Wisdom

He said it was going to happen…700 years before it did! The Old Testament prophet Isaiah described the coming of the Messiah using four names to explain his character. The first name Isaiah revealed is Wonderful Counselor.

On the Christmas cards, it’s all picture-perfect. With a star illuminating the manger, three wise men, with their camels parked outside, bow down before the baby Jesus. And, of course, at the bottom of the card are the Hallmark words—Wise men still seek him today. But…let’s see what Scripture says about these visitors.

Have you ever heard the adage about the dog and the pig? The saying about the dog is from the proverbs. The one about the pig is from an unknown source. But Peter puts them together to make a graphic point.

When we die, our soul returns to God, our loving Creator. He beckons us home to be with him forever. We will finally see justice because of the injustice that was placed on Jesus. No one spoke in his defense; there was no one to save him from the cross.

It is Jesus alone that brings life to our souls and our minds. Read his Word. Listen to the hope that he brings. When our focus is on our newsfeed instead of Jesus, we will become weary of life.

A great illustration of temperance was found in President Abraham Lincoln. After the South was defeated during the Civil War, some extremists wanted to wipe all Southerners off the map. Lincoln refused such harsh action, and in doing so, he started a healing process for the nation. 

Solomon didn’t take a survey, but as he observed wealthy people, he noticed that some held tight to their money, sharing it with no one. Others squandered their money on risky business schemes. Both left shallow legacies.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

Solomon decided to take truth into his own hands. He determined what was the best course to take for himself, what made the most sense to him, and what was right and wrong for him personally. He might change his mind tomorrow. But for today, he settled his feelings and thoughts on pursuing his own course of action. This is a textbook example of postmodernism, a philosophy that permeates our present day.