The Best?
"We Serve the Best Pizza in Town!" claims a restaurant along the main road. Knowing Three Hills, that place probably serves the only pizza in town!
"The Best" has many different meanings.
Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! Who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became his counselor? Or who has first given to him that it might be paid back to him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things To Him be the glory forever. Amen.
Romans 11:33-36 (NASB)
"God knows best"...we've all heard it before. But, as Chip Ingram says in his book I referred to before, "God isn't just a better version of humans." That means that everything of God is not just "better" than the best we can think of. His love isn't "deeper" than the best we've experienced; his strength isn't stronger than the best we have seen; his wisdom doesn't mean he's smarter than the smartest person we know. God is different, unique...and so is everything about him. When the Bible says God is "King of kings and Lord of lords" it doesn't just mean that God is the best of all kings and the highest of all lords. God is a completely different standard...a King over all other kings and the Lord over all other rulers and authorities. So because God is not like us, we cannot expect him to act like us.
I just finished Ingram's chapter on the wisdom of God, and in case you haven't guessed, I have some thoughts...
How about this definition: The wisdom of God tells us that God will bring about the best possible results, by the best possible means, for the most possible people, for the longest possible time (Dr. Charles Ryrie). This corresponds to God's goodness. He knows the very best possible route, relationships, results, etc. for my life, and he's not going to choose the worst! In his goodness and wisdom, he orchestrates the circumstances of my life and yours in order to bring about the best. Hard to believe sometimes, isn't it? But I was reminded last night of one of Satan's biggest tactics for deceiving us: "I can't." It simply isn't true. We aren't able, as children and friends of God, to use that as an excuse for anything, because we have these promises:
"With God all things are possible." -- Matthew 19:26
"I can do everything through him who gives me strength." -- Philippians 4:13
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." -- Jesus, in John 15:5
If we can do nothing without God, and everything with him, then that should make our decision fairly easy, right?!
Regarding the wisdom of God, we are promised this:
" If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5).
God -- the Sovereign, Holy, Almighty, Loving, Powerful, All-Knowing God of the universe -- desires to share his wisdom with us. And it's not that he will grudgingly give it up; the verse says he gives generously! But the next three verses are equally important: "But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does."
We cannot be double-minded in our asking. This is something God's been teaching me...I've been asking him to lead me, but not willing to follow. It's the same deal here: we can't ask for God's wisdom, then still insist on doing it our own way. God's not gonna fall for that.
Let me leave you with this final quote from Rick Warren, in The Purpose-Driven Life: "Surrendering your life is not a foolish emotional impulse but a rational, intelligent act, the most responsible and sensible thing you can do with your life. That is why Paul said, "So we make it our goal to please him" (2 Corinthians 5:9). Your wisest moments will be those when you say yes to God."
"The Best" has many different meanings.
Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! Who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became his counselor? Or who has first given to him that it might be paid back to him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things To Him be the glory forever. Amen.
Romans 11:33-36 (NASB)
"God knows best"...we've all heard it before. But, as Chip Ingram says in his book I referred to before, "God isn't just a better version of humans." That means that everything of God is not just "better" than the best we can think of. His love isn't "deeper" than the best we've experienced; his strength isn't stronger than the best we have seen; his wisdom doesn't mean he's smarter than the smartest person we know. God is different, unique...and so is everything about him. When the Bible says God is "King of kings and Lord of lords" it doesn't just mean that God is the best of all kings and the highest of all lords. God is a completely different standard...a King over all other kings and the Lord over all other rulers and authorities. So because God is not like us, we cannot expect him to act like us.
I just finished Ingram's chapter on the wisdom of God, and in case you haven't guessed, I have some thoughts...
How about this definition: The wisdom of God tells us that God will bring about the best possible results, by the best possible means, for the most possible people, for the longest possible time (Dr. Charles Ryrie). This corresponds to God's goodness. He knows the very best possible route, relationships, results, etc. for my life, and he's not going to choose the worst! In his goodness and wisdom, he orchestrates the circumstances of my life and yours in order to bring about the best. Hard to believe sometimes, isn't it? But I was reminded last night of one of Satan's biggest tactics for deceiving us: "I can't." It simply isn't true. We aren't able, as children and friends of God, to use that as an excuse for anything, because we have these promises:
"With God all things are possible." -- Matthew 19:26
"I can do everything through him who gives me strength." -- Philippians 4:13
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." -- Jesus, in John 15:5
If we can do nothing without God, and everything with him, then that should make our decision fairly easy, right?!
Regarding the wisdom of God, we are promised this:
" If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5).
God -- the Sovereign, Holy, Almighty, Loving, Powerful, All-Knowing God of the universe -- desires to share his wisdom with us. And it's not that he will grudgingly give it up; the verse says he gives generously! But the next three verses are equally important: "But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does."
We cannot be double-minded in our asking. This is something God's been teaching me...I've been asking him to lead me, but not willing to follow. It's the same deal here: we can't ask for God's wisdom, then still insist on doing it our own way. God's not gonna fall for that.
Let me leave you with this final quote from Rick Warren, in The Purpose-Driven Life: "Surrendering your life is not a foolish emotional impulse but a rational, intelligent act, the most responsible and sensible thing you can do with your life. That is why Paul said, "So we make it our goal to please him" (2 Corinthians 5:9). Your wisest moments will be those when you say yes to God."