Yes, You Sure Can...Be Absolutely Sure of God's Affirmative Answer, When You Ask for Wisdom Without Doubting

Last night, Zachary, my 21-year-old son, asked me out of the blue if I'd ever thought about praying -- without any doubting whatsoever -- for wisdom. (That concept is from James chapter 1, which he had recently studied.)

I answered that I'd just read that same chapter that very morning! Zach and I have this serious "same wavelength" thing going on.

We then talked about the wonderful promise that a believer can make this request of God, and then just know that God will give the needed wisdom. It's such a strong promise that it's said the person who doubts shouldn't expect to receive anything from the Lord. (What a joy to have these conversations with an adult son.) Friends, we're clearly told to ask and not doubt!

So...make the request, believe that you'll receive it, and wait for that certain wisdom! God is so good to us!!!

The "Weakness" of Jesus Christ, and His Power in the Church

This post is for the church.

"He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God." (2 Corinthians 13:3b-4a, ESV)

How strong is Jesus Christ? Infinitely.

We should never forget!

To be sure, He exercised power at the Cross, but there He exercised it through weakness. (Would that be properly called irony?) In weakness that was phenomenal for such a being as Jesus, He made the (only) way for all our sins to be dealt with. He absorbed the full wrath of God so we'd never have to, if only we'd believe. At the present time, He's powerfully, actively, and intimately involved in His church - building, teaching, rebuking, cleansing, and pouring out grace. He knows us personally, through and through, and He works in us constantly, individually and collectively. The details of our lives are not random, as they sometimes appear, but are always parts of His plan to make and remake His church, sanctifying each of us with precision.

And talk about an extreme makeover! When Paul wrote, "He is not weak in dealing with you," the context was that of confronting ongoing sinful behavior, dealing with it in the power of Jesus. Amazing. Part of the love of Christ is working to cleanse His people. Sometimes He uses us to remind each other of things we should have already been keeping in mind. Sometimes He uses circumstances to bring discipline. Regardless, it's done by Christ out of love for the church, His bride. As Paul said, it's "for building up and not tearing down." (2 Corinthians 13:10)

These reflections make me want to revere Him more, to draw near to Him, to receive and submit to everything He has for me, with appreciation that everything He has for me is a gift born of His love. They also make me want to be deeply involved with God's people, the church, including my home church, knowing it's a crucial context for all this precious work to be done by our awesome Lord. Hopefully, we'll always be telling each other things we need to hear as we grow together in Him.

May the Lord bless you today, and every day.