11 November 2013 - wisdom to the simple

11 November 2013 - wisdom to the simple

And the Apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”
The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,
you would say to this mulberry tree,
‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”

We realize with the apostles that our faith isn't what it should be.  We know that we fall short.  We sometimes even "cause one of these little ones to sin."  We therefore doubt God's power to produce holiness in us. We cling to unforgiveness even when our brothers repent.  We recognize a pattern of behavior in them and assume that this time will be no different than the last six times they repented.  We therefore doubt God's power to produce holiness in them.

It turns out that our faith is big and strong only in the abstract.  When turned to the situations of our daily lives it isn't much at all.  We think about things from a worldly perspective and assume that the future must follow the same laws we see in the past.  There is no room for resurrection in this view.   
We need to think about things from a wisdom perspective instead of a worldly perspective. 

Wisdom sees the world first from the perspective of who God is and only second in terms of circumstance.  Wisdom and faith go hand in hand.  We trust in him and so we trust in his perspective more than our own.  Only faith can transform us so that wisdom can dwell in our hearts.

Love justice, you who judge the earth;
think of the Lord in goodness,
and seek him in integrity of heart;

We then find ourselves free from the limits of our own perspectives.  We see mulberry bushes walking toward the see en masse.

When we doubt ourselves we must still believe in God.  We can do this because even in the worst situations where we run away from him we ultimately never leave his presence.

Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O LORD, you know the whole of it.
Behind me and before, you hem me in
and rest your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
too lofty for me to attain.

This is why the wisdom of his Spirit is so trustworthy.  Our perspective is limited but he misses nothing.

For the Spirit of the Lord fills the world,
is all-embracing, and knows what man says.
He alone, therefore, can guide us "along the everlasting way."