Everyone wants to live life successfully. One of the hottest topics in self-help circles is learning life hacks to make everything easier and simpler. There are general and specific hacks we can apply for an edge. But we seek God’s expectations to make us holy.
Christians and non-Christians use many of the same words. When the world describes success, it means getting ahead of everyone else, having money, power, everything you want. But that’s not what success means to God.
Christians define success as pleasing God and godly living. But how do we get there? The Bible describes heavenly and earthly wisdom (James 3:13-18). God’s operations are the opposite of the world’s ways.
God’s wisdom and standards are different. They have a different set of goals and a different purpose. Everything God does is to make us holy. If we don’t become like him, we cannot dwell with him in heaven. A holy God cannot dwell with unholy people.
People who obey the Holy Spirit and follow his lead grow in holiness. Holiness requires sacrifice, surrender, and service to God. There are no shortcuts.
It requires the Holy Spirit’s guidance. God’s standards are very high. They stand out compared to the world’s standards. The world compares one person to another. But God knows the heart and the inside of a person. He knows our strengths and weaknesses.
God compares us to how close we conform to Jesus. Doing good misses the mark. We must know Jesus. God’s standards are the highest, but he helps us reach them. God expects great things from us because he knows we can achieve them through the power and help of the Holy Spirit.
If I am lost in the woods, I need a map or guide familiar with the terrain. I may get out, but the journey would be long and hard. This is the path of worldly wisdom.
Earthly wisdom falls short every time. No one in the world knows how to achieve God’s standards. In fact, the world has no intention of following God’s rules, living by his standards, or having the same goals.
Earthly and heavenly wisdom are the only two options. Either we do our own thing and follow the world and reach its destination select or we follow God’s standards, goals, and destination. These are the two roads before us. Each one of us decides one of these paths, even if we don’t make a choice.
You could blindly grope around in the darkness and hope to find something worthwhile. But it’s better to talk to the one who designed the whole universe.
Evolutionists and naturalists claim the world came together by chance without a design. We live in a world that doesn’t acknowledge its Designer and Creator. Why follow a lost world? They will only lead us into more trouble. Instead, we can know what the Creator intended for us.
When we follow God’s standards we are doing what he designed this world to do. Reading and listening to Scripture shows us God’s heart. He outlines his expectations and the goals he has for each of us. We live the way he designed life to be.
Many people balk at God’s commandments and laws in the Bible. They don’t want someone else to tell them what to do. But when we submit to God’s laws we are living his way and getting the best out of life.
I have tried to put together furniture from those DIY kits. My favorite part is reading the time they tell you it’ll take to put it together. The box says three hours, but it’s still not together six hours later. Every piece fits one way and they never give you enough extra pieces. I start the project over several times. The instructions are in eight different languages, and English as last.
The Bible clearly gives God’s expectations and standards for us. The Holy Spirit dwells inside of us, helping us to understand and apply God’s standards to our lives. We had everything we need to live the way he wants us to live.
Our pluralistic society claims many ways to get to God. But we can’t mix stop and match the two roads. We can’t use earthly wisdom when we think it will work better and then godly wisdom when we get into a jam. We need to follow God’s wisdom alone.
It will take us a lifetime to learn how to obey the Holy Spirit in everything. We don’t always listen even though his way is best. And sometimes we may think his way is too difficult for us.
But as long as we listen to and obey him we will reach our destination of holiness. It’s a good thing God wrote everything we can’t remember and don’t do on our own. And we have one another to keep us accountable and on the right road.
The two options before us are heavenly and earthly wisdom. We can try to wander around on our own and hope we end up where God designed us to go. Or we can make it easier on ourselves and trust God to get us there.
What’s your take on these standards? What has God taught you about listening to his commands, his Word, and his Spirit? Leave a comment below and share how God’s wisdom has saved you frustrations.
