ." - 1 Corinthians 2:16
The main thing is wanting God's will, not our own. If you are that surrendered to the Lord, He will help you to know His will. There are many Scriptures that tell us what God's will is. Matthew 28:19-20 gives us the Great Commission: it is the Lord's will that we preach and make disciples. 1 John 4:21 reminds us of the commandment that "he who loveth God love his brother also." There are, of course, the Ten Commandments we should endeavor to keep. Read the Bible, and you will discover for yourself what God's will is. The Lord will guide you as to what paths you should take in your life.
Once you put your trust in Jesus as your Savior and you are born again, you will have a thirst and a hunger for God's Word and a longing to be ever closer to Him; which will enable you to know His will as you build a close, personal, and intimate relationship with Him. By all means, pray without ceasing ( 1 Thessalonians 5:17) because the Lord will reveal His will to you in prayer or in answer to your prayer.
In these perilous last days we are now living in, that above quote gives hope and encouragement to those who trust in the Lord and know His will. Even if you are persecuted, mocked, or have to face death because of your faith, you are safe in God's "everlasting arms" and will spend eternity with Him.
"The chief means for attaining wisdom, and suitable gifts for the ministry, are the Holy Scriptures, and prayer." - John Newton
"There is nothing more foolish than an act of wickedness; there is no wisdom equal to that of obeying God." - Albert Barnes
"Wisdom in Scripture is, broadly speaking, the knowledge of God's world and the knack of fitting oneself into it." - Cornelius Plantinga
"As we trust God to give us wisdom for today's decisions, He will lead us a step at a time into what He wants us to be doing in the future." - Theodore Epp
Wisdom and knowing God's will gives incredible delight and peace in our souls. Keep in mind we are not just talking about head knowledge here or just a list of facts, but true wisdom which only God can give by the renewing of your mind as you read His word and are much in prayer. True, we need a certain amount of head knowledge to get by in this world, but knowledge is never right unless wisdom goes along with it. "Wisdom is the right use of knowledge," says Charles Spurgeon.
So we can see that understanding God's will is true wisdom. It gives us a frame of mind with which God is well pleased (Isaiah 66:2). It gives us a view of God which excites us to love and give ourselves to Him (1 John 4:9-10, 19). It assures us that God will soon set all matters right (2 Thessalonians 1: 6-10). And so much more ! Remember, God wants to reveal His will to us, His children.
"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." - Romans 12:2
Romans 12:2 above is a powerful verse and I will focus primarily on "the good...acceptable, and perfect will of God," quoting and paraphrasing Albert Barnes' Commentary on this verse:
"The word prove used here is commonly applied to metals, to the operation of testing, or trying them by the severity of fire, etc. Hence, it also means to explore, investigate, ascertain. This is its meaning here. The sense is, that such a renewed mind is essential to a successful inquiry after the will of God. Having a disposition to obey Him, the mind will be prepared to understand His precepts.
Romans 12:2 above is a powerful verse and I will focus primarily on "the good...acceptable, and perfect will of God," quoting and paraphrasing Albert Barnes' Commentary on this verse:
"The word prove used here is commonly applied to metals, to the operation of testing, or trying them by the severity of fire, etc. Hence, it also means to explore, investigate, ascertain. This is its meaning here. The sense is, that such a renewed mind is essential to a successful inquiry after the will of God. Having a disposition to obey Him, the mind will be prepared to understand His precepts.
There will be a correspondence between the feelings of the heart and His will. ........ The reason why the heart is renewed is that we may do the will of God: the heart that is renewed is best suited to appreciate and understand His will."
Again, to renew your heart and your mind you need to daily read and study your Bible and to pray without ceasing. You will thereby draw close to God and James 4:8 tells us that God will draw near to you. Separate yourself from the ungodly world and its sinful people as much as possible, but do witness to them about Jesus, however.
As Albert Barnes comments, "If all would separate from the vices and follies, the amusements and (pleasures and lusts) of the world, Christ would be glorified. If all were truly renewed in their minds, they would lose their relish for such things, and seeking only to do the will of God, they would soon find it."
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." - James 1:5
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding." - Proverbs 9:10
Again, to renew your heart and your mind you need to daily read and study your Bible and to pray without ceasing. You will thereby draw close to God and James 4:8 tells us that God will draw near to you. Separate yourself from the ungodly world and its sinful people as much as possible, but do witness to them about Jesus, however.
As Albert Barnes comments, "If all would separate from the vices and follies, the amusements and (pleasures and lusts) of the world, Christ would be glorified. If all were truly renewed in their minds, they would lose their relish for such things, and seeking only to do the will of God, they would soon find it."
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." - James 1:5
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding." - Proverbs 9:10
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