Wisdom in the Business of Life

Jim Leffel

James 4:13-17

James teaches how to gain wisdom and live by it. The issue he brings up is our attitude in making important non-moral decisions. It's foolish to only consider ones own thoughts and desires which results in anxiety and isolation. Rather than follow our own foolish tendencies we can make the decision to gain wisdom from God in all areas of our life. Through our conscience, biblical values, and considering others, God reveals the best path for our lives. God has a unique will for each believers life. Our lives can make a radical contribution if we're willing to follow Him.\r\n

Wisdom in Interpersonal Conflict

Jim Leffel

James 4:1-12

Wisdom in dealing with interpersonal conflict is given by contrasting worldly friendships with spiritual friendships. Worldly friendships are based on self-centered needs, inordinate desires, and expectations, i.e., "I want things my way or else." Spiritual friendships are rooted in God, honor doing things God's way, and are based on grace.\r\n

Becoming Who We Are (Part 2)

Dennis McCallum

Ephesians 3:18-19

Paul adds inheritance and guaranteed to the profile of attributes for having an identity in Christ and discusses how these aspects give significance and security. He then prays that the Ephesian church will gain wisdom and understanding that is given through both objective and subjective revelation as we understand the attributes of our identity in Christ. The teaching concludes with examples of what it looks like to live out your identity in Christ verses when you don't.

Showing Wisdom

Jim Leffel

James 3:13-18

Wisdom begins with a soft heart toward what God says. It shapes the way people see things and is evident in the way they live. Worldly wisdom is passively absorbed and focuses on the temporal, the material, and is influenced by Satan. Having worldly wisdom results in jealousy, selfish ambition, and arrogance. Spiritual wisdom is actively sought and focuses on the eternal, the supernatural, and trusting God. Having spiritual wisdom results in humility and grace.\r\n

The Word in Attitudes and Actions

Jim Leffel

Romans 12:10

When we try to hear from God through His Word it's important that we are open to His input in our lives. Often people come to God with their minds already made up. We are called not just to be readers of the Word, but doers of the Word.

Admonish One Another

Gary DeLashmutt

Romans 15:14

Christ calls Christians to live counter-culturally by giving and receiving admonition as needed. Three convictions all Christians need to understand about admonition are: 1) wise counsel for major decisions is necessary for a God-honoring life because none of us has the knowledge or wisdom to make complex life decisions on our own. Also, we are members of God's family and therefore our decisions impact others; 2) sin has the power to deceive us and we all have blind spots in our lives that others can help us see; and 3) God's grace enables us to view admonition as loving discipline versus condemnation.

Jacob and Esau: Having the Right Priorities

Ryan Lowery

Genesis 25:21-34

In the story of Jacob and Esau, Esau is significantly limited in his ability to be used by God due to a seemingly small choice. Saying "no" to God can limit His ability to use us as well. In order to avoid Esau's mistake, we need to learn to prioritize the right things in order to make good spiritual choices.

Trusting God with Big Decisions

James Rochford

James 4:13-17

Major decisions are not morally neutral. In this passage, the author, James, gives an example scenario to show how to reason in decision making. One principle is to consider the immediate reward and principle two considers the ultimate reward. God gives us every reason why we can trust Him in decision making.

Spirituality and Our Relational Lives

Gary DeLashmutt

James 3:1-4:3

There are two different kinds of wisdom, referred to as ?seeds, that each produce unique relational dynamics or ?sowing?. Each sowing results in two different relational ?harvests?. One wisdom results in ?harvest? of moral health and wholeness in relationships. The other wisdom ?harvests? broken patterns of relationships. Trusting in God's wisdom empowers people to relate to others in a sacrificial way.