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Translation:NIV
[Philemon 4:19]
My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
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Translation:NIV
[Hebrews 14:12]
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
[Hebrews 14:13]
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
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Translation:NIV
[James 1:22]
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
[James 1:23]
Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror
[James 1:24]
and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
[James 1:25]
But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it - he will be blessed in what he does.
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Translation:NIV
[Job 5:17]
Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not dispise the discipline of the Almighty.
[Job 5:18]
For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal.
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Translation:NIV
Selection #5
These four snippets come from three separate books; two from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament.
They all point to the same principle that God's notion of wisdom and the world's notion of wisdom are drastically different.
Paul draws this distinction out by including "by the standards of this age" when referring to wisdom in his first letter to Corinth.
For even more about this distinction than the verses below, see 1 Corinthians 1:18 – 31. If you want to be wise and gain understanding
as God sees wisdom, you must first fear God and acknowledge your need for His mercy. This leads to Christ. What does it
mean to be wise in to the world's eye? There are myriad responses, but many include knowledge of science and/or
mathematics, which oddly enough often leads individuals to a dismissal of God. Beauty may be in the eye of the
beholder, but so is wisdom in this case.
As a side comment, although Einstein (possessing incomparable knowledge of both science and mathematics) never
believed in a personal God, he firmly accepted the notion that the universe had a structured, orderly, and
designed quality, hinting at a creator. He did portray humility and admiration towards the natural world
itself, but not towards its creator (see http://www.stephenjaygould.org/ctrl/quotes_einstein.html).
Newton in slight contrast did acknowledge a creator and was known for studying the Bible daily
(see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton's_religious_views).
I recommend Strobel's The Case for a Creator (http://www.caseforacreator.com)
for more detail around how the natural world reveals that it was created and not the result of chance.
If there are multiple schools of thought on what it means to be wise, I prefer to be in God's court than any other. After all, assuming you believe God exists, isn't it more important to have Him consider you wise instead of the world? How then do I get in God's court? Know Christ. You don't need to be a genius to be saved. You don't need to know everything about Christ to be saved, but you do need to know Christ personally.
[Psalm 111:10]
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.
[Proverbs 9:10]
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
[1 Corinthians 1:24]
but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
[1 Corinthians 3:18]
Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a "fool" so that he may
become wise.
[1 Corinthians 3:19]
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight...
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Translation:NIV
Selection #6
The first verse of this selection isn't the entire verse; just the first sentence. Paul's message is clear, and I failed miserably to conduct myself in this way when Ohio State lost to Florida earlier this week in the BCS National Championship game.
This holds true not only for sad times we regret, but good as well, and there were plenty of Florida fans at the time failing to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Important for both I and the Florida fans is not to wallow in regret, but heed the second verse in this selection.
The "forgetting" piece doesn't mean that we can sin and then merely forget about it later without either repenting or facing consequences. Instead, we need to focus on continual forward momentum towards God's will for us. Adhering to the first verse, whatever happens, will reduce past failures and make it easier for us to keep that momentum.
[Philippians 1:27]
Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ...
[Philippians 2:13]
... But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead...
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Data source: http://www.brettresources.net/xml/bible_verses.xml
See also:International Bible Society
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