12But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?
13Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.
14The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me.
15It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.
16It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
17The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold.
18No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies.
19The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
20Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?
21Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.
22Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.
23God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.
24For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven;
25To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.
26When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder:
27Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out.
28And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
Job 28.
Amen.
homesick
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Elihu
I'm reading through Job. Most days, I don't really know what to do with the passage I read from Job for quiet time.
I'm at the part where Elihu, the youngest of Job's friends and the last to speak, speaks. It's the only part that's in the way of me getting to the grand finale in which the LORD owns everyone at everything.
Elihu talks a lot. His spiel is even longer than God's. This guy is passionate and long-winded and angry. He has enough sense to bite his tongue in the beginning and he's definitely not un-wise. But his strong belief and eloquence (and maybe even good intent somewhere in there) don't make him any less totally mistaken.
I can identify with Elihu (this is different from finding my identity in Elihu, just to clarify).
I am Elihu sometimes when I blog - even whatever good things I try to share become bad, because the focus has shifted from the awesomeness of God to the awesomeness of me (I pray that this is not true at the moment)
I can also think of moments when I played the Elihu in someone else's life. And later on, I think about it and I am ashamed, although I usually only had the best intentions.
To be honest, a lot of times when fellow brothers and sisters come to me with their problems, this is part of the reason I feel so helpless when I'm supposed to be strong for them. I can think of things to say, but I almost never say it because I feel like I don't have the right to say "I totally understand". I feel pressured to say words that are perfect like apples of gold in settings of silver. I'm disappointed when I can't sense the Spirit leading me to say one thing or another. I feel useless.
Jason Tarn once talked about (or talked about a book that talked about) how every sin in our life can be traced back to unbelief. God, I want to believe You fully in this aspect. God, I'm afraid of being Elihu, the young and knowledgeable but totally misguided. Sometimes, I'm sad because I feel like it's taken / is taking so long for me to know the Spirit. But You said that "anyone who trusts in Him will not be put to shame." You said "seek ye first" and "delight yourself in the LORD". And you also said that You make all things beautiful in Your time.
He knows my heart. He knows when I'm trying to hear the Spirit's call for selfish reasons and He knows when I earnestly seek Him on behalf of someone. He will do what is pleasing in His sight. There is no fear. There is only quietness and trust, and it is well with my soul.
He is in control of my sisterhoods and my sisters' lives.
I'm at the part where Elihu, the youngest of Job's friends and the last to speak, speaks. It's the only part that's in the way of me getting to the grand finale in which the LORD owns everyone at everything.
Elihu talks a lot. His spiel is even longer than God's. This guy is passionate and long-winded and angry. He has enough sense to bite his tongue in the beginning and he's definitely not un-wise. But his strong belief and eloquence (and maybe even good intent somewhere in there) don't make him any less totally mistaken.
I can identify with Elihu (this is different from finding my identity in Elihu, just to clarify).
I am Elihu sometimes when I blog - even whatever good things I try to share become bad, because the focus has shifted from the awesomeness of God to the awesomeness of me (I pray that this is not true at the moment)
I can also think of moments when I played the Elihu in someone else's life. And later on, I think about it and I am ashamed, although I usually only had the best intentions.
To be honest, a lot of times when fellow brothers and sisters come to me with their problems, this is part of the reason I feel so helpless when I'm supposed to be strong for them. I can think of things to say, but I almost never say it because I feel like I don't have the right to say "I totally understand". I feel pressured to say words that are perfect like apples of gold in settings of silver. I'm disappointed when I can't sense the Spirit leading me to say one thing or another. I feel useless.
Jason Tarn once talked about (or talked about a book that talked about) how every sin in our life can be traced back to unbelief. God, I want to believe You fully in this aspect. God, I'm afraid of being Elihu, the young and knowledgeable but totally misguided. Sometimes, I'm sad because I feel like it's taken / is taking so long for me to know the Spirit. But You said that "anyone who trusts in Him will not be put to shame." You said "seek ye first" and "delight yourself in the LORD". And you also said that You make all things beautiful in Your time.
He knows my heart. He knows when I'm trying to hear the Spirit's call for selfish reasons and He knows when I earnestly seek Him on behalf of someone. He will do what is pleasing in His sight. There is no fear. There is only quietness and trust, and it is well with my soul.
He is in control of my sisterhoods and my sisters' lives.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
the right perspective
The grass withers and the flower falls, but the word of our Lord stands forever. Isaiah 40:8
encouragement from this verse: our projects don't matter on the grand scale, God's word is what's important. We are called to do our best with what we have been entrusted with, but this system that is set up by the world is a deceiving one. Monday 5pm is not the goal. Our goal is much much better and much much more eternal.Good morning Hannah! And i hope all is going well with you and your project!
I have toiled and labored for things that pass away
Working just to savor these numbered days
Fruitless seeds are sown
Worthless things I’ve grown
I offer you all that I own
Though small and simple
I pray it honors you alone
encouragement from this verse: our projects don't matter on the grand scale, God's word is what's important. We are called to do our best with what we have been entrusted with, but this system that is set up by the world is a deceiving one. Monday 5pm is not the goal. Our goal is much much better and much much more eternal.Good morning Hannah! And i hope all is going well with you and your project!
I have toiled and labored for things that pass away
Working just to savor these numbered days
Fruitless seeds are sown
Worthless things I’ve grown
I offer you all that I own
Though small and simple
I pray it honors you alone
Friday, November 25, 2011
God please keep me sane and in the right perspective
healthy stress management tips anyone?
This is the first time I've felt too anxious to think properly four days before pencils down.
This is the first time I've felt too anxious to think properly four days before pencils down.
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