Christmas in the New Year

As I spoke about at I-90 on New Year's Day, I'm convinced the best resolution you and I can make this year might have more to do with asking than doing. Because one of the keys to having a great 2012, or any new year for that matter, is living wisely. And the amazing thing about wisdom is that the bible says all we have to do in order to get it is to ask for it. It's like a Christmas gift God offers to you all year round.

James 1:5 says: If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. ANY OF YOU. No prerequisites. No doing. We just have to ask. And this is such good news because the quality of our year is by and large the sum total of the decisions we make. And let's face it - we often don't know the right decision to make. But God knows. It's called wisdom. And, just in case any of us missed this, let me say it again: wisdom is something God promises to give to any of us who ask him for it.

But, actually, there is one prerequisite for receiving wisdom from God. You have to believe this promise is true. James says in his very next breath: But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord (James 1:6-7).

This is faith. Trusting that God will follow through on His promises, and therefore taking him up on his challenge - asking Him to make you wise. This kind of faith is a journey - a daily practice of coming to God through prayer and the study of His Word so that when those decisions and choices emerge where you need wisdom, you'll find He's already given you the wisdom and all you have to do is use it. It's not an ignore God for days and weeks and then when a big decision hits you cry out, "God, give me the answer!" How many of us know that strategy never seems to work too well? The reason it doesn't is because when we approach God in that way aren't really exercising faith when we ask - we're just hoping God might come through for us when we don't know what to do. But as we seek God throughout our days, asking Him to make us wise, when those times of decision come... when those moments arise when we need help to distinguish between right and wrong... we'll find He has already made us wise. And then we just have to simply use what He's already given us.

Here's to living wise - for Jesus' sake - in 2012.

-Dave