Celebrities

Wisdom Cries

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

Not with tears, rather with words.  I fear there is not much godly wisdom in humanity in our time.  There is plenty of wisdom concerning economics, education, ecology, sex – moral and immoral, work ethic, but very little concerning God and His Word and way.

In chapters 8 and 9 of proverbs Wisdom is personified; that is speaks as though a person.  Only an individual with wisdom could write such words, and that was Solomon who is considered the wisest of men to ever have lived.  Of course the real person of Wisdom is the Son of God Jesus Christ.

“Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?” Proverbs 8:1

Does the common person even know what wisdom is?  Do I know what wisdom is?  I believe I know a little about what it is.  I get my understanding of what wisdom is by reading God’s Word the Bible.  Proverbs 1:7 tells us –

‘The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

It seems to me that to have wisdom one must first have knowledge, and that knowledge begins with fearing GOD.  So if there  is no fear of God there is no knowledge; certainly not anything worth knowing anyway.  Have you noticed how much people know about trivial matters?  We have games called “Trivial Pursuit” and such whimsical things as that.  We have more knowledge about what the latest craze among celebrities is, than we do about what is good, right, holy and just.

After knowledge there is understanding what we know.  Then wisdom gives us the unction to do what we know.

I realized a few years back that I have learned more than I can remember; and I also realized – The more I know; the more I realize I don’t know.  I know that I am no scholar; also that I am a very dependent person upon God and even others at times.

What is wisdom?  It is putting to work the righteousness, justice, holiness of God in one’s own life.  That begins with knowing God’s Son – Wisdom in Person.

-Tim A. Blankenship

The First Commandment

/ Tim A. / 1 Comment

With the rise of celebrity worship, and an increase of pluralistic tendencies in our nation, and even among some professing christians; it seems to be a time to be reminded of the Ten Commandments, especially among followers of Jesus Christ.

The following article was previously published on The Watchman’s Trumpet, and I repost it here.

The First Commandment

“And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:1-3

There are many problems when there is more than one God. There is confusion. There is no proven authority. There will be problems with divided hearts or divided loyalties; how these things affect the human heart and mind. We are commanded to worship only one God.

God, the Creator of all things, is holy and requires His people to be holy.
Other “gods” require nothing, expect nothing, but exalt fleshly appetites.

In all truth there are no other “gods”. They are the making of man’s own imaginations and heart.

With one God there is unity of purpose – with many gods there is only confusion. With the human minds and hearts as they are, there are about as many “gods” as there are people in the world.

The only exception would be/should be Christians devoted to God in Christ. When there is more than one sovereign everyone does what is right in their own eyes, “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” Judges 21:25. In fact, everyone is their own sovereign, thus, confusion of ethics and morality.
Abraham was called by God to leave a land of idolatry and follow the LORD God. A question might be asked of this first commandment, “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me”. That question being; ‘Does this allow that there are other “gods”? The answer to that is an emphatic NO!

Man, of course, does make gods of flesh, blood, wood, metal, and stone, etc., but these are powerless. Manmade gods are made in the image of created things and beings, and require nothing of man. No man would have ever invented a god who was holy, righteous, just, and expected his worshippers to be like Him. Nor, would we have created a god who judges us worthy of eternal death. And, we certainly would not have made this god pay the sin debt of his worshippers. Who would/could have thought of such a thing?

The recognition of and worship of one God is of this God’s own making. He desires the worship of His creation. He desires to bless His people. He desires to bring His people into perfect holiness, and give peace to them.

When there is a god for every event, season, crop, success, failure, person, etc., then, you have nothing but confusion. The God who created all things does not want us confused – He is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). The New Testament also reveals to us that the worshipping of other so called “gods” is the worship of demons (1 Cor. 10:19-21).
Since there are no other gods, but gods whom the “Haters of God” worship; who are actually demons; then, it stands to reason that God alone is worthy of our worship.
The greatly implied emphasis is upon choosing God the Creator of all things, as the One and only. He is the One you can trust in time of drought and famine, and the One you can trust in time of blessing and plenty. HE IS I AM.

God – Jehovah – YHWH is your salvation, sustenance, shelter, song, shield, and sword, and so much more.

When you have “No other gods” you are completely God’s possession. Your priorities are in Him. Your time, your family, your vocation, your church, and your entertainment and relaxation are directed by Him and His Word.

If you desire peace of mind and heart it can be found through this one and only God by trusting His Son who died, paying our sin debt, was buried carrying that sin and guilt away, and rising bodily from that grave showing the victory won on the cross, conquering death, sin and the devil. God’s Son Jesus after rising from the grave, ascended to the Father/God, and has promised to return. Trust Him. Call on Him today