The
mere resolve to serve God is not enough, and those who have come to
see themselves as they really, those who are no longer deluded by self-righteousness
and outward shows of religion, realize that they need strength to act
wisely, as Paul himself found, saying, Quote: “So I find this
law at work; When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For
in my inner being I delight in God’s law, but I see another law
at win the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind
and making me a prisoner . . . What a wretched man I am!”
(Romans 7:21-23).
Paul
continues, Quote: “Who will rescue me from the body of this death?
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (verses 24-25).
The same message is repeated in another place, when he says that Jesus
is the one who strengthens him (Philippians
4:13).
The
wise businessman appreciates the need for God’s help in dealing
with the problems and pressure of life, which may explain why Napoleon
Hill concluded from his lifetime study of the lives of the men who first
built the industrial might of American that “prayer is your greatest
power”.
There
are no perfect people, no matter how good a front they put on, as John
also explains when he says, Quote: “If we claim to be without
sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John1:8).
As
well as coping with human nature, those who turn to God are also under
attack, like a besieged city, or a soldier in battle, as we have already
seen. For this reason Paul prayed that, like him, Christians in the
city of Colosse would be, Quote: “Strengthened
with all power according to this glorious might so that may have great
endurance and patience” (Colossians
1:11).
Solomon
says that the wise and righteous man is strengthened by The
Wisdom, which Paul identifies as Jesus, described as,
Quote: The power of God and The Wisdom of
God” (1 Corinthians 1:24), a message repeated just a few verses
later (verse 30).
Solomon
also points out that no person in the world is perfect before God and
without sin, be they some highly acclaimed guru or mystic, or the leader
of a great religious movement. Paul is in fact, is directly quoting
these words of Solomon when he reminds his readers that, Quote: “There
is no-one righteous, not even one” (Romans
3:10).
As
Solomon explains over and over in the book of Proverbs, a major part
of wisdom is the right use of the tongue -- but the misuse of the mouth
is a common problem for all human beings. As he now points out here,
the mouth and the tongue, which too often curse
and criticize other people, are motivated by the heart,
which in turn too easily responds in a wrong and unforgiving way to
critical things we may hear other people say
about us.
Perhaps
this is why a whole chapter of the epistle of James is devoted to the
terrible trouble that can be caused by the tongue, like a small spark
that can set a forest on fire. In particular, he says, Quote: “Out
of the same mouth come praise and cursing.
My brothers this should not be so” (James 3:9-10). As he also
points out, although clever people can tame and train all kinds of animals,
they cannot never actually tame the tongue – and it will always
need to consciously restrained and kept under control.
James,
like Solomon, then points out that the problem begins with the emotions,
from human nature which mimics that of the devil, saying, Quote: “If
you harbour bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not
boast about it or deny the truth. Such ‘wisdom’ does not
come down from heaven, but is earthly, un-spiritual, of the devil”
(verses 14-16).
These,
then, are some of the problems confronted by those who wish to acquire
Greater Wisdom, Godly wisdom -- which means living according to the
pattern set down and taught by Jesus, who, as we have already seen,
stresses that we shall be judged by every idle word we speak. Speaking
of that battle against personal evil, Paul urges Christians to, Quote:
“Lead captive every thought into obedience to Christ” (2
Corinthians 10:5).