No SUCCESS Without WISDOM

"WISDOM has the advantage of giving success." Ecclesiastes 10:10

I don't know of a hotter subject today than success. Magazine articles, books, seminars, and sermons promote it. But success is seldom linked with wisdom. Chances are good that if we would pick up last Sunday's paper and read it through, we'd come across twenty or more references to success, yet find nothing added regarding wisdom. In today's hype about success, wisdom is conspicuous by its absence. Outside of biblical literature and biblically based books, we hardly even come across the word....

[WISDOM] may not give us great popularity and wealth and it may not mean that we will be the most respected in our field or that we will have the most significant voice in the company, but ultimately, as God gauges it, we will be successful.

CHARLES R. SWINDOLL
WISDOM FOR THE WAY

GOD's Plan for Hope

" For I know the plans I have for you... plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." JEREMIAH 29:11, NIV

GOD knows, right down to the final nub, exactly where you are in life. He sees. He cares. He is aware. And best of all, He is touched by it.

The enemy of our souls wants you to think differently. God doen't care. He's left you in this mess for so many months. How unfair! Those around you, those at work, your neighbors, live like the devil, and they're making it fine. And here you don't even have a job. You don't even have enough to cover the credit card bills. What kind of God is that?

Or maybe some young mother-to-be, stretched to the limit already with other young children and crushing responsibilities, cries out in her heart, "My situation is more than I can bear!" And God replies, "My daughter, I know what I am doing. I know the pain of your heart right now. I know you feel overwhelmed, overloaded, pressed down. But believe Me, I am touched with your situation. And I have a plan! I am working out the details of your deliverance even now. Trust Me!"

Wisdom of the Way

Charles R. Swindoll

ABCs of LOVE

The ABCs of Love

"Hatred stirs up strife, but LOVE covers all transgressions." PROVERBS 10:12

"I accept you as you are."
"I believe you are valuable."
"I care when you hurt."
"I desire only what is best for you."
"I erase all offenses."

We could call that the ABC's of love. And I don't know of anybody who would turn his back on such magnetic, encouraging statements.

There is nothing shallow about authentic love. Nor is it a magic wand we whip out and wave over a problem with a whoosh, hoping all the pain will go away. Real love has staying power. Authentic love is tough love. It refuses to look for ways to run away. It always opts for working through. It doesn't cop out because the sea gets stormy and rough. It's fibrous and resilient.... While the world around us gives the opposit counsel, love stands firm.

Be at PEACE....

Be at peace with yourself before endeavoring to bring peace to others.

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You will be better equipped to help a drowning person if you have first learned to swim. If you are charitable at the cost of all your assets, you can only be charitable once and then become a burden on others.

UNITY and HUMILITY

"Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!"
PSALM 133:1

Do you realize how closely unity and humility are tied together. One breeds the other; neither can exist without the other. They're like Siamese twins, perpetually connected. Personally, I have seen numerous occasions when pride won out (even though it was never that) and harmony faded away... and I mean fast....

Contrary to the stuff you might read today, the words, fight and quarrel, are not apt descriptions of the way to get ahead. They won't ultimately glorify God. Friends are made not fighting and by refusing to squarrel.

Commit yourself to freeing others so they can grow and discover on their own. For a change, as much as is possible, walk away from an argument rather than inviting one. Become more of a peacemaker.

-WISDOM FOR THE WAY

GOD KNOWS OUR LIMITS

"But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness and truth." PSALM 86:15

Our Lord understands our limits. He realizes our struggles. He knows how much pressure we can take. He knows what measures of grace and mercy and strength we'll require. He knows how we're put together.

Frankly, His expectations are not nearly as unrealistic as ours. When we don't live up to the agenda we have set, we feel like He is going to dump a truckload of judgment on us. But that will not happen. So why do we fear it could?

-Charles R. Swindoll